Instead of turning to synthetic chemical fertilizers to feed your plants, consider relying on natural fertilizers to nourish both your plants and your soil. Fertilizers based on natural ingredients not only provide mineral nutrition for growing plants, they also feed the soil’s living organisms. These organisms (most of which are microscopic fungi and bacteria) process these natural fertilizers, breaking them down into the nutrients that plants use to grow. In this article, I’ll introduce you to several natural fertilizer options and discuss which ones are good choices for the garden.
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Front yard vegetable garden ideas: Grow a mix of food and flowers
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How to grow quinoa in a vegetable garden
Quinoa is a cool season crop grown for its tiny, protein-packed seeds. It’s also a beautiful vegetable, producing tall plants with silvery-green leaves and brilliant red, pink, and gold seedheads. It’s easy to grow, drought tolerant, and disease resistant with the seed harvest taking place in autumn before the first hard frost. If you want to learn how to grow quinoa in a vegetable garden, keep reading.
Zucchini companion plants for the vegetable garden
Companion planting has been around for generations, but most of the plant partnerships recommended have little basis in actual science. Times are changing though, thanks to an abundance of current research looking at the benefits of partnering certain plants together. My most recent book, Plant Partners: Science-based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden (Storey Publishing, 2020), presents effective interplanting strategies home gardeners can use to grow a better garden. In prior articles, I’ve examined the best companion plants for tomatoes and good choices for basil companion plants, but in this article, let’s take a look at science-backed zucchini companion plants for the vegetable garden.
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New Zealand spinach: Growing tips for this leafy green that’s not really spinach
I first planted New Zealand spinach in one of my raised beds and I’ve never had to replant it since. Little seedlings dependably reappear in my garden every year. I didn’t know much about this healthy leafy green until a friend offered me a few extra seedlings she had growing in her garden. Always keen to try something new, I eagerly planted them in the garden.
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Growing loofah gourds: Learn how to grow your own loofah sponges
Loofah sponges are great in the shower and handy for doing dishes in the kitchen, but did you know you can grow them in your garden? A loofah sponge is the fibrous interior of a loofah gourd, which are produced on vining plants that are closely related to cucumbers and squash. Growing loofah gourds isn’t difficult but they do need a long growing season. I grow them successfully in my short season garden by starting the seeds indoors in mid-spring, giving the plants plenty of sun, and providing consistent moisture during the summer months. If you want to learn how to grow this unique – and edible! – gourd, read on.
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