Are you planning to build and/or install a raised bed? I like to emphasize that raised beds can go anywhere that gets six to eight hours of sunlight a day. And they can be any size you like. However, for the purpose of this article, I’m going to talk about the standard rectangular raised beds that are generally built from untreated, rot-resistant wood (like Niki’s amazing raised bed setup) or concrete blocks, as well as what you might want to think about when preparing a raised bed garden.
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5 questions with Shawna Coronado
Shawna Coronado wants to get you out in the garden. No space? No problem! She’ll encourage you to garden vertically on walls, fences, or in vertical structures. No sun? No problem! She’s got a long list of edibles that can grow in less-than-ideal light. No time? No problem! Shawna can teach you to build a low-maintenance food garden that will slash your grocery bill. She has built a career on sustainable, organic food gardening and in her latest book, 101 Organic Gardening Hacks, Shawna features eco-friendly, DIY solutions to improve any garden.
Organic weed control tips for gardeners
I suspect that most gardeners make a promise to themselves at the start of every growing season to not let the weeds get the best of their garden. They swear they’re going to stay on top of the bittercress, chickweed, dandelions, spotted spurge, and henbit. But then reality strikes. Life takes over, and somehow there never seems to be enough time to stay ahead of the weeds. Well, after years of making the same promise to myself, I’ve finally found a way to have a weed-free garden every year – without resorting to synthetic chemical herbicides. To do it, I employ a whole arsenal of organic weed control tips to keep my garden free of weeds.
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Seeds vs transplants: Should you start from seed or buy transplants?
The great spring gardening dilemma; should you start from seed or buy transplants for your vegetable, herb, and flower seedlings from a local nursery? Personally, I do both, growing hundreds of my own seedlings beneath my grow-lights, and also buying from a handful of favourite garden centres. There are benefits and drawbacks to starting your own seeds as well as buying pre-grown seedlings.
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Why planting onion seeds is better than planting sets (and how to do it right)
As a former organic market farmer, I’ve grown onions in every possible way. I’ve grown them from onion sets, from nursery-grown transplants, and from their little black seeds. Needless to say, I’ve learned quite a few tricks along the way, but I will tell you without a doubt that my best onion crops always start with planting onion seeds, not by planting onion sets or even by planting transplants. For me, planting onions from seed has always yielded the best results. But here’s the thing—you can’t just grow onions from seed like you do other vegetables. There’s a trick to doing it right.
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Why you should assess an area before planning a garden bed
When I first moved into my current home, just over five years ago, I picked a sunny spot for my vegetable garden (it was evident the space had already been used as one) and installed two raised beds. The site got plenty of sun to grow lots of veggies and drained well. Since then, however, the tree canopy has expanded (I live on a tree-covered ravine), and that part of the yard now gets much less sun than it used to. Which brings me to an important point that I’ve been thinking about a lot as I look forward to spring: the importance of planning a garden bed.
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