Lawn & Garden / vegetable gardening

What is a cover crop and how do you use them in your garden? Cover crops are essentially sacrificial crops that are planted, allowed to grow, then mowed over and tilled under to allow the organic matter to decompose.

Companion planting is a timeless practice deeply rooted in the history of agriculture. From the earliest crop cultivators to modern-day gardeners, the concept of strategically planting complementary crops together has been embraced across cultures and continents.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed when you decide to grow your first garden. One thing I know for sure, for every gardener, there is a slightly different and equally legitimate way to grow a garden. Over time, with practice, you will become one of those unique growers of produce. There is not one "correct" way to be a successful gardener. It takes time, failure, imagination, and patience.

During the heat of summer, our gardens put on a lot of growth. Unfortunately, the weeds can begin to take off as well. Adding a summer mulch can help with your weeding, conserve water and cool the soil.

Raised beds are very versatile and easy to use. A raised bed allows you to easily control your soil mixture so that you can always have the proper soil for your plants. As you customize the soil mixtures in your raised beds, you can improve soil drainage and soil compaction, this being the most important advantage. This is very important, especially with the high alkaline, clay soil that we deal with here in our area.

Have you ever wondered how people grew fruits and vegetables before commercial fertilizers were available? Before World War II there were almost no commercial fertilizers.

For years, the message of fertilization has been a loud and narrow one. When we look deeper and begin to understand what we are buying we begin to ask the question “Is this something I really want to use?” What if there was a fertilizer that was so natural you couldn’t distinguish it from a pile of healthy dirt? Well, you really need to check this out.

Zamzows Nutri-Rich is a 100% certified organic all-purpose fertilizer. The majority of organic fertilizers are unbalanced and very high in nitrogen. Our formula is 4-3-3. This balanced nutrient rich blend provides long-lasting natural plant food; it also contains 7% calcium.

Starting seeds indoors is a fun way to have a start-to-finish hand in growing a garden and flowers. Plus, it’s a great way to save money! Seed-starting is not as difficult as it first seems. However, there are some proven ways to improve the experience and even speed up the process. Here are some tips and tricks to increase your likelihood of success!