All About Homegrown Vegetables, Fruits, and Berries

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My Garden Life

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May 5, 2022

Growing Vegetables

Planning a Vegetable Garden

Getting your plants off to a good start is the best way to ensure an abundant harvest later. Here are things to consider when you’re selecting which plants to grow and preparing your garden space.

Measuring Sunlight in Your Landscape “Full sun,” “part sun,” or “full shade”? Learn how to evaluate light levels in your landscape.	Straightforward Tips for Soil Improvement Good soil is essential for healthy plants. We’ve got practical ideas for improving your soil.
Your Last Frost Date – What You Need to Know Planting too early can result in frost damage. Learn when it’s safe to plant seedlings.	What to Do When You Can’t Plant Right Away What to do with your impulse plant purchase when you can’t get it planted right away.
Days to Maturity for Vegetables: What It Means The time it takes from planting to harvest helps when choosing varieties right for your garden.	Vegetable Garden Companion Plants Find out which vegetable companion plants help each other grow better and why.

Starting Vegetables from Seeds

Growing plants from seed is an economical way to grow your own food and experience the wonder of watching plants emerge from seeds. We’ve got tips from starting seeds to transplanting seedlings to their final location.

Vegetable Garden Basics – Start Seeds or Buy Plants? Start plants from seed or get a jumpstart by purchasing plants – which is right for you?	Tips for Seed Germination What you need to know to encourage high germination rates from the seeds you sow.
Grow Light Guidelines for Getting Seeds Started Get a jump-start on the growing season by starting seeds under grow lights. Here’s how to get started.	Hardening Off Seeds and Plants Follow these simple steps to introduce your plants to spring safely.

Ways to Grow a Vegetable Garden

There are lots of ways to grow edible plants. Learn about different options and ways to extend the growing season whether your garden is in the backyard, pots on a patio, or even an apartment balcony.

Extend the Growing Season with a Cold Frame A cold frame will extend your cool-season harvest or create a space for starting plants earlier in the spring.	Vegetable Choices for Cold Frames Vegetables that love cool temperatures are perfect for growing in a cold frame to extend your harvest season.
Start a Small Vegetable Garden Even if you’ve never gardened before, you can grow your own vegetables with little investment of time or money.	Ideas for Starting a Balcony Garden Tips for growing plants and dwarf edibles to create a garden on your apartment balcony.
Gardening in Raised Beds: Benefits and Drawbacks Raised garden beds offer many advantages. Decide if the investment is right for you.	A Soil Calculator for Raised Beds and Containers Know how much soil you’ll need to purchase before you head to the garden center.
How to Be Successful with Raised Garden Beds If you’re new to gardening with raised beds, we have tips for how to use them most effectively.	When to Harvest Garden Vegetables Learn when and how to harvest twenty of your vegetable garden favorites.
All About Growing Tomatoes A one-stop collection of our most popular tomato tips for growing and using tomatoes.	All About Growing Peppers Peppers are one of the easiest plants to grow. Get tips for growing peppers successfully.

Fertilizer for a Vegetable Garden

Healthy soil and fertilizer help keep your plants well-nourished. Learn how you can optimize your harvest with strategies for feeding and planting.

A Guide to Organic Fertilizers Learn about natural sources of fertilizers, and what they can do for your garden.	No Till Gardening Tilling can be very disruptive to soil ecosystems. Here’s a low-maintenance alternative.
Succession Planting for Vegetables Enjoy fresh vegetables over a longer season when you follow scheduled succession planting.	Tips on Crop Rotation for Beginning Gardeners Learn how crop rotation can result in healthier soil and abundant harvests.
Compost Tips for Beginners Start composting with these tips and basic steps!	Biochar: A New Trend in Soil Amendment Biochar is an organic way to improve soil health and sequester carbon from the environment.

Harvesting, Using, and Preserving Fruits, Vegetables, and Berries

All of your efforts to grow edibles pay off when it’s harvest time! We’ve got lots of ideas for harvesting, preserving, and storing your vegetables, herbs, fruits, and berries.

Best Way to Wash Fruits and Vegetables Tips for washing fruits and veggies correctly, so they are safe to eat.	Preserving Your Summer Harvest Learn how to preserve fruits and vegetables to enjoy long after the harvest season.
Storage Tips for Fall Vegetables Keep your fall harvest fresh longer by following these guidelines.	Simple Steps to Freeze and Store Vegetables Your vegetable harvest can be frozen or stored for use over 8-12 months. Learn how.
Fermenting Vegetables for Beginners These simple steps will teach anyone how to ferment their own vegetables in no time!	Pickling for Beginners Follow these five simple steps to prepare your own fresh and crunchy pickles.
Guide to Harvesting, Curing, and Storing Onions Tips for storing onions in good condition for three to twelve months.	Tips for Using Your Frozen Produce Preparing and using last summer’s frozen fruits and vegetables through the winter.

Growing Fruit Trees

What could be more fun than picking fresh fruits right outside your door? Here are important tips for successfully planting and growing your own fruit trees.

Fall Planting of Trees and Shrubs Fall is the perfect time for planting trees and shrubs!	5 Tips for Fertilizing Fruit Trees Learn how to fertilize your home orchard and maximize your harvests.
Why is There No Fruit on My Tree? Are your fruit trees not setting fruit? We give you common reasons that might happen.	Pollination Charts for Fruit-bearing Trees and Shrubs Use these charts as a guide to find the perfect pollinators for fruit trees and berry shrubs.
How to Prune Fruit Trees Follow these simple steps for maintaining your fruit tree to improve its health and harvest.	Preserving Your Apple Harvest Three recipes for canning apples that will delight apple growers and eaters.

Grow Your Own Berries

Berries are easy to grow and offer sweet rewards. They’re a good choice for anyone short on time or growing space, but who wants to enjoy fresh, homegrown produce.

8 Tips for Growing Your Own Strawberries Growing your own strawberries is easy! Follow these eight simple tips to get your garden off to a great start.	Growing Raspberries Growing your own raspberries is one of gardening’s most rewarding tasks. We’ll show you how in five easy steps.
Growing Thornless Blackberry Plants Learn how you can enjoy delicious blackberry harvests – without the prickles!	Easy to Make Berry Jam Everything you need to know to create simple berry jams by canning them in a hot water bath.

Creating compost to nourish your garden soil doesn’t have to be complicated. Try direct composting: the no-muss, no-fuss method for making compost from your kitchen scraps.

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fruit trees | garden-to-table | what to grow - basics | what to grow - fruits and berries | what to grow - vegetables

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