When the temperature spikes, few vegetables can throw a temper tantrum about it the way tomatoes can. Dropped blossoms, slow growth, suspended ripening. When your tomatoes aren’t happy, ain’t nobody …
Excuse me! Yeah, you, standing next to the tomatoes. Please, put down the hose and step away from the plant. (At least for now, anyway. You might do more harm …
If you have lupines planted in your front yard and see a stranger walking up and down the street every hour gawking at them, rest assured, I mean no harm. …
Strawberries are one of the first sweet treats that we home gardeners can look forward to each year. (There’s rhubarb, but that’s quite tangy without a lot of sugar, so …
Sometimes, I like to do counterintuitive things in the garden. I let the buttercups grow unplucked because they’re generous food sources for early pollinators. I cherish the moss between the …
A few years ago, I opened an article on iris care by stating that “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who actually bought irises to plant in their garden.” …
We’ve all seen the same advice when it comes to watering tomatoes: water them deeply, but infrequently. Okay. Well, ‘deeply’ isn’t exactly an amount. It’s not really something you can …
Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat ‘em the more you…erm, sorry. Childhood nonsense is getting the best of me. But I do love beans! String beans, snap …
Over the years here at Rural Sprout, I’ve answered hundreds of questions emailed to me by our readers. Quite often, I get asked about feeding tomatoes. There are so many …
When I had a much smaller garden, I could only fit a couple of small shrubs along a fence. Lilac was not one of them. And yet, I still knew …
I love the idea of seed tape. Strips of paper with tiny, finicky seeds neatly measured out. You only plant what you need, so you aren’t wasting seeds on thinning. …
Once you realize what a game-changer it is to mulch your garden, the quest for the best mulch material begins. Well, you can stop searching, my friends, because I’ve found …
The United States of America is celebrating its semiquincentennial, 250th, anniversary this July. People are getting excited, and the celebrating has already begun. Every time I drive into town, I …
I’m a big fan of garden troubleshooting guides. You know the one: “What to do if your [insert plant here] is dying.” or “How to revive your [plant].” I have …
For a while now, there’s been advice floating around that you should always direct sow your zucchini and other summertime cucurbits instead of starting them indoors and transplanting them outside. …
Late spring – mid-May through early June – is a deceptive period of time for most gardeners, vegetable or ornamental. This is that weird time in the growing season, where …
There’s a saying in gardening that goes like this: “We prune for a reason, not for a season.” This means that there are no set times to prune plants, only …
Do you suck at growing peppers? I can fix that with three easy rules. It’s a bold claim, but I used to suck at growing peppers, too. I started paying …
Right now, millions of gardeners are out there digging in the dirt, sowing seeds, and putting carefully tended seedlings in the ground. They’re dreaming of fresh salads made up of …
I’m a big fan of a plant with multiple functions. Does it feed me? Great! Does it feed pollinators too? Even better. Does it look pretty in addition to all …
A huge part of gardening is waiting. Waiting for the soil to warm up in the spring. Waiting for seeds to germinate. Waiting for seedlings to grow. Then there’s the …
Let’s be honest with ourselves, we don’t grow lilacs for the lovely, emerald green leaves. We grow lilacs for that heady scent that perfumes the air on warm spring days. …
Ah, good! You’re here! I hope you’re wearing your comfiest pair of shoes, dear reader, because today, we’re going plant shopping. I’d like to take you with me and point …
Bare root plants are a great way to add to your garden without spending a lot of dough. One look at the display in your local garden center, and you’ll …
Leaf miners, aphids and bolting the second there’s a bit of heat, for such a simple green, spinach can be tough to grow. Sadly, too many gardeners give up because …