Grow Food

Normally, if you clicked on an article with a similar title here at Rural Sprout, you would be looking at your plants for symptoms. However, we want to make gardeners …

I did not receive these raised beds for free from Vego Garden. I bought them myself because, after several weeks of research, they were the brand I liked most. I’m …

I have a couple of friends who are very much into board games. They seem to remember the rules of 15+ games by heart and juggle an impressive number of …

As the gardening season comes to an end, we’re faced with the task of clearing up before winter arrives. While the general rule for generations has been to tidy up …

Urine is an excellent natural fertilizer and among the very oldest ways to create fertile soil. After all, pee plays quite a crucial role in the earth’s nitrogen cycle. Mammals …

As the leaves change color and fall from the trees, most of us are busy closing up our gardens for the season. But don’t put your garden tools away just …

September is often an odd month. If you’ve got school-aged children, you go from a noisy house to a silent one. At least, until they start bringing germs home from …

I don’t grow a garden without mulch. Period. Putting down a protective layer over the bare soil in my garden provides a multitude of benefits. Unfortunately, after three successive seasons …

There are plenty of reasons to love growing determinate tomatoes. As bush-type tomatoes, they are biologically limited to a height of around four feet. They grow until the terminal bud …

I love volunteer plants. You know, the ones where you plant it once, and it self-seeds every year after that. I can’t tell you how nice it is not to …

It’s that weird part of the summer where you know there’s still plenty of warm weather left, but that little voice begins to whisper in the back of your brain …

When you’re growing vegetables, you rarely want your plants to get sick. We put a lot of work into making sure they don’t. So, it’s usually an upsetting surprise to …

With summer temperatures climbing higher each year, many gardeners suddenly find it harder to grow tomatoes. Plants that used to burst with fruit come July now seem stuck. Thankfully, an …

Gardeners – and especially those who garden organically – ought to be well-acquainted with nitrogen. As the N in N-P-K, it’s the first nutrient you’ll learn about as a budding …

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. We tomato growers are a bit touched. We’ll try just about anything to grow the tastiest tomatoes, the earliest tomatoes and …

Here’s a quick tip: did you know that picking tomatoes at just the right time will give you tomatoes that don’t spoil as fast and encourage your plant to put …

Every plant you grow in your garden needs exactly 17 essential nutrients to be healthy, vigorous, and productive. We supply nutrients through the soil by applying amendments like compost and …

Potatoes are a staple crop in many diets the world over. Of course, here in the United States, we generally prefer our potatoes fried. Every grocery store in America has …

I love watching the hummingbirds flitting about the scarlet bee balm in the backyard. When it comes to keeping the cabbage worms in check, it’s hard to beat the local …

Gardening is great! But it’s also time-consuming. How do you keep your garden going strong, the weeds under control and vegetables producing all season long? 10-minute gardening, that’s how. Rather …

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been tracking temperatures since 1850, and one thing is clear – record-breaking temperatures are on the rise. While the cause of climate …

There comes a point in every blueberry lover’s life (usually when you’re at the U-pick farm or the farmers market) where you think, “Why don’t we grow our own blueberries?” …

Anyone who has been gardening for longer than a season can tell you that growing tomatoes is equal parts frustration and reward. Gardeners love to grow them, but they can …

As gardeners, we are keenly aware that Mother Nature holds the cards when it comes to having a good growing season or not. So, we’re always on the lookout for …