Grow Food

Beets are a cool season crop to love or loathe. While some of us adore the earthy flavor, especially in pickled beets, others claim the roots taste like dirt – …

As gardeners, it’s often necessary to wear different hats for all the various jobs that tending a garden entails. Depending on the day (and time of year), we’re site planners, …

I love summer squash, don’t you? I don’t think I’ve ever had a garden that didn’t have a zucchini plant in it. And why not? Zucchini and summer squash are …

The other day, my sweetie came out to the garden to find me buried head first in our Amish Paste tomatoes, hacking away and cursing. He had to duck as …

When it comes to summertime fruit, our favorite is blueberries. They’re infinitely snackable. A bowl left unattended on the counter, destined for jam or homemade blueberry syrup, will likely disappear …

So, you’ve finally taken some gardening advice from Rural Sprout and are putting that spade or rototiller down for a nap. Now what? Your questioning and calculating mind may be …

Raspberries (Rubus spp.) are sun-loving, thorny, rambling plants in the Rose family. It’s absolutely worth a few prickles for the heavenly taste of the sweet, delicate berries, straight off the …

Biting into a perfect, tree-ripened peach could be the culinary highlight of your summer. That is, if you know the best varieties to plant: three to four years in advance. …

Growing some shape or size of pumpkin is easy enough. Getting them to grow huge is another weight category entirely. So, what does it take to grow a large pumpkin? …

If you’re a longtime tomato grower, you’ve probably harvested your fair share of wonky fruit over the years. Rarely do we enjoy a bumper crop of perfectly shaped tomatoes with …

Tomatoes are dangerous. It seems that no other fruit in the home garden causes such fevered coddling, fussing, pride and competitiveness among gardeners. These bright red fruits can bring out …

Few things bring more joy in a late-season garden than harvesting a bounty of bright-hued peppers. This gem of a garden plant is considered low maintenance—there’s rarely much you need …

When I first got a look at these things, my initial thought was, “What in the world are they?” They’re shipped flat, so what you receive isn’t pot-shaped. And it’s …

It’s hard to pass by those mounds of freshly picked strawberries at the market, for their aroma is incredibly enticing. Can you smell when you close your eyes? The same …

Radishes are one of the easiest crops to grow. But if you’re only eating the root, then you are missing a trick! Whether you have a large garden or only …

Can you imagine life without potatoes? No hash browns or fries, nor a baked spud or a bowl of garlic mashed potatoes in sight. Not even a potato wedge with …

It’s time to get those seedlings planted in the garden. Whether you’ve spent the past few months growing them yourself or picked up some starter packs at the local nursery, …

Do you even know the number of meals and preserves you can get out of a bumper crop of beets? Or are you curious to find out? Before getting your …

I’ll bet I can guess why you’re here. You went out to your rhubarb patch with pie on your mind. And when you got there, nestled among the familiar leaves …

When asked about stinging nettle, most folks have a story involving a brush with this prickly plant that left them howling in pain and itching for days. From others, you’ll …

The type of soil you have in your garden will have a big impact on the plants you are able to grow. One common soil type is clay, or heavy …

If you are eager to find out how to maximize your kale harvest, the answer is plain and simple – cut and come again. It’s as easy as it sounds …

Raised beds are great, aren’t they? Even if you have terrible soil where you live, you can still have a beautiful garden with raised beds. The soil in a raised …

Let’s talk about asparagus for a moment. Despite its year-round presence in the grocery store, it’s usually the first vegetable to show up in the garden after a long, cold …