Grow Food

Cucumbers, like tomatoes, are on every gardeners planting list. Perhaps it is because they taste great together in salads, or maybe because you envision a jar of homemade pickles in …

Companion planting is all the rage among backyard gardeners. It’s part science with a generous pinch of trial and error, followed by passing down the tradition of what works. After …

One of the most important aspects of gardening is fertilizing. Whenever we grow crops in the soil, we remove nutrients. To continue to grow food year after year, we have …

An overflowing bucket of freshly picked tomatoes is every gardener’s dream. Red ones, yellow ones, purple ones, striped ones and, finally, green ones both ripe and unripe. My Grandma had …

Square foot gardening is one of the most beginner-friendly gardening methods going. The genius behind it is that it makes the entire gardening process approachable. No matter what stage you’re …

Forget all of the other lists you’ve seen on the internet that tell you what to grow in a raised bed; this is the only one you need. Raised beds …

We’re always on the lookout for interesting and fun gardening projects here at Rural Sprout. And this time, we’ve got a doozy for you. Not only is this project fun, …

What is a tropical fruit salad without pineapple? These tart fruits are loved by many in grocery stores, but few think about growing them in their own gardens. Luckily, it …

We give our soil a much-needed rest during the winter before beginning a new planting season in the spring. And as the temperatures drop, we often reach for heartier fare …

Most everyone loves a good strawberry. These sweet-as-can-be, red-fleshed fruits are as sumptuous eaten out of hand as they are prepped into a smorgasbord of yummy recipes. There are hundreds …

Pop, pop, pop, a hundred kernels in a hot pot. If a bowl of perfectly popped popcorn with a hint of butter and a dash of salt sounds delicious, now …

Soil health is a topic that’s coming up more and more over the years. It seems we’ve finally come around to the idea that what’s going on beneath the soil …

By now, things are starting to wind down in the garden. There’s a nip in the air and soon you’ll be harvesting your last vegetable and pulling up your spent …

The craft beer movement has caught the world by a storm, and it shows no sign of slowing down. However, the global hops supply is struggling to keep pace, and …

When it comes to growing food, there is one plant that seems to baffle gardeners more than any other – tomatoes. I have no idea what it is about these …

Carrots are tricky little roots to grow. Often they come out of the ground as cute, characteristic, knobbly bite-sized chunks of carroty goodness. For many of us gardeners, somehow our …

The end of the gardening season comes as a relief to most of us. After months of managing massive daily harvests of zucchini and tomatoes, cooler weather and slower growing …

There is something inherently fun about seeing everyday objects in miniature. Whether it’s a model railroad with impressive detail or a tea set made smaller for a child, these items …

We always dreamed of establishing an orchard at Pencil Creek, our little farm in southcentral Pennsylvania, but for more than ten years, other projects took priority. It wasn’t until we …

You’ve pulled a year’s worth of produce from your garden. Now it’s time to give your soil a rest. Today, your goal is to learn how to mulch your garden …

I want you to take a moment to peek out the window at your garden. Specifically, look at your tomatoes. If it’s late summer, you’re probably wondering when your tomato …

Nature really is a mad scientist. Take the litchi tomato as a prime example of a smattering of weird and wonderful traits, all in one plant. With its deeply lobed …

Container gardening can be a rewarding pursuit that can really help you make the most of all the space you have available. A container garden can be indoors, under cover …

Gardeners are always on the search for a few fast-growing plants to add to their vegetable patch. Those which germinate easily and are quick to harvest. Why? Simply because we …