Growing your own potatoes is usually guaranteed to give you a plentiful harvest. However, there is one little thing that may get in the way of your harvesting plans – …

The decision to build an eco-friendly greenhouse on our little farm in Pennsylvania was really an afterthought. My wife Shana and I had just bought our first piece of heavy …

Not all rhubarb is created equal. Neither are homemade jams, but we’ll get to that in a moment. This rings especially true when you have the opportunity to grow and …

Long winters and short summers don’t exactly make for the most productive growing seasons. Yet, that is exactly where some of us are at: facing short growing seasons in colder …

When the dog days of summer roll in, many of us head inside and crank up the air conditioning, others head to the beach, looking for the cool breezes coming …

With summer on the way, the time you spend in your garden is about to increase dramatically. And that is a beautiful thing! Fresh air, sunlight, dirt on your hands …

I was making my morning inspection of my garden, coffee in hand when I noticed something on my spinach that made my heart skip a beat. There, on one of …

Some plants are easy. All they need is a bit of sunshine, a sprinkling of compost, and the occasional watering to put out a captivating display of flowers and foliage. …

If you grew up in rural America, a big part of summertime was fireflies. Or lightning bugs. Or lightning beetles.  No matter what you called them in your neck of …

Companion planting is an inexact science. There are plenty of unknowns in this arena. Surprisingly, we still have a patchy knowledge of the interactions between different plants.  But what experienced …

If you’re lucky enough to have an asparagus bed, you’ll benefit from eating home-grown vegetables earlier in the season than almost anyone else. Crisp and tender stalks make this hardy …

In the natural world, the decomposition of plant and animal matter into rich and fertile topsoil is a very, very slow process. Somewhere along the way, at least as far …

Hey there Rural Sprout Readers; I wanted to check in with another update on my Garden Tower project. For those unfamiliar with it, the Garden Tower 2 is a vertical …

Have you noticed how we’ve become obsessed with microbiomes over the past decade? Whether it’s the one residing in our gut or the one that’s below our feet, microbiome studies …

Is dandelion a friend or foe? A thing of beauty or a yard-blanketing beast? Well, it all depends on how you choose to look at it. If you consider it …

I’m not a huge fan of worms. While everyone else is waxing poetic about the fresh scent after a good rain, my nose picks up the scent of dead worms. …

You know those hamburger and hot dog buns that are topped with little black seeds that roll off in every direction when you take a gigantic bite? More specifically, the …

It’s time, Rural Sprout Readers. They’re coming. Spring 2021. Who knows, they may already be in your neighborhood. Some sunny afternoon, you’ll walk outside expecting twittering birdsong, and instead, you’ll …

Buying remote land is the ultimate dream for many people, but the process can feel daunting when you’re only in the idea stage. Where are the best places to buy …

It’s incredible how many plants there are in the average garden that you can grow again next season for free. Many gardeners take this fact for granted and purchase seed …

When planning out your homestead growing space, the vegetable garden tends to get most of the attention. However, you’re doing your family a disservice if you don’t prioritize learning how …

If you’ve recently made yogurt or cheese, you probably have a large bowl of whey, and now you’re wondering what to do with it. Whey is the yellowish byproduct of …

With the month of May comes dreams and aspirations of warmer weather, perfect for gardening and spending meaningful moments outside. Maybe you’ll be sitting close to the campfire, by the …

If you’re considering jumping into the world of backyard livestock, knowing which species to commit to can be a challenge. Goats have no equal when it comes to escaping fencing, …