A common gardener's dilemma is how to grow an edible garden in the shade. During my arduous gardening journey, I learned a few cardinal rules to follow if you want to cultivate a productive garden in less-than-ideal circumstances. So, if you find yourself in my shoes, don’t despair, there is an array of beautiful plants…
Passion fruits are a delicious summer fruit that many people enjoy worldwide, so it can be highly disappointing when your Passion fruit is not ripening like you thought it would in the time frame you had in mind. So, what are the reasons your Passion fruit is not ripening? 9 reasons your fruit may not…
Grevillea is an astounding genus of beautiful and versatile plants native to Australia. These plants range from evergreen shrubs to trees with delicate foliage and magnificent, showy flowers. However, despite their diversity and hardy nature, Grevillea is prone to several common problems. Grevilleas plants are prone to several fungal infections without well-draining soil, including Cercospora,…
You may be growing your Malabar spinach in your garden as there are plenty of delicious recipes out there for this spinach. But you may notice that your Malabar Spinach is also producing lovely, juicy berries that look tasty and may leave you wondering, are these berries safe to eat? The berries from the Malabar…
Ticks are often a challenging problem to control, even in backyard areas. But when you have acres of property, dealing with these blood-sucking bugs without affecting the area’s entire ecosystem can be challenging. Besides being painful, being bitten by even one deer tick can be dangerous if it is infected with Lyme disease. While you…
Beet, or beetroot, is packed with nutritional and health benefits, but some people still choose to avoid this powerful superfood because of its dirt-like taste. Why do beets taste like dirt? Is it normal? Beets taste like dirt due to microbes in the soil that produce an organic compound called geosmin. Geosmin is also found…
I’m sure you’ve probably heard of neem tree oil and its excellent uses in the garden. It’s famous for eliminating powdery mildew. But neem oil has so many more benefits. And we all know how difficult it can be to find an excellent organic fertilizer that causes no harm when sprayed on both the plants…
Completing a hügelkultur bed is a huge undertaking and should be something you are proud of. As you want people to see your new creation, you want it to look pretty and be functional. So what are some plants you can plant in your hügelkultur beds? If you want to plant biennials, go for Black-eyed…
Ruth Imogen Stout was an American author recognized for her “No-Work” gardening books and techniques. She inspired many gardeners to exercise better gardening practices and defy the typical orthodox methods of gardening. Her vegetable gardening methods are compared to what is known as permaculture today. It has taken decades for Ruth's work to gain recognition,…
If you have leafy green vegetables or flowers in your garden, you probably have noticed a white powdery substance on your plants’ leaves, stems, or fruits during the warm seasons of the year. That’s powdery mildew. It may look terrible aesthetically and can spread very fast, but it’s nothing to worry about. It’s controllable and…
You’ve probably heard about rosemary from cooking shows or for its healing properties. What people don’t hear about is its other numerous uses. Did you know it can be used as a measure of pest control? What about in hair products? In this article, I’ll show you how and why you should grow rosemary at…
We love hazelnuts because, aside from being the key ingredient in Nutella, they are multipurpose. As a permaculture homesteader, planting the hazelnut is not just great for your food forest; it also has so many practical and commercial purposes. What Does The Hazelnut Tree/Bush Look Like? Without pruning, hazelnuts are bushes that can grow very…
