11 Tips for Harvesting and Preserving Fresh Herbs

Whether you grow them for their many medicinal purposes, for use in the kitchen, or simply for their beauty and fragrance – herb gardening can be a lot of fun!  Knowing when to plant and how to care for your herbs is half of being a successful gardener.  Often more important is knowing the proper techniques for harvesting your precious herbs.  Read on for some priceless tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of your...

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15 Common Gardening Mistakes Everyone Makes

We gardeners seem to prefer learning the hard way. In spite of all the gardening books we browse through, and the classes we attend, mistakes are invariably made.  Here’s a sample of the ones many have made and regretted. Not preparing the beds Most of us have made this mistake, some out of ignorance, and others due to sheer laziness. When the little seeds and seedling go into the damp earth in spring, it seems the tiny planting holes...

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12 Healing Herbs You Need To Grow In Your Medicinal Garden

Medicinal plants grown in your own gardens can reduce your dependence on drugs, if not completely eliminate them. But growing random herbs with medicinal properties doesn’t help. It is a common myth that all herbal preparations are safe by virtue of being natural. This is far from true. A typical example is foxglove or Digitalis purpurea. It has a positive effect on heart function, with the cardiac drug digitalin extracted from the plant. However,...

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9 Clever Ways To Use Essential Oils In The Garden

Whether your intent is to repel pests, invite pollinators, or to turn your garden into a relaxing get-away, essential oils can help!  Check out these 9 clever ways to use essential oils in the garden. 1. Repel Insect Pests There are a wide variety of essential oils which – with consistent use – can be used to repel unwanted insect pests from your garden. Rosemary oil is a potent repellent for many types of pesky insects including flies,...

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How to Plant a Perennial Food Garden – 20 Fruits & Veggies That Will Keep Coming Back Year After Year

Growing vegetables and fruits in the home garden is rewarding, but many people are put off by the backbreaking work involved at the start of the growing season. Perennial edibles are the answer to this problem. Grow them among your regular veggies so that you will have something to look forward to even if you miss your spring or fall planting.  Once planted and established, they require very little work except topdressing and occasional...

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11 Plants That Repel Mosquitoes

The days are finally getting longer, the snow is (slowly!) beginning to melt, and spring officially arrives in just a few days! While the prospect of warmer weather has us all a bit giddy, we can’t forget the unwelcome intruders that tag along with the sunny summer weather. Yes, we are talking about mosquitoes, and everybody knows that they can be a huge nuisance. However, using chemical products to keep them away is not on the top of everyone’s...

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