Leaf composting is one of the smartest things you can do for your garden. If you haven’t gotten into it yet, or don’t know where to start, this is for you. Get ready to know everything you’ll ever want to know about how to compost leaves so that your leaves decay quickly and turn into beautiful, rich compost! Listen to this post on the Epic Gardening Podcast Subscribe to the Epic Gardening Podcast on iTunes...

Remember chia pets? They were those animal-shaped planters that grew “fur” as the chia plants grew. Well, that cute little fad was actually a method of growing microgreens, even if it was a bit unconventional. It turns out that chia microgreens are very easy to grow and even better to eat. So let’s set aside the chia pet planter and grow chia microgreens as a crop! Table of Contents You’ll be amazed by the health benefits of chia seeds....

Spain first introduced chocolate in the 17th century. Cocoa beans are the main ingredient in chocolate that comes from the cocoa trees. It belongs to the Malvaceae or Mallow family. So, what actually it is? Is Chocolate a Fruit or Vegetable? Time to clear this confusion! Check out our article on the best chocolate scented flowers here. What is Cocoa? The cocoa trees produce cacao pods that are also known as the ‘Leguminous Fruit....

What makes a raised bed a good option in the first place, and why should you get one? To put it simply, whether you purchase a bed kit or build your own, your garden bed is elevated from the ground and housed within a beautifully (or simply) fashioned container. But beyond just looks, there is a lot more to raised bed gardening than simply meets the eye. Sure, you beautify and neaten up your growing space – but did you know that these structures also achieve tons for your plant health, soil health, and – drumroll – YOUR health?...

Personal Tabletop Firepit Visit The Art of Doing Stuff to learn how to make a fire pit that is cheap and perfect for your seating space. 2. DIY Concrete Tiki Torch On Modern Builds, watch the tutorial of this Concrete Tiki Torch, perfect for your patio or picnic table! Also Read: DIY Hand Planter Tabletop Centerpiece 3. DIY Concrete Fire Bowl Project This DIY concrete fire bowl project is super easy to complete, even for beginners and a great tabletop decoration idea....

As a gardener, you want your plants to grow up big and strong. To achieve that, you’ll probably have to boost their health with some sort of fertilizer. In this article, we’ll discuss an effective yet offbeat fertilizer called bone meal. Table of Contents Not only is bone meal fertilizer organic, but it’s chock full of nutrients. It primarily supplies phosphorus, one of the three primary plant nutrients, but also calcium and nitrogen....

We’re all familiar with coco coir at this point. It’s absorbent and used as a soilless growing medium. But coconut coir mats have their purpose too! Table of Contents These moisture-holding mats can be used for lining hanging planters or starting microgreens. Cut into strips, they’re easy to fold and set into hydroponic net pots as a medium. And they’re renewable and eco-friendly. We’ve got our top choices for you to go over, along with tons of information on what you should know before buying coco fiber mats....

Euphorbia myrsinites is known for its spirals of blue-green leaves and gorgeous chartreuse or bright yellow bracts that are surrounded by bright yellow bracts, which grow on sprawling stems. The flowers of this plant bloom mostly in early spring. This plant is native to Asia Minor and Southeastern Europe. Two common names of this plant are Myrtle Spurge and Donkey Tail. Euphorbia myrsinites is a perennial succulent species belonging to the plant family Euphorbiaceae....

The lightly fragrant flowers have an attractive bright yellow center that resembles a pincushion. They attract bees and butterflies, and the seeds make a tasty snack for birds in the winter. Melampodium leucanthum Native to Mexico and parts of the United States, including the southwest and the Central Plains, blackfoot daisy is a cheerful, drought-tolerant plant that can take the heat and still shine brightly. This evergreen perennial member of the Asteraceae family has a low, round, bushy form and produces an abundance of one-inch, white, daisy-like flowers from early spring through late fall....

Today, I am delighted to find my current acreage is dotted with the trees. They provide shade in the summer and habitat for a variety of birds, bees, and butterflies. All of my childhood summers were marked by lazy days in the mulberry trees, grabbing fistfuls of the tiny, dark fruits for hours of casual snacking. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

The leaves are best enjoyed fresh, but a bumper crop freezes readily and retains flavor well. They can be dried for the spice rack as well. Aromatic, fast-growing, and flavorful, parsley is an essential herb in the kitchen garden. And it’s easily cultivated in pots or planters for convenient and readily available freshness. The tasty leaves are also highly nutritious and used to add savory flavor to a huge variety of dishes, from herbed butters to smoothies to hearty stews....

How to Make a Broken Pot Fairy Garden Things you’ll need Broken Pot Potsherds Craft drill Hammer Soil Moss Plants *If you are doing this with unbroken pot, you need to soak it in water for a while and use a craft drill to cut a space as shown in the image below. Make sure the pot is not having cracks because it will start its new life as a planter and you might not want it to break early....

Read on to learn about the many ways in which you can use these hormones to control insect pests as part of your integrated pest management strategy. What lures a potential mate? While it may be looks and charm in humans, for insects, it is typically a seductive chemical. You may have heard of pheromones – chemical attractants. Scientists have identified pheromones for over 1,500 insects, although only a small number of them are used commercially....

The problem with these pathogens is that there is no known cure. The best thing you can do is prevent them from taking hold in the first place, and that’s what this guide will help you with. Most of us are familiar with the usual garden foes. Aphids are a common sight, and who hasn’t come across a fungal problem now and then? But you don’t hear as much about mosaic viruses – especially when it comes to certain brassicas, like cabbages....

In rock gardens, wooly thyme reigns supreme. This tiny-leafed plant is a perfect ground cover variety, and can tolerate poor soils. Table of Contents Growing thyme amongst your stepping stones is a great choice. While only tolerant of occasional foot traffic, it lets off a faint but beautiful aroma when stepped on. If planted out of the range of feet, it can be used as a culinary herb as well....

But, a lesson is learned with every failure and we gardeners continue growing and moving forward. When you think all hope is lost, take a step back, re-motivate yourself with these gardening quotes, and get back to doing what you love! “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.’ — Thomas Jefferson” “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow....

The Lace Aloe, or Aloe aristata plant is a low-growing plant, which is mostly found in South Africa. It has fleshy, soft-spined dark green leaves, which have white bumps. As the weather changes, the leaves tend to change color and orange-red flowers grow on the long stems. Table of Contents Even though this plant is different from other aloe plants and looks more like a haworthia, it’s still an amazing houseplant and can even be grown in a greenhouse....

European ginger is a shade-loving, glossy, and evergreen plant perfect for your collection. Also known as Asarum europaeum, the plant is grown as ground cover, and slowly spreads to form a 6″ deep, dark green carpet of heart-shaped leaves. With radiant bell-shaped blooms appearing from late spring to early summer, the flowers often go unnoticed as the foliage is dense and thick. Table of Contents Quick Care Although the wild ginger plant is native to Europe, there are many different species found in North America as well....

I haven’t met a gardener yet that doesn’t love succulents. With their chunky leaves and water superpowers, succulents have become an urban gardening icon. However, these fun plants often meet an early end due to improper care. Table of Contents In this article, we’ll go over how to keep succulents alive, indoors and out. The goal is to understand what your plant needs to live as long as possible. We don’t want to lose any more plants!...

You know what? Either way, you’ll be growing your own food and enjoying a fall favorite. And either approach delivers the nutritional benefits of this superfood, including fiber and healthy fats. There are two ways to approach saving seeds to eat from homegrown pumpkins. With the first, you focus on the seeds themselves, and do all you can to grow the Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maxima.varieties that produce the best seed harvest for roasting....