Everyone knows what kelp is, but for us gardeners kelp holds a special place in our green hearts…or it should! Table of Contents Kelp fertilizer is one of the best supplements you can use in your garden for a variety of reasons. What is Kelp Fertilizer? Liquid kelp fertilizer is a natural alternative to artificial fertilizers used for growing plants but without any by-products or environmentally damaging chemicals. The seaweed used to produce kelp fertilizer is sustainable and it can be harvested in a way that is safe for the environment, given that kelp has a particular cell structure that enables it to grow up to three feet per day....

One of the first herbs to appear in early spring, mints are vigorous plants that flourish through summer, providing a steady supply of refreshing leaves for cold and hot beverages, and sweet or savory dishes. Need fresh mint all year? Aromatic and flavorful, mint is a delightfully rewarding herb that’s easily cultivated in the garden. And it grows nicely indoors as well, providing mint lovers everywhere with much joy over winter!...

Unless you’ve been living deep undercover, you’ve likely heard about the tiny home movement that’s been sweeping the country over the past 4-5 years. Table of Contents There’s even a show about it on HGTV these days, so you know it’s gotten popular enough that the mainstream media is trying to cash in. That said, it’s a wonderful counter-culture movement in housing. It says “No!” to over-sized homes packed with junk you don’t need or use....

Are you baffled by what to feed worms to produce great compost? Most people new to worm composting are at a loss for what goes in there, other than the obvious vegetable scraps or melon rinds. Table of Contents Most red wigglers or European nightcrawlers will eat almost anything. The average worm will consume half its body weight in food and bedding per day. If you start with a pound of worms, they should eat a half-pound of food and bedding per day, and so on....

Succulents have a wide morphologic variability. Just one genus can have hundreds of species with their own physical distinctions. Among these is the Faucaria genus, which contains a curious little succulent that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before. A truly unique plant, Faucaria tuberculosa, looks like it stepped out of a horror movie and into your garden! Table of Contents Nicknamed “tiger jaws,” Faucaria tuberculosa grows rosettes that look like jaws open wide....

Table of Contents We gardeners are a very romantic group. You’ll find this quite evident when you examine certain plant names, like the philodendron for example. Its name literally means “love tree” in Greek. And that goes double for the most common variety of that group, the heartleaf philodendron or sweetheart plant. I sometimes imagine my own heart to be shaped like a large, glossy-green leaf like those of the heartleaf....

We’ve been learning to grow microgreens from a variety of edible plants, so why not broccoli? You might be imagining tiny, seedy trees but the broccoli microgreen is just like any other young plant: all stem, root, and cotyledon. It may not look like a full-grown vegetable, but these broccoli plants have the same nutritional value and health benefits without the season-long commitment. Growing broccoli microgreens at home is an easy and remarkably short process....

Spinach is the ultimate healthy food. It’s bursting with iron, Vitamin C, beta carotene – you name it. But, what if we told you that spinach can be even healthier? Not only that but also tastier and faster to grow? With a simple growing process, anyone can grow the best superfood around: spinach microgreens! Table of Contents Microgreens aren’t a type of plant, but rather a stage of growth. This means that you don’t need seeds labeled as microgreens – any vegetable seeds will do....

Would you like to add an extra decorative element to your garden? If so, wicker could be the perfect addition for you. Although once not appropriate for long-term outdoor use, wicker items can now be treated to stay outdoors for extended periods of time. Varnishing, painting, and waterproofing are techniques that can prevent this material from becoming damaged by weather exposure. There are plenty of items made of wicker that can be placed in and around the garden to provide a nice decorative element to your landscape....

If you’re new to growing chives, check out our complete growing guide. The brilliant green color, satisfying crisp crunch, and light onion flavor of chives (Allium schoenoprasum) make them a requisite ingredient in many dishes. How essential and wonderful, then, to always have a pot of this easy-to-grow allium at the ready, when a fresh salad or a simmering entree calls out for its distinctive character. Chives are perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9, so most gardeners in the United States can safely leave them outdoors year round....

Hydroponic gardening is wonderful for so many reasons, but we growers still run into problems from time to time. In fact, as a beginner, there can be more problems than gardening in the soil! Table of Contents Nitrogen toxicity is one of these annoying problems. Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for plants, but too much can cause serious harm to your garden. If left unchecked, nitrogen toxicity can completely kill your plants....

Pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects are attracted to the pollen, while foraging birds feast on the seeds. This is especially true of native species. Asters are members of the large Asteraceae family of plants that includes chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers, and yarrow. They are daisy-like flowers that generally bloom from summer into fall. Perennial varieties are suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8, while annuals grow in all temperate zones....

1. Magnetic Cork Garden These cork planters are so cool to look at and great for planting succulents and other tiny plants. You can use them to decorate your home! Make these eye-catching magnetic planter and attach them to your fridge or other metallic objects. Check out the tutorial on snapguide. 2. Rusty Toy Truck Planter If you have got an old rusty toy create this planter. You can plant succulents and other small indoor plants in a toy truck and keep that in a spot where it’ll receive some bright light, a windowsill would be perfect....

1. See below in the illustration, the basics of growing and planting roses. 2. Starting to grow roses? Figure out how to do this step by step in this flowchart 3. Complete Rose Maintenance: In this chart (1 – 11), you can see how you need to treat your rose bush. 4. What are the easiest rose varieties? You might have known but the chart given here can be useful for you....

Perhaps you’ve got a serious case of damping off in your own gardens. Perhaps you’re not even sure what it is. Perhaps you’re suffering from extreme paranoia and just want to avoid the problem altogether. Whatever your status, there are a plethora of ways to prevent the disease from taking over, forcing you to throw your trowel in the trash. Here you will find the information you need to keep your plants on a healthy track....

Beauty takes on new meaning when it comes to Echeveria lola. This ornate succulent shyly takes the center stage of showy plants. Its gray-blue leaves glow with the faintest hint of pink, or take on a greenish hue. The edge of each leaf has an intricate design resembling a curly bracket. Echeveria lola is a very common household succulent – and for good reason. Table of Contents Lola is a hardy plant that grows well in containers and landscapes....

Fresh fruit makes such a lovely treat straight out of the garden. Fruiting plants like raspberries are great investments for your garden because they are perennial plants and provide fruits that are expensive to purchase and transport. Growing berries do come with their own unique challenges, one of which is the raspberry beetle, Byturus tomentosus. Another pest is the raspberry fruit worm Byturus unicolor, which will be covered in detail in another article....

Sansevieria zeylanica, more commonly identified as bowstring hemp, is an evergreen perennial plant. It’s native to the South East Asian Region, especially found in India and Sri Lanka. A very close relative of the “mother in law’s tongue“, it’s vividly green with gorgeous leaf stripes. Table of Contents Sturdy and hardy, this plant can tolerate a surprising amount of neglect. It’s phenomenal as a houseplant, and in fact will purify the air in your home for you....

In this article, we offer thirteen delicious and attractive types of okra from which to choose, to introduce this plant to your outdoor landscape. And once you’ve made your selections, you can read more about growing okra in our detailed guide. Okra, Abelmoschus esculentus, is a flowering annual that bears edible pods and grows in all USDA Hardiness Zones. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

Cacti are always going to be in trend, thanks to their ease of growing nature, plus the awesome range of color, size, and shapes they come in. But wait, if you thought that cacti are just green and thorny, then you are wrong! There are many amazing flowering cactus plants that can throw strong competition to your other flowering shrubs and plants! Check out our DIY cactus garden ideas here Best Flowering Cactus Plants 1....