Author: Sarah McCall

  • Crop Rotation: Easy Way to Healthy Garden

    Crop Rotation: Easy Way to Healthy Garden

    WHAT IS CROP ROTATION AND WHY DO IT? Crop rotation, that is rotating the position of your crop “families” from year to year, is one of the simplest ways to control many insects, weeds, and diseases in the garden. Crop rotation does two things for the garden: It improves soil and controls diseases. Because crop rotation enhances soil…

  • Companion Planting

    Companion Planting

    COMPANION PLANTING IS GROWING CERTAIN PLANTS NEAR ONE ANOTHER SO THAT THEY CAN BE OF MUTUAL BENEFIT OR SPECIFICALLY FOR PEST CONTROL. One plant may assist another by repelling or attracting insects, providing shade, attracting pollinating bees, repelling pests such as deer or mice, occupying different root zones, or even by decomposing into nutrients needed…

  • Planting Salvia

    Planting Salvia

    A common gardening problem that many people face is attracting pollinators to their garden. Without bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, plants may not be able to produce fruit or flowers, which can be frustrating for gardeners. One solution to this problem is to plant Salvia or Sage plants. These plants are known to attract a…

  • Know Your Climate Zones

    Know Your Climate Zones

    WHY STUDY A CLIMATE/GARDENING ZONE CHART? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR CLIMATE ZONES? With spring comes planning and planting, and the most important question is “What can I Plant?” Before you even consider buying, study your zone chart and find out your plant zone number. Do you live in the northern, southern, eastern,…

  • Planting Zones Map

    Planting Zones Map

    It’s important to become familiar with the planting zones map (growing zones map) . . . . . . and what the numbers in the chart mean if you wish to know what to look for on the plant’s tag in order to know whether or not the plant will grow well in your area.…

  • Types of Soils

    Types of Soils

    WHEN FLOWER GARDENING, YOU MUST KNOW WHICH TYPE OF SOIL YOU’RE DEALING WITH . . . In this article, “Recognizing Your Soil”, Bill Watson identifies the different types of soils and tells us how to amend each one. For flower gardening, the goal is to loosen earth that has become compacted, and to condition or recondition the soil by replenishing…

  • Testing Your Soil

    Testing Your Soil

    IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU TEST YOUR SOIL OR GET IT TESTED . . . . . . to see whether it is acidic or alkaline as well as whether it has at least the main nutrients needed for promoting lush plants and/or vegetables? This testing is not as difficult as you might think. Since…

  • Determining Soil Drainage

    Determining Soil Drainage

    The first step to a bountiful and beautiful garden is making sure that your soil is healthy and that it has the proper drainage for your plants. Today I will explain how to determine your soil drainage (i.e. the porosity of your soil . . .that is, how well your soil retains the proper amount…

  • Your First Garden

    Your First Garden

    CREATING YOUR FIRST BACK YARD GARDEN IS EASY TO DO. Gardening beginners are not quite sure what is important when determining where they should set up the new garden. If you follow these step-by-step gardening tips, you should soon have the ideal gardening spot ready to plant your seeds. Finding the best spot for your…

  • Lasagna Gardening/No Dig Gardening

    Lasagna Gardening/No Dig Gardening

    Lasagna Gardening (often referred to as No Dig Gardening or Sheet Composting) is a rather neat way of preparing your garden for planting without digging, removing sod, or tilling, and at the same time preparing a feast for worms. (As you are probably aware, worm castings is a humus rich soil amendment,  and the more worms play around in your…