Garden Design & Care

Learn about the best ways to engage kids in gardening. Listen to podcast: One of the best gifts you can give a child, is to garden with them. Like myself, most adult gardeners started in the garden with mom, dad or a favorite grand parent. Introducing kids to gardening at a young age leads to a lifetime of healthy eating and loving plants and the environment. Yes, I believe gardeners make better people, too, as they learn life skills such as nurturing and working together. We're blessed in Vermont with many gardening organizations...

Listen to this podcast on how to build, plant and care for a raised bed in the vegetable garden. One of the biggest trends in the last 20 years in vegetable gardening has been the expanded use of raised beds. It's not a new idea, but it seems everyone is embracing a raised bed to grow better tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, and many other crops. It's a smart idea. Raised beds are more productive. The soil warms and dries out faster and it doesn't get compacted because you don't have to step on the beds. Raised beds are easier to weed, water,...

Learn about some simple permaculture techniques to save space and grow better plants in your vegetable garden. Listen to podcast: Winter is a great time of year for garden planning. Whether it be a trip to Italy or a new garden bed, now is the time to get ready for the coming garden season. I've been reading Toby Hemenway's permaculture book, Gaia's Garden, and I have a few new design concepts I'm going to try. Many gardeners are shrinking the size of their gardens to reduce work and save space. But we still want to grow everything under...