Learn how to grow, harvest, dry, and use calendula – an herbal flower that’s easy to grow in your garden and has tons of useful benefits! Calendula’s nickname is pot marigold, but it’s important to note that calendula (Calendula officinalis) is not the same plant as common garden marigolds (Tagetes spp). Check out our article:…
Dragon tongue wax beans, sometimes called Dragon’s tongue beans, are large, deliciously tender, stringless, and flavorful! Able to get up to 7″ long without getting all tough and leathery, these beans have dramatic purple striping on yellow pods that stands out among the greenery. This is a bean that’s hard to miss, come harvest-time! This…
Learn how to grow and enjoy Chinese Red Noodle Beans, a variety of yard long bean that produces plentifully and performs well in hot weather! Let them get a bit unruly and overgrown though, and you might just find yourself having a fright- the overgrown beans that grow close to the ground can sometimes look…
Learn how to grow your own peanuts at home – it’s fun and easy! This guide covers the basics of growing peanuts from start to finish: preparing the soil, planting, caring for, harvesting, and curing. About Peanuts Peanuts! Lovely, lovely peanuts. Where would we be without peanut butter, or peanut brittle, or all those other…
Growing pansies and violas from seed isn’t difficult to do and will reward you with masses of uniquely colored flowers to enjoy! Pansies and violas, the sweet little darlings of the garden! These small, cold-hardy flowers are always met with delight when they first show up in garden centers in early spring, all bright blooms…
Learn why currant tomatoes are an excellent addition to your garden and how to grow them! We’ll also focus on two varieties of currant tomatoes- Gold Rush Currant and Sweet Pea Currant. Both tomatoes are grown and cared for in the same way. About Currant Tomatoes These bright, pea-sized heirloom delights look similar to currants…
Learn how to grow Antler Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum sensu lato) using an indoor grow kit. It’s a super easy way to produce your own medicinal mushrooms at home! While we selectively forage wild reishi mushrooms from our land, and also grow them on inoculated buried logs down near our creek, we can’t resist buying indoor…
Our native passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a plant with many uses: it produces edible fruit called maypops, the leaves and buds have gentle calming properties, and the beautiful flowers are adored by pollinators! In fact, one specific butterfly, the Gulf Fritillary, relies on species of passionflower for its continued survival- it’s the only host plant…
Learn to grow and care for Sulfur Cosmos, a long blooming favorite of native pollinators, butterflies, and bees! A staple of pollinator and meadow mixes are the many varieties of cosmos. Two of most commonly used are the Wild Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) also known as the common Cosmos; and Sulfur Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus). The striking…
Learn how to grow and care for Indigo Rose Tomatoes. They’re beautiful and full of healthy antioxidants, plus perform well during high heat and drought conditions! About This tomato’s an interesting one! Between the name, the coloring, and its high anti-oxidant and anthocyanin content, Indigo Rose Tomato snags your attention when you come across it…
Learn how to grow and care for Dragon’s Egg Cucumbers. They’re mild, delicious, and fun to grow! About: Dragon’s Egg is a sweet and unique cream-colored cucumber that originates from Croatia. This is an excellent cucumber well-worth growing at least once in your garden- it’s a mild, faintly sweet-flavored, thin-skinned delicate little thing, free from…
Learn how to grow, harvest, and dry bee balm (wild bergamot), plus 8 creative ways to use it, including recipes for bee balm salve, tea, infused honey, and more! Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa, M. spp.) also called wild bergamot, is an excellent plant to put in a pollinator garden! Beloved by bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds,…