A short growing season does not have to mean a small harvest. It means choosing crops that finish before frost ends the year, and giving them a good start. Over the years I have learned that vegetables which mature quickly, or which enjoy cool weather, give me the most food for the least worry. Below … Read more

Starting tomatoes from seed costs a few dollars instead of the price of a tray of plants, and it lets you grow varieties that the garden center never sells. It also asks for a little patience and a little care. Most seedling problems come from three things: starting too early, too little light, and too … Read more

Saving seed from your own garden is one of the oldest and cheapest habits a gardener can have. A good bean plant gives you next year’s crop, and a tomato you loved at supper can become a whole row in spring. Beans, peas and tomatoes are the easiest place to start, because their flowers pollinate … Read more

Every fall there comes a day when the garden stops looking like a garden and starts looking like a mess. The tomato vines are black, the bean stalks have gone brown, and the weeds went to seed while you were busy. It is tempting to pull the worst of it and walk away. I have … Read more

Companion planting means growing certain plants side by side because they help each other. Gardeners have talked about it for hundreds of years, and some of it is solid, practical sense. Some of it is tradition that has never been tested well. In a small garden, where every square foot counts, it helps to know … Read more