Simple ways to save money while you garden
A row of beautiful evergreen shrubs seems like the perfect solution when you’re tired of neighbors looking into your backyard. Instead of spending thousands on a privacy fence, you can plant a few shrubs, wait for them to grow, and enjoy your own secluded outdoor space. But what happens when those shrubs grow twice as…
You spend an entire weekend planting a beautiful new garden, only to discover a letter from your homeowners association demanding that you remove it. Suddenly, the flowers, vegetables, or trees you purchased to improve your property have become the center of an expensive neighborhood disagreement. It sounds ridiculous, especially when you’re paying for the plants…
Your neighbor’s beautiful oak tree might be costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and you may not realize it until the damage is already done. Its roots are lifting your patio, branches are scraping your roof, and fallen limbs are destroying plants you’ve spent years growing. Naturally, you assume your neighbor should pay…
Just because your summer tomatoes and peppers are finished doesn’t mean your vegetable garden has to shut down for the year. October can actually be an excellent time to grow certain crops, especially vegetables that prefer cooler temperatures over summer heat. With the right choices, you could still be harvesting fresh food when your neighbors…
The first frost is approaching, but your tomato plants are still covered with green fruit. After spending months watering, pruning, and protecting those plants, throwing away the final harvest feels like a terrible waste. Fortunately, you don’t have to sacrifice every unripe tomato when temperatures start dropping. Learning how to ripen green tomatoes indoors can…
Your basil is still producing beautiful green leaves, the parsley is overflowing its container, and the chives are growing faster than you can use them. Unfortunately, freezing temperatures are approaching, and those fresh herbs won’t last forever. Before you let the final harvest go to waste, there’s a simple way to preserve much of that…
Your tomatoes have stopped producing, the cucumber vines are turning brown, and the zucchini plants hav finally given up for the season. Before you start pulling everything out of the garden, there’s one important question worth asking: Should all those old vegetable plants go into your compost pile? Composting is one of the easiest ways…
Your herb garden has been producing all summer, but the growing season is coming to an end. The oregano is overflowing its container, your thyme needs trimming, and the rosemary has more fragrant stems than you could possibly use before winter. Rather than letting those herbs go to waste, you can preserve much of your…
Your basil has started looking tired, the tomatoes are slowing down, and the first chilly nights have arrived. But one herb in your garden might still be producing fresh green leaves while everything else prepares for winter. Parsley is surprisingly resilient when temperatures drop, making it one of the most useful herbs to keep growing…