raccoons

6 Ways to Keep Raccoons Away From Sweet Corn Without Traps

August 11, 2026 by Brandon Marcus Leave a Comment

Sweet corn and raccoons have an unfortunate relationship: the corn ripens, the raccoons notice, and suddenly somebody has a midnight dinner reservation in the garden. Raccoons especially love corn, and their calling card often includes partially eaten ears, pulled-back husks, and broken stalks. A gardener does not need to turn the backyard into a raccoon…

How to Keep Raccoons Away Without Fencing

March 18, 2026 by Brandon Marcus Leave a Comment

A raccoon doesn’t ask permission. It strolls into a garden like it owns the place, flips soil, snacks on produce, and leaves behind a mess that feels personal. That kind of chaos pushes gardeners to think bigger, smarter, and far more creatively than a simple barrier ever could. Forget bulky fencing and expensive setups for…

How To Get Free Seeds From The Government by Amanda Blankenship Seeds might seem like a small expense, but any seasoned…
Should I Use Enviro Ice On My Plants? by Kathryn Vercillo Every week, I receive food from Hungryroot. It's a great…
From Trash to Treasure: Transform Shredded Paper Into Garden Gold by Amanda Blankenship Should you use shredded paper as garden mulch? It might…
What Happens to Plants If You Use Enviro Ice on Them? by Amanda Blankenship About a year ago, I wrote our first article about…

Yellowjackets Get More Aggressive Around Food in Fall — Here’s What Gardeners Should Know

You’re harvesting the last tomatoes, picking up fallen apples, or taking a quick drink while cleaning up the garden when suddenly several yellow-and-black insects seem determined to join you. Yellowjackets can become particularly noticeable in late summer and fall, precisely when gardeners are spending hours harvesting produce and preparing beds for winter. The change isn’t…

That “Fuzzy” Caterpillar in the Garden Isn’t One You Should Pick Up

Spot a tiny fuzzy caterpillar crawling across an oak leaf and your first instinct might be to take a closer look—or even pick it up. With its thick coat of silky hair, the puss caterpillar can look more like a miniature toupee than an insect capable of delivering an intensely painful sting. Hidden underneath that…

Can an HOA Fine You for Letting Your Lawn Go Dormant?

Your grass turns brown during a scorching, rainless summer, so you do what seems reasonable: stop pouring hundreds of gallons of water onto it and let the lawn go dormant. Then an HOA violation notice appears in the mailbox demanding that you restore the green lawn—or face a fine. It sounds absurd, especially when local…

We Compared Dollar Store Seeds With $5 Premium Seeds — Does Paying More Matter?

Walk into a dollar store in late winter and you might find vegetable seed packets selling for a fraction of what the glossy garden catalog charges. Put a 50-cent packet beside a $5 packet of seemingly similar tomato, lettuce, or cucumber seeds, and it’s reasonable to wonder what you’re actually getting for that extra $4.50….