If you’re reading this article, you’ve likely heard of neem oil. Derived from Azadirachta indica, a tree found primarily in Southeast Asia and certain parts of Africa, neem oil is a natural insecticide that has been shown to kill off or repel literally hundreds of bugs. But what about ants? Have you ever wondered if…
It was the middle of summer, and my pepper plants were robust and fruiting. I eagerly strolled to the garden with my morning cup of tea to check their progress. But as I walked closer, I could tell something was wrong. The upper branches were drooping, and the leaves were covered with little black specks. …
At some point in time, practically everyone has experienced ant-related headaches. My most recent bout with ants was when I found a few of them wandering on my bathroom counter. It started with a couple ants here and there, but before I knew it, they were all over the place! It’s hard enough to find…
Have you ever found an old package of seeds and wondered if you could get them to grow? Maybe you’ve been given old seeds by a friend or family member, or maybe you’ve stumbled on an old seed stash when you were clearing out a closet or garage. If you’ve ever come across old seeds,…
I love gardening, but sometimes the physical work can be quite demanding. Instead of attempting to dig into the thick clay soil that’s everywhere on my property, I’ve incorporated raised garden beds into my backyard garden area. Although my raised beds provide me with ample space to plant my veggies, drainage is an issue since…
One morning, I awoke to a few ants in my dining room. No big deal. I swept them up and got rid of them. But by the third day, there were hundreds, and they’d traveled through the kitchen and into the laundry room too. Yikes! Has this ever happened to you? If so, you know…
Say it with me fellow grower: Aphids are the worst. These irritating pests love to swoop in on thriving gardens and flourish at our expense. If you’ve been gardening for any length of time, you’ve likely dealt with your fair share of aphids plus the destruction and paranoia they bring with them. There are many…
For such small creatures, aphids can really cause really big problems in your garden. If you’ve ever had a plant with a few little crawling dots one day, then come back the next to find it completely covered in dots, then you likely know how frustrating and overwhelming aphid infestations can be. But which plants…
Like most gardeners, I want to grow the biggest, most productive tomato plants each year, but in order to do so, I’ve learned to pay close attention to the transplanting and repotting process. If you transplant your tomato seedlings too early, you risk damaging their fragile root systems. If you transplant them too late, you’ll…
One of the most challenging things about growing plants from seed is making sure your soil stays warm enough and moist enough to encourage high rates of germination. Heat mats are an easy solution when it comes to keeping soil warm–or waiting until it’s appropriately warm outside to direct sow your seeds–but it’s difficult to…
