If you walk into a big-box store in October looking for the best tulip and lily varieties, you are going to end up with the leftovers. I learned this about twelve years ago when I tried to design my first real spring display and ended up with nothing but shriveled, bruised bulbs that looked like
For years, I thought cottage gardening required a sprawling, white-picket-fenced yard in New England with endless dirt to dig up. When I spent two years renting a second-floor apartment with nothing but a concrete slab balcony, I thought my dirty-fingernail days were over. I tried forcing a few massive plastic pots out there, but it
I’ve spent the last two decades with my hands in the dirt, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that nature has a funny way of humbling you just when you think you’ve got it figured out. This post is about one of those humbling moments—specifically, the time I decided to “go vertical” and
The first time I tried growing carrots in containers, I thought it would be easy. Toss some seeds in, water occasionally, and wait. Instead, I ended up pulling out twisted, stumpy roots that looked more like abstract art than food. I blamed the seeds at first. Then the weather. Then maybe my “luck.” But the
If you’re staring at a tiny patch of dirt or a cramped concrete slab wondering how to make it livable, you’re in the right place. Today, I’m breaking down 17 specific strategies to maximize every square inch of your outdoor space. I’ve spent nearly two decades as a home gardener. I’ve gone from managing half-acre