Chelsea Green Blog
Gardening
Seed as a Common Resource: Crops and the People Who Nurture Them
Seeds strengthen our connections to what we grow and eat; they are intrinsic to our identity and our future. I cherish seed as a common resource that all the world should be able to access freely.
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Turn Fallen Leaves into Gardener’s Gold
Mulch is essential to soil health. It acts as a barrier against water loss and heat, reduces weeds and improves soil structure. Its an easy way to boost your soil’s health!
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Food Forests: What is a Community Food Forest?
With more than 80 percent of the US population now residing in urban areas food forests help provide a local food source. And they also serve as perfect platforms for community-building.
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Weeding: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Weeds are the bane of every farmer and gardener’s existence. Before you go crusading against the weeds in your garden follow these tips and tricks!
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How Did the Lanternfly Become the Enemy?
We’ve been told to kill a lanternfly because they’re “invasive.” In reality, they are living like any other insect would. So why are they under attack?
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Capturing the Crunch: How to Harvest and Store Cucumbers
With these easy tips and tricks, you’ll be prepared to successfully harvest and store the cucumbers until they’re ready to eat.
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Beyond the Root Cellar: Storage Room Conditions
Success in long-term storage comes down to nailing the storage conditions, of which temperature and humidity are the most important. There’s also that critical period just after crops go into storage
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Growing Food in the Face of a Hotter, Drier Land
Climatic uncertainty has become the new normal. Farmers, gardeners and orchard-keepers are desperately seeking ways to adapt their food production to be more resilient in the face of such “global weirding.”
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Types of Tomatoes: Deciphering the Many Varieties
If you love tomatoes, you probably already know just how many varieties of these summertime staples there are. But do you know what makes each one unique?
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Embracing Sustainable Food Production: Integrating Trees and Crops
Adding the long game of trees to your system results in a deeper and more reliable, resilient and profound presence to your annual vegetable production.
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Sprout Today, Eat Healthy Tomorrow
If you’re ready to start growing a portion of your own food, but you aren’t quite ready for something that requires a big time commitment or a lot of effort, this is a good place to start. Sprouts are easy to cultivate, mature very quickly, can be used in a variety of delicious dishes, and…
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Milkweed Bud Pizza with Bacon and Pickled Turnips
Nothing says “spring” like a fresh, foraged meal! Savor the flavors of the season with this Milkweed Bud Pizza recipe.
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Reaping the Harvest: Tools for the Harvest
So you want to start reaping your harvest, but you’re not sure where to start? Learn how to break down the options of harvesting tools!
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Start Your Own Medicinal Herb Garden with These 3 Herbs
Want to start your own medicinal herb garden? Passionflower, lemon balm, and goldenseal are great places to begin! These herbs are jam-packed with medicinal properties and easy to grow in a majority of climates.
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How to Grow a Year-Round Indoor Salad Garden
Does the cold weather have you dreaming about fresh greens and colorful salad? Grow and harvest sprouts indoors to make those dreams a reality! Follow this quick start guide to year-round greens for fresh salad greens in just a couple of weeks! The following is an excerpt from Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke. It…
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How to Start Seedlings in a Cold Frame: Gardening Tips from Eliot Coleman
Are you ready to get a jump-start on the gardening season? With a cold frame, you can get started now. A cold frame harnesses the sun’s heat before it’s warm enough to let unprotected seedlings growing outside. Essentially, it consists of a garden bed surrounded by an angled frame and covered with a pane of…
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Sprouting 101: Easy Breezy Home Seed Sprouting
Sprouts are easy to cultivate, mature quickly and pack a nutritional punch! You can make nutrient-rich sprouts from all kinds of edible seeds in your kitchen.
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Laying Down Cover Crops in 7 Steps
Want to make the most of the slow gardening season? Lay cover crops to improve the health of your soil and plants! The following is an excerpt from The Celestial Garden by Jane Hawley Stevens. It has been adapted for the web. Benefits of Cover Crops Cover cropping is a management practice that benefits the…
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Starter Kit Tools: 9 Vital Tools for Micro-Farming
Interested in micro-farming, but don’t know where to begin? Believe it or not, you only need 9 tools to get started. These easy-to-find tools for micro-farming will set the stage for productive growing! The following is an excerpt from The Lean Micro Farm by Ben Hartman. It has been adapted for the web. Unless otherwise noted, all…
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A Short History of Agricultural Seed
Seeds are the foundation of agriculture. As John Navazio describes in this excerpt, America was once home to hundreds of small-scale agricultural seed producers, each of which developed seeds adapted to grow best in the surrounding region. Today, following the trend of most businesses, just a few large companies provide seed for farmers everywhere. With…
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Build Your Own Cold Frame: Get a Jump on the Planting Season
Extend your planting season with a cold frame! Building your own cold frame is a simple way to keep growing plants all winter long. The following is an excerpt from Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. It has been adapted for the web. What Is A Cold Frame? Gardeners should dedicate a monument to the cold…
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6 Tips and Tricks for Indoor Gardening
Craving a fresh harvest during the winter months? Try indoor gardening to grow fresh greens and more year-round! Here are 6 articles to jump-start your indoor harvest and get you growing in no time. Must Have Tools for Successful Indoor Gardening The process of producing high-quality food inside requires time and attention, along with the…
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How to Protect Plants from Winter Elements
Living in a colder climate doesn’t mean you need to give up on more fragile plants. By adequately preparing your less-hardy plants for the winter, you’ll set them up to survive and thrive! The following is an excerpt from Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts by Scott Serrano and Allyson Levy. It has been adapted for the web. Protect…
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Sweet Winter Carrots: Growing & Harvesting
Want to keep growing great food during the cold months? Try growing winter carrots in your cold house! These carrots, which Eliot Coleman grows on his farm in the winter, are even sweeter and more flavorful than the more conventionally timed “spring carrots.” The following is an excerpt fromThe Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman. It has…
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Wondrous Wintergreen: All About the Wintergreen Plant
Have you ever chewed on a piece of gum or used toothpaste and wondered where the minty taste comes from? It’s all in the wintergreen. Wintergreen, a vine that produces flavorful berries, is very easy to grow and harvest in your own garden or greenhouse. It is an unusual and beautiful evergreen groundcover plant that…
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