Chelsea Green Blog
Gardening
Chelsea Green Staff Picks for Your 2023 Reading List
From the enlightening and thought-provoking to the quirky and fun, we, the Chelsea Green employees, have the perfect list to get you started on your next read! And if you’re looking for more, you can check out our full list of staff picks here! Mini-Forest Revolution We’ve long heard that we need to plant…
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4 Simple Recipes Using Homegrown Sprouts
Having a lack of outdoor greenspace doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy homegrown fresh food. Sprouts are a quick, simple, and ridiculously healthy way to keep your localvore appetite satisfied, no matter what season it is. And we don’t just mean tossing them in your salad or on top of a sandwich. No, we’ve got some…
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How to Grow and Store the 5 Crops You Need to Survive
In an age of erratic weather and instability, it’s increasingly important to develop a greater self-reliance when it comes to food. And because of this, more than ever before, farmers are developing new gardening techniques that help achieve a greater resilience. Longtime gardener and scientist Carol Deppe, in her book The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and…
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The Promise of Purslane & Salt-Pickled Recipe
Are you quick to grab a shovel at the mere mention of purslane for fear it will overrun your garden? If you nodded your head “yes,” might we suggest taking a second to rethink your attack? This semi-succulent annual not only boasts the highest-yet-measured levels of omega-3 fatty acids (hello, health benefits!) in a plant;…
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The Ins and Outs of Growing Raspberries: Bramble On
Fresh, ripe raspberries picked straight from the garden in the morning. What could be a better start to your day? According to Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard, growing your own berries is entirely possible for anyone with a bit of space and a passion for the fruit. Brambles grow from the north to…
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To Garden is to be Resilient
Our gardens provide many things; food for our tables, flowers for our loved ones, even a pleasant way to spend sunny afternoons—but there’s so much more we can gain from our gardens. While we’re planting, weeding, and watering, we’re doing so much more than growing. We are building resilience, from the ground up. The following…
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The Ultimate Guide to Garden Planning
It’s that time of year again: garden planning season! If you’re looking for the best tips, tricks, and inspiration for planning your garden, you’re in the right place. From using lowers for pest control to permanent beds to choosing a site, we’ve got the reads you need! 10 Easy-to-Grow Flowers for Pest Control It’s difficult…
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Growing Cold-Hardy Cranberries
Cranberries! These hardy little berries are great to grow if you live in a colder climate. Authors Scott and Allyson say “It’s pretty amazing that this small fruit, which is too sour to eat out of hand, was seen as a profitable pomological fruit considering that it not only lives but thrives in some of…
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Potted Plants Need Woodchip Too!
Are you growing the majority of your plants out of pots? We have good news! You, too, can use woodchip! Using woodchip in your potted plants is a great way to reduce weeds without spending time hand weeding. The following is an excerpt from The Woodchip Handbook by Ben Raskin. It has been adapted for the web.…
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Quick Start Guide to Year-Round Greens
Cold temps and snow don’t have to mean the end of fresh greens! 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 has been adapted for the web. I teach gardening, and there comes…
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Presenting the Four-Season Harvest
For most gardeners, a typical season begins with planting in the spring and ends with a big harvest in the fall – one that the frugal home-gardener hopes lasts through until spring sprouts again. And if it doesn’t, well, then it’s off to the store to pick up whatever measly, unfresh produce is available. But…
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It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, the Rain Garden is Growing
With temperatures rising and the summer heat in full swing, your plants and crops need as much water as they can possibly get. What better way to do that than building your own rain garden? A rain garden will absorb rainwater run-off and use this water to then help grow the plants planted in the…
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How to Grow Okra Microgreens
Microgreens can be used as a garnish or addition to provide great nutrients to your meals. Recently, okra joined the list of delicious microgreens. You can grow your own at home! Okra can be grown using an aquaponics system; find a use for any gallon-drums you have left in your garage or shed. The following…
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Interplanting and Beyond
Permaculture is more than just a way to garden, it applies systems-thinking to every facet of our relationship to the earth and each other. The three main ethics of permaculture are care for the planet, care for people, and only keeping a fair share of the yields of your productive work (gardening and otherwise). Expanding…
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Pinching Flowers to Prolong Bloom: When and How
This time of year, flowers are in full bloom! To get the most out of them, try pinching flowers to prolong the bloom. This may sound simple enough, but there’s more to this trick than you might think. The following gardening tip is from The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski. Pinching Flowers to Prolong Bloom…
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Pros and Cons of Tillage
When it comes to tilling your soil, less equals more. “Why?” you may ask? Traditional tilling is exceptionally damaging to the soil in the long run. Occasional tillage may be necessary, such as before you start growing vegetables, or when you need to add supplements to depleted areas. In these cases, use a hand tool…
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Grow Vegetables Like You Mean It
In the United States, 40 percent of the food we produce is wasted. Ben Hartman is trying to put a dent in that dismal statistic. Inspired by Toyota’s “lean” approach to manufacturing, a production strategy designed to minimize waste and maximize efficiency while increasing profits. In his practical how-to manual, Hartman shows how he has…
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From the Ground Up: Using Soil Amendments
It may be too early to plant your garden, but it’s not too early to PLAN your garden! Beyond what and how you will plant, it’s important to have a plan for enriching your soil. For us, soil amendments are the perfect solution. Do you add compost to your garden? Congratulations! You’re using soil amendments.…
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Perfect Salad with Soil Sprouts: Unlock the Secret
Around this time of year, when “seasonal produce” is just a synonym for root vegetables, many of us begin to dream about fresh greens and colorful salads. Without a greenhouse or expensive equipment, it’s hard to imagine a reality in which you can have fresh and local greens every day. Luckily, you can grow your…
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How to Use Reflected Light to Boost Indoor Food Production
Growing food indoors or in an urban setting can be quite a challenge. You need to find the right kinds of plants, purchase or build tools, and make sure you have lots of time and patience. Oh, and don’t forget making sure your garden gets enough reflected light so it can thrive! If your space…
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Okra Marshmallow Delights
Did you know you can make marshmallows out of this peculiar plant? Anything is possible when it comes to okra! Whether it’s a treat you’re creating at home with your family or an on-the-go snack, okra marshmallows will certainly become one of your favorites. Check out this amazing recipe by Katrina Blair. The following is…
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The Ultimate Guide to Sheet Mulching
Sheet mulching is a layered mulch system that nurtures the soil. You start with a biodegradable weed barrier like cardboard. From there, you build a thick, layered substrate for your garden with compost and mulch. As the materials break down, worms move in, softening the soil below, and creating a healthy, aerated planting bed where…
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Learning to Love Insects
With spring in full swing, bugs are making a reappearance in our gardens and in our lives. Before you reach for the fly swatter, consider this: While they inspire fear in many of us, bugs also play an important role in the ecosystem. So let’s learn to live with bugs, not in fear of them!…
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Save Your Soil the Power of Pee
It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get down into the dirt – but you may want to grab a bucket, especially first thing in the morning. Nutrient loss in our soil is an ongoing issue for some gardeners, but you may find help in an unexpected—liquid—form. The following is an excerpt from The…
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Resilient Living: 12 Must Have Books
Are you looking to grow and prepare your own food, conserve energy, and be more resilient? Maybe you’re looking for ways to simplify your life. Wherever you find yourself, there are things you can do today to become more resilient. We’ve compiled our favorite books about all aspects of resilient living to get you started.…
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