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Vegetable Gardening Blogs

colorful pumpkins, squash, and gourds

Before pumpkin pie: The ancient origins of squash

Good Growing
From decorations to jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween and pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, pumpkins and squash play a central role in many of our fall holiday traditions. But long before they were cultivated by people, their wild ancestors depended on a very different set of partners: the massive mammals...
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a freshly harvested pile of garlic bulbs with roots and stems intact

Ready, Set, Garlic!

Good Growing
The crisp fall weather has arrived, and I’m here for it. For gardeners, this season is often associated with closing the garden for the year, but before we get too excited about taking a slight break, there is one final planting that can help you get ahead for next year: garlic. I inherited...
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Weeds growing up between a sidewalk and a brick house

Spring weed management begins in the fall

Good Growing
With the arrival of fall, many of our landscapes start to wind down. Flowering plants begin to fade, and trees put on their annual display of fall color. There are plenty of seasonal tasks to tackle, from planting perennials and bulbs to cleaning up the vegetable garden and putting away tools and...
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Cereal rye cover crop growing in a garden

Getting started with cover crops in the garden

Good Growing
Cover crops have been used for thousands of years and have seen a resurgence in recent years. While we usually think of cover crops in production agriculture, they can also be used in home gardens. By keeping living plants growing in the soil when vegetables are not, gardeners can build healthier,...
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A table with jars of salsa and ingredients of tomato peppers and garlic

Creating a backyard salsa garden

Good Growing
Salsa might be my favorite condiment. Nowadays, there are so many different types of salsas. Salsa is everywhere! I have used it on breakfast foods, lunch, and dinner. It’s incredibly universal. And I will argue that fresh salsa is the best. Better yet, the ingredients used to make fresh salsa can...
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a digging spade in the ground next to a cluster of freshly harvested sweet potatoes

How sweet it is growing sweet potatoes

Good Growing
Grow what you eatI often suggest that the best things to grow in your garden are fruits and vegetables we enjoy eating. Sometimes, though, our gardens may exceed our appetites. After growing fifteen kale plants, my family determined that we could probably live off two. And ten cherry tomato bushes...
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wooden raised garden beds planted with a variety of vegetables including gourds, cabbage, tomato, calendula and leaf lettuce

Flowers in the vegetable garden

Good Growing
Each spring, many of us get very excited about the abundant harvest we are going to enjoy from our vegetable gardens. We plan, then plant. We weed and water. And if all goes well, we harvest an abundance of nutritious and delicious produce.In addition to carefully planning what to plant, when to...
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a garden bed of leafy greens

Beat the winter blues by growing some leafy greens

Good Growing
I think a winter diet of heavy, carb-laden foods is starting to weigh me down, literally and emotionally. I’m craving fresh produce, but forget the tomatoes and cucumbers; all I want is something green. Despite the looming threat of winter weather, spring is on the horizon, and I don’t know if I...
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