By Elias Marat When millions of people across the United States received their federal stimulus checks to help them cope with the devastating economic repercussions of the novel coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown, most people spent their checks on basic necessities like food, rent, mortgage,…
By Joanna Miller Whether you celebrate St. Bridget’s Day, Candlemas, Imbolc, or Groundhog Day, February 2 is coming up. For those of us active in gardening and raising animals in the Northern hemisphere, this means it’s time to think about spring. And that means garden…
By Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Pui, University of Sheffield There is growing evidence that being in natural spaces – whether while gardening or listening to bird song – has a positive effect on mental health. Being in nature is also linked to improved cognitive function, greater relaxation,…
We are born into an environment full of small organisms called microbiota. Within the first minutes and hours of our lives, they start challenging but also educating our immune system. The largest immune organ is our gut, where maturation of the immune system and maturation…
Millions of people plant pollinator gardens in an effort to provide monarch butterflies with food along their annual migration route from overwintering sites in the highland forests of central Mexico to summer breeding grounds in the United States and southern Canada. For the first time,…
By Jade Small State fairs and festivals are few and far between at the moment, as is the beloved pink cotton candy that makes fairs and festivals even more special for most of us. You’ll know it when you see it, a field of nature’s…
By Melissa K. Norris We’ve been seed saving our family strain of beans (two types) for over 100 years and 5+ generations. I’m sharing my tips for successful seed saving, including self-pollinating, cross-pollinating, and what that means to your seed saving. Plus, how to know…
By Ice Age Farmer “Gardening is too dangerous!” Authorities are REMOVING plants grown from “unauthorized seeds!” The media is warning that homegrown food can be poisonous, and backyard chickens can be fatal. Soon, for your protection, growing food and raising animals will be illegal. Competition…
By John W. Whitehead “They came again this morning at about 8:00 o’clock. A large cargo-type helicopter flew low over the cabin, shaking it on its very foundations. It shook all of us inside, too. I feel frightened … I see how helpless and tormented…
By James Prigioni In the video below, food forest gardener James Prigioni shows you how to easily build a shade covering for a raised bed garden so you can be eating fresh veggies all year long – including in the middle of a hot summer….
By Melissa K Norris One year ago, we decided to cover half of our vegetable garden in wood chips with the Back to Eden method of gardening. We try to grow as much of our own food as possible but keeping up on the weeding…
By Kara Stiff Are you itching to grow something for the table in these times of bare shelves, but don’t have space? Well, you’re definitely not alone. Gardening is suddenly very popular, both for the calories and the many other benefits. Are you renting and…
By Kara Stiff The hot weather is definitely here in North Carolina, in spite of an oddly slow start to the summer. All our usual steamy heat appears to have been redirected to Siberia this year. But though I’m definitely sweating, early July is the…
By James Prigioni In this video, James Prigioni shows his step by step guide on how to start a container garden and get huge harvests using homemade soil. James describes the right type of buckets, his soil recipe and how to transplant and water container…
By GreenMedInfo Research Group Modern society has removed itself from the process of growing and cultivating its own food, but research has demonstrated that gardening has numerous physiological and psychological benefits. Read on for a list of highly nutritious vegetables that you can easily grow…
By Greg Watts, University of Bradford Many of us have been spending more time at home than ever before, and chances are unless you live by yourself in the middle of nowhere, at some point unwanted noise will have infiltrated your lockdown. Whether it’s cars…
First observed evidence that agroforestry boosts pollinator numbers and crop pollination in temperate climates Planting woody plant species alongside crops could double the number of insect pollinators helping farmers produce food, new research has demonstrated for the first time. The study, led by the University…
By Amanda Froelich There are many reasons why we love our gardens. They provide us with peace, happiness, and tranquility as we relax on a lazy Sunday with our own little slice of nature. They provide us with space to grow our own veggies, fruits,…
By Jennifer Atkinson The coronavirus pandemic has set off a global gardening boom. In the early days of lockdown, seed suppliers were depleted of inventory and reported “unprecedented” demand. Within the U.S., the trend has been compared to World War II victory gardening, when Americans grew food at home to support the war…
By Sara Tipton Adding herbs to the garden is a great way to bring more sustainability to your yard. What I love most about herbs is they are not finicky about watering needs. In fact, many herb varieties love drier areas of the garden and…
