Tomatoes are a whole lot more fun to grow when they’re well-supported, easy to prune, and convenient to harvest. OK, so tomatoes are really, ridiculously fun to grow no matter what. Which is why most of us turn to the ubiquitous tomato cage at some point early in our tomato obsession to up our game and grow more of them. The thing is, cages are expensive. And they take up a ton of space in the garden....
If you’re looking for a new winter squash to add to your rotation this year (or next) - look no further than the Black Futsu Squash. This interesting Japanese heirloom is in the pumpkin family and has been grown for hundreds of years in its native country. And while you’ll sometimes see it described as producing an “ornamental” or “decorative” fruit, these squashes are actually a superbly delicious addition to any food garden....
It’s tough to get excited about winter gardening. Maybe it’s the sheer challenge of growing plants in the face of cold, short days. Or maybe it’s the fact that most of our favorite fruiting crops like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and eggplant won’t grow. Or perhaps it’s simply the unpleasant prospect of tending the garden in a winter storm. So what’s the ambitious homesteader to do? Well, don’t opt out of the season if your goal is to grow as much food as possible for your family....
Whether you’re on the path to full-blown food independence or just looking for an occasional source of fresh herbs and veggies, gardening is an incredibly empowering pursuit. Of course, for many of us, a large outdoor garden is impractical or straight-up impossible. But that doesn’t mean your dream of fresh veggies has to die on the vine! Enter indoor gardening to the rescue. Growing vegetables inside instead of outside actually carries a host of major benefits like accessibility to everyone with a window, convenience (no excuse not to tend the garden when it’s five feet away), minimal physical labor, and super low costs....
We all love an incredible summer-picked beefsteak tomato and a delicious pie pumpkin ready in time for Fall holidays. But ultimately, our goal on the urban homestead is to maximize food production, so it’s incredibly important that we also have a go-to list of fast-growing crops to leverage in addition to those slow-growing favorites. They may not be the flashiest garden plants out there, but I sincerely love these options for the sheer flexibility they inject into any gardening calendar....