Have you asked any of these tough gardening questions? Q: Why won't my bell peppers grow well? A: Bell peppers? Seriously? I basically gave up on those stupid things a long time ago. So has John Kohler, so I'm in good company. Here's the deal with bell peppers: they're really touchy, whereas hot peppers and smaller sweet peppers grow like weeds. My theory is that hot peppers … [Read more...] about 14 Tough Gardening Questions Answered!
Gardening Tools
A Multitool For Your Bugout Bag: A Leatherman Wave Review
When I was a kid I thought Swiss Army knives were the coolest thing ever. One of my friends had one. It contained everything from a screwdriver to a saw to a can opener and a toothpick. All those little fold-out bits and pieces fascinated me. As a young teenager, I owned a Chinese-made knock-off Swiss Army knife that had about a million gadgets on it, none of which worked well. … [Read more...] about A Multitool For Your Bugout Bag: A Leatherman Wave Review
Problems with Raised Beds
Most modern gardening books embrace the raised bed as if it were the greatest invention since the Scots created peat-flavored alcohol. Raised beds are the modern way to garden. The good way. The BEST way. Let me count the ways they're supertastic! 1. Raised beds give you good boundaries 2. Raised beds help the soil warm up quicker in the spring 3. Raised beds make for good … [Read more...] about Problems with Raised Beds
Five Good Survival Knives
I've liked knives ever since I was a kid. I'm not a knife collector, per se, or a true knife aficionado. I don't have expensive blades in cases, swords on the walls or a subscription to Blade Magazine. (Though now that I check out their website... NO... must... resist...) Anyhow - I'm a gardener. Gardeners are generally practical and utilitarian. As much as I may totally dig a … [Read more...] about Five Good Survival Knives
Make A Solitary Bee House (That Also Attracts GOOD Wasps!)
So you've planted an orchard. Or a food forest. Or a garden. You may have added irrigation, planned in some nice cover crops or perhaps picked up a metric donkeyload of mulch along the way. Things are getting ready to grow. But are you ready for the next steps? Fertilization, water, pruning, weeding are hard to "outsource," but two other areas of gardening are easier to manage … [Read more...] about Make A Solitary Bee House (That Also Attracts GOOD Wasps!)