THE BEST WAY TO PROVIDE food for wildlife is to preserve and restore the local native plant communities that have supported them for thousands of years. However, you can use feeders to supplement the natural food typically provided through native pla

THREE YEARS AGO, I remember staring in bewilderment at the bright-green stem sprouting from my garlic bulb. The closest thing to gardening I had done up to that point was climbing barefoot into my family’s weedy raised bed scavenging tomatoes for my

NATURAL DYES come in a rainbow of colors — as long as you know where to look. Plants, lichens, shells, and even insects contain all the compounds you need to make any color from soft yellow, to electric pink, to forest green. Many natural dyes also r

More than 60 years ago, Tarleton State University exercised eminent domain and bought all the houses on our street in Stephenville, Texas. The college paid a fair market price to everyone, but my family had to move. Luckily, a local man was building

WHEN IT COMES TO PLANTS that make a statement, few compare with cardoon. A stately ornamental edible topped with an otherworldly looking thistle, cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) is a beauty to behold. It’s a close cousin to the artichoke (C. scolymus),

Wrap up your harvest with the Bee’s Wrap Variety Pack, a flexible assortment of reusable food wraps made with organic cotton fabric, and covered in a thin coating of beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin. There are four different wrap sizes in

Get everything you need to start making your own soil blocks! This kit includes: the Mini 4 Soil Blocker, the Micro 20 Soil Blocker, and Cubic Inserts for the Mini 4 Soil Blocker. These eco-friendly tools will help you achieve a high rate of germinat

Chemical fungicides used in commercial farming continue to be a source of pollution and stress on the environment. However, one of the international leaders in sustainable bioprotection, Marrone Bio Innovations, has announced promising news for crop

An early spring vegetable, cauliflower has risen in popularity as a low-carb substitute in a variety of dishes. If you want to grow your own, you’ll be happy to know that this Italian heirloom is one of your best bets: It’s both rich in minerals and

TWINKLING, FLUTTERING, MARCHING, quaking, trembling — these are all words typically used to capture the unique way that poplars, aspens, and cottonwoods stand out in the landscape. All three of these trees are members of the Populus, or poplar, genus

WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND at the culinary landscape of the United States, there’s an indisputable fact: While immigrant women may have jumped into our melting pot, they held their own spoons. As immigrant Tina Yao said so eloquently, “People refer to the

THE GARDEN SLEEPS in winter, and during its months of gentle slumber, there’s a stillness. The garden waits for the seasons to shift so it can awaken again. A lack of birds is a contributing factor to this solemn stillness. From the moment the first

AS A WEAVER, I have plenty of reasons to attempt growing cotton in my small, urban backyard garden. So I teamed up with Caitlin Wilson, a fiber-spinning friend of mine, and hatched a plot to grow naturally colored green cotton. Because we’re fiber fa

WHEN I PRESENTED chef Osama Herkal with a bucket of freshly harvested molokhia greens from my farm, he tenderly hugged the stalks and buried his head in the vibrant emerald leaves. It’d been eight years since he’d last touched the plant. Osama and hi

I STARTED GROWING COTTON six years ago. I’d just begun spinning wool and was looking for fibers that I could grow and harvest myself. I was especially interested in a fiber that wouldn’t require purchasing several expensive tools at the outset, befor

LIVING IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA has afforded our family an idyllic Mother Earth News lifestyle for over 40 years — with one exception. Our long, harsh, ultracold winters have made growing fruit downright difficult. Although berry pickers from around the

AS THE TERM IMPLIES, cool-growing orchids originate in temperate climates and at high elevations, where they’re frequently cooled by cloud cover, but they also do well in warmer conditions. One such group of orchids is that of the genus Disa, which g

WHO DOESN’T LOVE the thought of growing fresh, healthy, pesticide-free fruit? And while we’re on the subject, why not consider growing something you don’t find in most backyard settings, something that’ll really wow your visitors? Why not consider ki

IF YOU’VE NEVER EQUATED those big, juicy, homegrown tomatoes — or lack thereof — with bees, it’s time to grab some wood (literally). From alkali bees to shaggy fuzzy-foot bees, you’ll harvest bigger fruits and vegetables, as well as higher yields, if

IS ANYTHING BETTER than stepping into the garden in summer? Plants shine at the peak of their mature beauty, flower beds overflow with bushy perennials, and vegetable plants burst with seasonal bounty. The late summer garden is a magical place that f

WHEN WE THINK OF SAVING heirloom seeds, we tend to do what humans often do: We think of our own needs and desires first. We save heirloom cultivars because of their taste, form, and connection to our family or culture. And I’m not one to stand betwee

LAYERING IS A PASSIVE FORM of propagation. Certain species will layer on their own. And while there are many different layering techniques, they all follow the same fundamental concept: A stem is encouraged to form its own roots while it’s still atta

“HOW TO ATTRACT FIREFLIES” Fireflies are the stuff of magic and faerie, at least in the minds of children (and more than a few grown-ups). They rule the midsummer night, dipping and dancing across backyards, parks, and meadows, keeping their lights o

IT WAS A FRIGID, foggy April morning in the Rhodope Mountains of Greece. Thousands of eager seed savers and gardeners stood awaiting the opening of what’s believed to be the world’s largest seed swap: the Peliti Seed Festival. This seed exchange is a

THROUGH THESE DOG DAYS of summer, which can’t end soon enough, I find myself downcast even when gardening. I begin to miss the weeds, the lack of which seems a harbinger of winter, visible now in the hot, dry remains of this summer’s bounty. This tim

JUICY, SPICY RADISHES are a quintessential spring crop, and a perfect addition to crisp, fresh salads of choice baby greens straight from soil. Most radishes don’t tolerate heat and require soil temperatures cooler than 75 degrees Fahrenheit for good

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! Email us at Letters@HeirloomGardener.com, tag us on Facebook or on Instagram @HeirloomGardenerMag, or write to us at 1503 SW 42nd Street; Topeka, Kansas 66609. The Spring 2019 issue of Heirloom Gardener was the best money I’ve ev

Recipes courtesy of Jovial Foods, Inc. CARLA BARTOLUCCI dove into the organic food industry in 1996, when the movement was starting to catch on in mainstream America. In those days, her company, Jovial Foods, focused on offering gluten-free and healt