how to

  • How to Identify and Treat Sudden Oak Death
    How-To

    How to Identify and Treat Sudden Oak Death

    While folks on the West Coast probably hear quite a bit about sudden oak death, it is an important plant disease that everyone should have on their radar. Sudden oak…

  • Essential Tools for Pruning
    How-To

    Essential Tools for Pruning

    These small pruners go easy on your hands There are many great bypass pruners on the market, but I had carpal tunnel surgery years ago, and my hands tire easily…

  • thinning depends on the crop
    How-To

    Learn How to Thin Vegetable Seedlings

    Some people hate to see a plant go to waste, as I discovered one day while thinning chard in the company of an eight-year-old child. Intent on my task, I…

  • How-To

    Easy-to-Build Cold Frame

    Experience has taught me that the simplest solution is often the best. I wanted to spend more time using my new cold frame than building it, so I designed a…

  • Article

    Herbal Dessert Recipes

    As chefs, lecturers, writers, and consultants on the herbal arts, we are always encouraging people to use herbs in both traditional and innovative ways. Several years ago, we embarked upon…

  • How-To

    Herbal Teas, From Garden to Teacup

    My first experience with herbal tea was an attempt to locate herbs for an allegedly healthful tea an herbalist friend had prescribed. It was about 20 years ago, and the…

  • How-To

    Creating an Outdoor Shower

    Forget about rinsing off with the garden hose. After a day spent mulching and weeding under the hot sun, nothing beats an outdoor shower. All that fresh air, warm water,…

  • How-To

    Build a Garden Bench in an Hour

    Every garden could use a few more places to sit. Perhaps you have an out-of-the-way nook that could benefit from a simple perch for visitors to rest on, or maybe…

  • Design

    How to Create a Gravel Garden

    When you conjure up an image of a gravel garden, it probably isn’t very fun or colorful. Many people picture a sea of hot, dry gravel, some harsh, craggy rocks,…

  • How to Plant Fall Bulbs in Containers
    How-To

    How to Plant Fall Bulbs in Containers

    Bulbs in containers can be even more exciting than bulbs in garden beds. However, you may not want to risk leaving your nice terra-cotta container outside over winter, for fear…