I got a great question from a reader:

"Slugs are becoming quite a problem in my vegetable garden. How can I get rid of these pests? Are there any predators that can help with my slug problem?"

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Following up on my recent post about the joys of direct-sowing garden seeds, I thought I'd offer a few suggestions today for easy veggies to direct-sow. Here are my top ten favorite easy veggies:

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As much as I love playing with all of my gardening gadgets, such as soil block makers, seedling heat mats, and grow lights, there is a certain satisfaction that comes from direct sowing seeds in my garden. I love planting pumpkin seeds with my children, and seeing those fat cotyledons seem to magically appear days later, then flourish into wild, rambling vines. And when planting corn, a good rule of thumb is to plant two for the crows, and one for the gardener. We also direct-sow many annuals, including zinnias, marigolds, calendulas, and sunflowers, every year.

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I snapped a quick photo of what I thought was a bee on my 'Cranberry' viburnum the other day. When I looked more closely at the photo later, I said to myself, "that's not a bee!"

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If you've been bitten by the gardening bug, and have decided to try your hand at growing an organic garden, congratulations! If you're new to gardening, one thing is for sure: you have plenty of questions. I've pulled together some of my favorite resources to answer your gardening questions. I hope this helps get your first garden off to a great start!

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I get quite a few questions about Bokashi composting, and this is one of the most common (courtesy of a reader who asked via email):

"Hi! I'm just getting informed about composting and your blogs are really helpful! I was wondering how long it takes to actually harvest your first batch of compost with Bokashi composting? Thanks."

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The dandelions are in full bloom  in my garden. I actually kind of like dandelions. They are a valuable food source for beneficial insects, including lady bugs, and there are actually several useful things you can do with just about every part of the plant. I wrote a post a while back about using dandelions, and I saw that About Herb Gardens guide Amy Jeanroy posted a great list of things you can do with dandelions. I'm definitely going to try her recipe for Dandelion Jelly.

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I've mentioned before that I have to be somewhat sneaky in my composting practices because we're not allowed  to compost food where I live -- we are only allowed to compost lawn and garden refuse. I started my sneaky food composting by composting in a plastic storage container, then a trash can. I dig and drop my food scraps right in my garden beds, and I have a worm bin. But we eat a lot of fruits and veggies especially during the growing season, and these systems do eventually become overloaded.

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I've gotten this question about fifteen times in the last couple of weeks in my email, so I figured it's something that many of you may be wondering about. Seeds don't need any fertilizer to germinate. Everything they need is right there in the makeup of each seed. However, once they've got their first true leaves (as opposed to the "seed leaves" or cotyledons that appear first) they will start needing nutrients for strong growth.

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With the warm weather we've been having, it's time to start thinking about springtime lawn care. It's still too early for mowing (though this is a very good time to have your mower tuned up and get that blade sharpened) but this is the perfect time to clean up your lawn and take care of a few routine tasks.

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With the current news and scientific information coming out about global warming, it’s no surprise that more and more people are becoming aware of our effects on the planet.  Almost everything now has a “Go Green” counterpart making it not only easy to save the planet, but also trendy.  One of the largest trends coming [...]

If you’ve made that decision to go with organic products and are wondering if the price of that type of produce is going to drop in the near future; don’t hold your breath. That’s not necessarily the fact that it’s so special—to reason for organic produce being so high priced—it’s the fact that the yield [...]

Let’s face it—cinnamon is cinnamon—right? That statement couldn’t be more wrong! There is an amazing number of cinnamon varieties; each special in their own way. Various Types Of Cinnamon We’re all relatively used to seeing cinnamon sticks in cocktails or in drawers to make the contents smell better; and ground cinnamon such as we use [...]

Any time you are thinking of planning a garden always be sure that you have checked the soil to see what type of things are underneath the ground. You always need to be sure that the soil has enough nutrients to provide you with a wonderful garden. If you do not know the history of [...]

The green button is special information the president of the United States created in order to inform Americans about ways they can save on their energy bill. In today’s economy everybody is struggling therefore there needs to be ways to cut costs. Energy is on the rise, and people are having a hard time paying [...]

One of the best parts of living in this day and age is that medicine has advanced far beyond just going to the doctor for a prescription to treat an ailment. Thanks to Organically Grown Medical Compounds anyone can treat a temporary or chronic medical issue without having to just take a drug to resolve [...]

There is a lot of talk these days – in the public arena, in corporate boardrooms and in the halls of government – of protecting the environment and converting the U.S. to “green energy” technology. What is often lost in the conversation is the very bottom rung of Abraham Maslow’s Pryamid of Needs: Nutrition. Our [...]

What Is Serrapeptase? Discovered in the early 1970’s, this proteolytic enzyme was isolated from the Serratia species of bacteria located in the intestines of silkworms. Serrapeptase, also called serratiopeptidase, is truly a superior enzyme that provides strong anti-inflammatory properties. Today Serrapeptase is used all over Europe and Asia in clinical settings and is used as [...]

The hemicellulase enzyme breaks down hemicellulose, which is a type of cellulase and a key component of the cell wall in all plants. Different forms of plant hemicellulose include glucans, galactans, xylans, mannans and pentosans. Common fiber-rich breakfast cereals, for example, have a large amount of hemicelluloses (2 to 12%). Hemicellulase is needed to break [...]

Source There are plenty of good reasons to make sure your body gets enough vitamin D. Most people associate it with calcium absorption for maintaining strong bones and healthy, better-looking hair. Others think of it as a way to protect their cardiovascular health and prevent neurodegenerative disease, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. But, if the [...]