Tops on the list for growing high quality vegetables is adding a good compost to your garden each year. This is not just top soil, this is broken down organic material that is just waiting to stimulate the soil, feed your plants and even protect them from disease and pests. Compost takes about a year [...]

If this is your first year gardening then it is a good idea to get a soil test. In fact, I think it is a must unless someone in the know that lives near you can give you a good idea of what to expect. The reason for this is because there are many books, [...]

In nature, where do plants get their food? From the soil. What do most commercially available fertilizers do? Feed the plant. Why is this a concern? Well, it would be like feeding a human body with an IV. The body gets what it needs but it is not how things are made to work and [...]

In many of the people I talk to and classes I teach it is very clear that most of us are not clear what “organic” means as it relates to gardening and food production. I would like to venture some thoughts on the subject in hopes of letting people define it for themselves. Our wonderful [...]

One of the most valuable tools in my shed is a root feeder. I would spend the money on a Ross Root Feeder since it has proven to the best I have found. Not only do I need this to feed my fruit trees, but I consistently use it to feed plants that have plastic [...]

Preparing your soil for planting requires a complete fertilizer at the beginning of the year. In this video I discuss what to add, how much to add, how to read fertilizer labels, how to adjust your pH and more. This video was created for Utah gardeners, however, most of the principles taught are for all [...]

Many people have compost piles, and if you are like me, you don’t manage them very efficiently. Since I am not a fan of managing my pile to break everything down quickly, I tend to have non-composted material in my compost pile this time of year. You can either not add this material to the [...]

Before you plant, it is important to add a complete fertilizer to your soil each year. Most of the nutrients will be abundant in the soil for the whole year. However, the most important nutrient, nitrogen, is something that many of your vegetables need consistently and it happens to be the one that is depleted [...]

At the beginning of the season, it is important to fertilize your fruit trees. They need nitrogen, first and foremost, and they need a lower pH in order for the roots to get the nutrients they need. Many times you will see a chlorosis problem due to a high pH and not just lack of [...]

We recently purchased and planted our strawberries. We were really excited about this because of the newer varieties that we have learned about. Over the years many new varieties have come out and many more will continue to come out. California is the major producer, so if you are trying to find a good variety, [...]