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August 19, 2022

5 steps to a productive food garden this fall

August 19, 2022/ Kelly Pemberton

While many people only grow food gardens during the spring and summer months, there’s no reason that your gardening season has to end now, unless you are in a part of the world where the weather turns bitterly cold in the fall, and you have no season extending tools (or options for indoor growing). As the hot summer months give way to cooler temperatures, you can begin planting new varieties of food crops, or continue successive planting of summer-to-fall vegetables and herbs.

August 10, 2022

Why your lawn care should include micro clover

August 10, 2022/ Kelly Pemberton

In much of the Northern Hemisphere, August is one of the hottest months of the year. As a result, many lawns are parched, with patches of brown and an overgrowth of hardy weeds scarring the landscape. Keeping a lawn green year-round is especially challenging this time of year; even more so if your area has seen a relentless onslaught of summer heat or drought conditions, or your city or municipality has placed restrictions on your use of water.

March 02, 2022

5 fool-proof ways to germinate seeds

March 02, 2022/ Kelly Pemberton

(updated 1/1/2025)

It’s seed starting season here in much of the Northern Hemisphere! If you have been eagerly anticipating the day you could begin taking this important step to implement the planning you have been doing for your spring garden, you’re not alone!

February 10, 2022

The Ultimate Eco-Friendly Gardening Checklist

February 10, 2022/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Greg Niewold

Anyone who loves to garden knows that one of the best parts of winter is looking ahead to spring: the season of planting. This year as you’re dreaming and planning, why not think about trying some eco-friendly strategies in your garden? Whether you’re a total newbie or a veteran grower, you may be surprised to learn how little steps toward sustainability could improve your everyday garden operations. With eco-friendly approaches, not only will your garden be greener and gentler to the environment, but you’ll possibly save costs and improve your yield, too.

January 26, 2022

Tree Pruning vs. Tree Trimming: What’s the Difference?

January 26, 2022/ Kelly Pemberton

guest post by Bryan Hardin

If you are the proud owner of a garden or yard, you will agree that it takes effort to maintain your green area. You need to care for your plants and trees and make sure they remain healthy and looked after. Speaking of maintenance, pruning and trimming are two techniques that can help to keep your trees in excellent condition. However, most people confuse them to be the same thing. While trimming and pruning are both landscaping techniques, they differ in their functions and applications.

January 23, 2022

Start Your Own Garden: The Perfect Care Instructions

January 23, 2022/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Nairi Bodroumian

Start your own garden? It sounds like it would be a lot of work, right? However, this is a great way to save money on groceries and get closer to the natural rhythms of earth. This article will provide all the information you need to ensure that your garden thrives from start to finish!

December 22, 2021

7 Reasons Why You Should Plan a Garden Redesign in Winter

December 22, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Shannon Quantock

Keeping your garden maintained every season is one of the keys to making it last as long as possible. In the winter, the majority of plants are usually pretty dormant if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, which makes it the perfect time for you to plan a new design. Let’s have a look at a few reasons why planning your garden design in the winter is a great idea.

December 13, 2021

Fall through Winter Gardening: how to harvest throughout the cool season

December 13, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

For many of us who grow food, late autumn brings cold weather and spells the end of the harvest. But the cold season doesn’t have to end your gardening journey. While it is true that some places, like USDA zones 0-2, have extremely short growing seasons that make growing vegetables outdoors extremely challenging, in most zones, even those where it snows every winter, you can continue to grow fresh herbs, vegetables, and even some flowers all year. Planting or placing your crops inside a greenhouse, coldframe, hot box, polytunnel, row cover, pop-up-plant protector, or heavy-duty gardening plastic will keep them growing through the fall and winter months. Some of these tools are inexpensive, while others can cost a small fortune. For example, a lean-to or freestanding greenhouse with walls made of polycarbonate plastic can be purchased or built for as little as a few hundred dollars, while a large walk-in greenhouse with walls of horticultural-grade glass can cost tens of thousands of dollars. These are some of the most common ways that you can extend your growing season from the early fall months, or even begin growing new crops in the winter.

August 10, 2021

Plant problems and quick fixes: how to diagnose and remedy common issues in your garden

August 10, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

The past year has seen many people turn to food gardening – some for the first time – to cope with the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here at Green and Prosperous we have previously written about the mental and physical health benefits of gardening. While previously, food gardening seemed to be something you did as you approached middle age and your senior years, nowadays people of all ages are enjoying the benefits of growing some of their own food.

June 21, 2021

What you should know about companion planting

June 21, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

(thumbnail image: Unsplash/ Markus Spiske)

Experienced food gardeners know that their plants like to be surrounded by friendly companions. Companion planting, also called interplanting or intercropping, means growing one kind of plant next to others that help it thrive. Using this technique in your food garden can help you grow more in less space, and is a method especially favored by small-scale organic growers. There are many benefits to companion planting, and most experienced gardeners who use this technique anecdotally report

June 16, 2021

10 Gardening Hacks for the Newbie Gardener

June 16, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Michael Hill

The global health crisis caused by COVID-19 has brought many tragedies to people’s lives. This battle still rages on, as scientists race to get the vaccine that can stop its spread distributed to everyone around the world. While we waited at home for the development of vaccines that would allow us to gradually resume our normal lives, a lot of people discovered new hobbies or activities to combat the boredom and anxiety brought on by the lockdowns.

June 06, 2021

8 Ways to Do Sustainable Gardening

June 06, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

Tending a garden is beneficial not only to the overall aesthetic of your house but also to the environment. It can cut down CO2 in the atmosphere and it also provides shelter to birds, butterflies, and bees, which all take part in beautifying the space by pollinating flowering plants.

But did you know that gardening, if done right, can help Mother Nature even more?

May 30, 2021

How to make organic pest control sprays for your garden

May 30, 2021/ Kelly Pemberton

One of the more frustrating aspects of food gardening is having to share your crops with herbivore insects. When insects become a problem in the garden, most growers reach for insecticide-pesticides. Insecticide-pesticides are either synthetic, using human-made substances derived from chemical compounds, or organic, using human-made substances derived from plants with little or no chemical altering involved.

December 06, 2020

How To Organize Your Potting Shed

December 06, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Amie Hamilton

Houses with large lawns or spacious backyards are the favorite playgrounds of home gardeners. Whether they’re new to the hobby or have been a longtime gardener, having such a space is perfect for experimenting with different gardening techniques or planting approaches. These spaces can also be a good area to mount a potting shed.

Simply put, a potting shed is a small shed housed within a lawn or backyard. It’s ideal for those growing a smaller type of food garden like an herb garden, which is growing in popularity these days, especially with urban gardeners. But aside from housing small potted plants, the potting shed is also used as a storage shed. Over time, the shed may become unruly and disorganized when not properly supervised.

It’s indeed a beneficial hobby to take care of plants and such, though the upkeep is another issue altogether. If you’re a home gardener burdened with the thought of organizing the potting shed, here are a few tips to help you get the job done as efficiently as possible.

December 02, 2020

Winter can be a surprisingly busy time for gardeners.

December 02, 2020/ Kelly Pemberton

Guest post by Tim Allen

No matter what you grow or how big (or small) your garden may be, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done as winter approaches to keep your plants safe. Weeds need to be plucked, bulbs need to be planted, shrubs and landscaping need to be wrapped up -- you know the routine.

But what about your indoor plants?