Tag: gardening for beginners

Inching Into Indoor Gardening

Martha Tomeo

“Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow”… John Denver’s lyrics are often an earworm on my internal playlist, something I hum as I tend my “piece of fertile ground”.  I have always considered myself to be a gardener. My childhood home included a large patch of vegetables adjacent to our house and blackberry thickets bordering the yard. I was raised by thrifty parents who taught me the economic benefit of growing our own produce in rural New Hampshire. In Alaska, my own family homestead has always Read More …

National Wildlife Federation’s ® Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife by David Mizejewski  

Dr. Martha Martinez

This beautifully illustrated book provides an introductory overview on how to design a garden that is good for people, animals, plants, and the Earth. Chock-full of useful information, it helps gardeners understand the value of native plants over invasive exotics, the importance of achieving an ecological balance in your garden or backyard, and how providing for wildlife’s basic needs (food, water, cover, and places to raise young) can be an extremely rewarding experience for the gardener turned backyard naturalist. Mizejewski’s holistic approach includes educational, fun, and easy steps to make Read More …

Our First Year Gardening, Mistakes and Accomplishments

srrobinson

My wife and I purchased our first home in August of 2016 located in Fairbanks, Alaska. The property included 10 acres of land. Most of the land is treed but the backyard area included a cleared space that is large enough for a garden. This was our first opportunity to create our own organic garden. We had an open canvas to create the garden that we dreamed of having for years. The potential was very high, but it didn’t take long for us to realize that building our dream garden Read More …