Special reports - page 2

The world of gardening is as vast as the imagination of each of us gardeners can make it. These reports highlight some of nature’s surprises.

Test your soil pH with plants

Bio-indicator plants help us understand how healthy our soil is, and how it’s changing. Did you know that when it comes to pH, plants are much more reliable than test kits?
Bioindicator plants soil pH

10 cat-killing plants in house and garden

Cats have an annoying habit of gnawing on plants because that usually helps with digestion. Sometimes it’s even just out of boredom, or for the sake of scratching the earth or sharpening claws.
List of plants that are toxic for cats

Manual lawn mowers and robots, great for small lawns

Manual lawn mowers and robots, here is an overview of what is best for smaller lawn and garden sizes. One is environmentally sustainable and quiet, the other does all the work in your stead: both of these options are worth looking at for their advantages. Here is a presentation of lawn mowers for smaller surfaces… […]
Automatic or manual lawn mowers

Wrought iron, impressive ornaments for gardens

Wrought iron garden decors multiply the impact of any landscaping since this noble material can be worked to fit any style and expectation. Furniture set, pergola, low edge fence, bench, hanging swingset, gate, ornament…
Wrought iron in the garden

Rototiller, scores of advantages

A rototiller is a very useful when starting a vegetable patch or lawn, and it also helps for tilling the soil, hoeing and cultivating or removing weeds. Whether the surface is large or small, a mini tiller or a rototiller will greatly ease any garden work
Rototiller

Grow flowers for food!

Certain flowers are both ornamental and edible. Feel free to try them out, a feast for eyes and taste buds alike!
Edible plants

Our take on plastic cheating –oops– sheeting, sorry

A slope in need of protection, flower beds invaded by weeds, a large plot of strawberries… It’s only normal that you’d be considering setting up synthetic mulch fabric to eliminate those long weeding chores. While benefits are clear, these mulch fabrics do have major drawbacks that you should not ignore. First off, what exactly is […]
Should you use plastic sheeting for growing beds

Oft-flooded garden? Plant these water lovers!

Perpetually wet soil is, initially, not very suitable for gardening. However, many plants enjoy growing in cool, even wet soil, to the point that they still cope when it’s temporarily flooded.
What to plant in often flooded gardens

Urine for fertilizer, go from pissing poor to liquid gold!

Learn to value urine, rightfully called yellow gold, on the scale of a family vegetable garden… in complementarity with brown gold (no, not that one – we mean compost) and blue gold (water). The idea of fertilizing the garden with the family’s urine
Urine, excellent garden fertilizer

A run of the hoe saves two of the hose! Why and how to hoe

Often overlooked, hoeing is nonetheless an important maintenance action. Whether in growing beds and along borders in ornamental gardens, or among rows of veggies in the vegetable patch, it’s crucial to maximize growth and water.
Hoeing, why hoe and how

Seaweed, great fertilizer for the veggie garden

Relentlessly, with the change of seasons, waves deposit tons of seaweed of various kinds onto the sand of our beaches. This seaweed is a true gift from the sea that gardeners can take advantage of. In fact, this famous algae proves to be an excellent fertilizer to spread in the vegetable garden or flower beds. […]
Using seaweed in a vegetable garden

Worms, welcome wonderful wrigglers!

The total weight of earthworms in our country weights more than that of our entire population! This astonishing number hints at the colossal and indispensable work these unseen laborers accomplish. Let’s dig a bit deeper underground to better understand the crucial role of the earthworm in the garden. Also read: Organic tips for soil health […]
earthworm

WWoofing as a host: a great experience

Come with us! We’re going to meet a Franco-British couple who decided to start a lavender farm project near Montpelier. For years, these farmers have been welcoming volunteers. They’re now sharing their experience about WWOOFing from a host’s point of view.
Wwoofing host in France

How to WWOOF? Three steps to start trying it out

For you too, is getting started with WWOOF now an obvious choice? After all, it is a very affordable way to travel, a great way to learn about farming, and an excellent source of enriching experiences. To get started, it’s very simple: explore, join, and make contact. Then, all you have to do is prepare […]
WWoof how to try

3 powerful reasons to try WWOOF

The number of organic farms and volunteers joining the WWOOF network is increasing rapidly. You may be wondering why you should try WWOOF and what the benefits are. There are several possible answers, and they all have one thing in common: you’re certain to experience something different from anything else!
Reasons why to try wwoof

What is WWOOF? A farm experience based on sharing!

WWOOFing is a concept created in 1971 in the United Kingdom. At first, it just aimed to make exchanges easier between organic food farmers and city dwellers. Today, it’s a rapidly-growing organization that connects volunteers and welcoming host farms. But what is WWOOFing in reality?
WWOOF definition

Out for the holidays, how to deal with the watering

Before leaving to go on holiday, a few good tips can ensure that your garden plants will still be in great health when you get back. But in case of dry spell, watering must be both carefully planned and not excessive. Are you traveling away from the garden for a week or more? First on […]
How to water when absent

Harvesting Mahonia berries – easy but watch for stains

Mahonia berries are delicious, tart berries! Learn about how and when to harvest them. Key Mahonia harvest facts Harvest season – late fall Northern Hemisphere: Sept. β†’ Nov. Southern Hemisphere: Jan. β†’ March (depends on species, too) Yield – 4 to 8 pounds (2-4 kg) for a shrub 1 yard/meter wide Fruit type – berry […]
Harvesting mahonia

White flower beds, best white flowers for a pearly-white garden

No need to worry about whether colors match and pair well. Perfect harmony is so hard to master! A clean, white garden is pleasing in its simplicity. The goal? Introduce as many white blooms as can be, without forgetting rich, textured foliage to give the eye a focal point.
White garden flowers for landscaping a garden in white

How to improve cross-pollination

It’s easy to enhance and improve cross-pollination for your target species. These different tips will help you cross-pollinate plants.
improve pollination

A beehive in your garden

Bees are endangered, in part because of the massive use of pesticides. One thing you can do to protect them is to
Beekeeper hive garden

Use dead leaves to fertilize and protect plants

In fall, when trees and shrubs lose their foliage, a thick blanket of useful dead leaves forms in the garden. It is the season to unclog gutters and pick up leaves, and use them for gardens and vegetable plots
Dead leaf mulch

Make soil mix from household items

Convert ordinary stuff into perfectly good soil mix! Especially useful to recycle things into useful potting mix for beautiful plants.
Homemade potting mix

Propagate a mimosa tree from bark

This method of bark propagation works particularly well for the mimosa tree. It is especially useful if you wish to replace a tree that was damaged and you still have access to its remains.
Two slabs of bark from a damaged tree recovered with sprouting mimosa tree shoots.
Any questions? Ask them on the forum!