Rural Sprout

The inspiration for this article on hydrangea plant pairings came to me courtesy of golden hour. I was sitting on a bench next to a pink mountain hydrangea that looked especially gorgeous backlit by a sunset glow. Most of the glamour came from the setting sun, but some was added on by drops of sunshine in the form of black-eyed Susans, poking their cheerful smile from bel...

Even if you’ve been growing tomatoes for years, you may have never heard about trusses or a ‘king fruit.’ That’s because it’s the lingo commercial greenhouse gardeners use to describe the first tomato on every truss. And what you do with that tomato can change how the rest of them grow. If you want to maximize your tomato harvest this year, it’s time to learn about the al...

Bush beans are an easy-to-grow favorite of many gardeners. However, if you garden in a small space, then you know they can eat up garden real estate quickly, especially if you want to grow enough to preserve. Unlike their climbing cousins, they aren’t a great candidate for growing vertically. Until now.

I’m used to growing i...

With extreme heat warnings becoming a regular part of the summer landscape, it’s important to understand how intense temperatures affect the most important thing growing in your garden – pollen. Without this all-important ingredient, plants don’t get fertilized, and your vegetable garden becomes nothing more than a decorative bed of foliage.

Here’s what you need...

Aside from being prolific, zucchini should also get an award for Best Garden Colonizer. They always start as a tidy little seedling, politely existing in its spot in the garden. Yet, by midsummer, it’s swallowed up nearly a third of your garden, and didn’t you plant an eggplant over here somewhere? And where is the dog? When it comes to amassing territory, there’s no gard...