Anyone who has a fireplace or wood stove knows the difficulty of preparing their firewood for winter use. But there’s a wealth of options out there for turning stumps into logs or kindling. I’ll delve into the details of log splitters and see what option may be the best for your home! Table of Contents Best Slide-Hammer Splitter: Woodeze 5MH-S-SplitterBest Manual Splitter: Sun Joe LJ10MBest Electric Splitter: Boss Industrial ES7T20Best Gas-Powered Splitter: Boss Industrial GD16T21Best Large Hydraulic Splitter: Swisher LSRB87528 How To Choose The Best Log Splitter There are two different types of force that are used for splitting logs....

QUESTION: My tomato plants have a ton of leaves, and it’s hard to even find the tomatoes. Can I trim overgrown tomato plants? – Natalie M ANSWER: Once your tomato plants have reached 18 inches tall, you can begin pruning or trimming them to help them direct more of their energy toward growing tomatoes and spend less on developing foliage. Always do your pruning with clean, sterilized gardening tools and freshly washed hands, or you run the risk of spreading diseases in your garden....

Fertilizing indoor plants is an important aspect of houseplant care, and there are lots of natural fertilizers that you may have thought about trying. One that many people ask about is whether you can use coffee grounds to fertilize indoor plants. Can you use coffee grounds to fertilize indoor plants?- Coffee grounds can be used to fertilize indoor plants, but you are best to make compost with them first. Directly applying coffee grounds to indoor plant soil can cause excessive moisture retention, fungal overgrowth and even impair plant growth....

These gluten free fudgy chocolate zucchini brownies are quick to make and relatively healthy compared to other brownie recipes. I mean, it has a vegetable in it so it must be healthy, right? But don’t let the vegetable part fool you. These brownies are fudgy, chocolatey goodness that makes it hard to eat just each one! Fudgy Chocolate Zucchini Brownies Recipe You can use zucchini fresh from your garden for this recipe (either green zucchini or yellow zucchini will work), or you can buy fresh zucchini from the store....

I absolutely love having a backyard greenhouse. It’s been so much fun being able to extend the growing season in both the spring and the fall. It really does make a huge difference in extending our short growing season here in Minnesota. And it has been a game changer for my vegetable garden! But, since rainwater can’t get into the greenhouse, it can quickly become a huge chore to keep up on watering....

If you are looking to spruce up your home with a bit of tropical exoticness, then the addition of a Ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is the plant for you. Although not really a palm despite its name and really a succulent, it makes a hardy and low-maintenance addition to any indoor setting. Below is a quick summary of their care. How Do You Care For A Ponytail Palm Indoors: Grow your Ponytail palm in well-drained soil and water when the top 3 or 4 inches of soil become dry....

The many landscape varieties common in cultivation feature dazzling clusters of pink, mauve, or white flowers that bloom in spring or summer, depending on the type. Spiraea is a large genus of showy, flowering shrubs in the Rosaceae (rose) family, and cold-hardy garden varieties typically handle most cold or wet weather conditions with ease – but there are a few exceptions. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

The striking flowers are so appealing, as an ornamental, edible, and herbal option, that it’s worth giving them a little extra love during the winter so I can keep them around from year to year as perennials. It’s always a smart idea to grow plants that are suited to your climate. You’re working with Mother Nature rather than against her. But there are some cases where I just don’t care what’s right for my climate – passionflowers are one of those must-have plants....

For one thing, it will thrive in moist areas, which is why you may have spotted it growing in ditches alongside the highway, and why you might want to plant it in problematic swampy areas of your yard. Eutrochium spp. Skipping over all the heated arguments about flowers, snobbery, and who has the audacity to call certain plants “weeds,” I’ll tell you that joe-pye weed is wonderful. It grows tall, seven feet or more, and blooms in late summer and fall when so many other flowers have already faded....

For fans of burrito bowls and veggie proteins, the pinto bean is a nutritional superfood. Known worldwide for its light brown hue and versatility in Mexican cuisine, this tasty legume is a fine addition to anyone’s garden. Phaseolus vulgaris ‘Pinto’ Beans, beans, the musical fruit! The more you eat, the more you… will want to grow your own. Not as catchy, but definitely more relatable for those with green thumbs....

How to Prepare Soil for Vegetable Garden Proper soil preparation when growing vegetables is the key to successful and bountiful harvest but if you neglect to do this, it can greatly hinder the cultivation of demanding plants. Ideal Soil for Growing Vegetables Every garden has different soil type and if it is not according to the ideal soil type recommended for growing vegetables it needs to be amended. The ideal soil for growing vegetables should be neither too light nor too compacted, it should be crumbly and have a balanced texture....

It’s difficult to know where your seeds come from…unless you buy them from a seed company that’s devoted to organic and heirloom practices. The seed companies below offer non-GMO, heirloom, organic, and open-pollinated seeds. Click on the map below to jump to your state. Table of Contents A few states have no seed companies listed – I couldn’t find any companies for those states! If you like this resource, spread the heirloom and organic love by sharing it!...

The St Johns wort plant is a useful garden shrub providing multi-season visual interest in garden design, especially from early summer to fall when its bright yellow flowers bring cheeriness to a shady corner. St. John’s wort may be one of the most adaptive plants you will come across in horticulture, growing well in most types of soil and exposed locations, even tolerating drought conditions. Once established, this pretty plant will look after itself, but don’t be fooled by its unassuming nature!...

Why garden in raised beds As noted above, there are a lot of advantages to growing food in raised beds. I’ve been a raised bed gardener for over fifteen years and the main reason is because they require far less work than my former in-ground garden. It didn’t take me long to realize that my raised beds also help me grow crops that used to struggle when I planted them in my native clay soil....

Why bother feeding your lawn at all? You probably fall into one of three different camps when it comes to lawn care. Camp 1: You tend your lawn methodically. You fertilize regularly, mow frequently, and perhaps apply weed killers and pesticides a few times a year. Camp 2: You ignore your lawn except for keeping it mowed. You apply no fertilizers, you let the weeds flower for the pollinators, and you only consider pests if they happen to show up....

By Erin Marissa Russell Everyone knows that slicing onions comes along with the side effect of bringing tears to the eyes of the chef. But have you ever wondered what it is that makes onions such a tearjerker? And since people are so prone to tears when cutting this vegetable, what can you do to make the process easier and cut your homegrown onions without triggering tears? Why Cutting Onions Makes Us Cry Every onion contains sulfeoides, which are amino acids that, within the cells of the onion, manufacture sulfexides....

Do you own a balcony and want to give it a classy makeover? We have compiled some Apartment Balcony Decorating Ideas you Must Look at! Check out our article on apartment decoration ideas with plants here Apartment Balcony Garden Decorating Ideas you Must Look at 1. Use Artificial Green Carpet or Turf Rug Instead, of tiles, a simple floor and rug on it, use an artificial green carpet or turf rug imitating the lawn....

1. DIY Pumpkin Flower Pot A feisty pumpkin works double duty as a planter to house seasonal mums in this simple DIY idea. 2. DIY Pumpkin Flower Planter This is the basic do-it-yourself pumpkin planter tutorial to see. Just carve out the flesh of the pumpkin under the edge of the opening, and you’re ready to go. 3. DIY Concrete Pumpkin Planter The CountryLiving.com has an excellent tutorial of this concrete pumpkin planter that you can make easily following their instructions....

If you are looking for some striking and colorful addition to your vegetable garden, here are the best Types of Ornamental Pepper Varieties for you to grow! Check out the Best Ornamental Onion Varieties here Types of Ornamental Pepper Varieties 1. NuMex Twilight Pepper Numex Twilight peppers are extremely hot varieties that undergo a color transition from purple to yellow, orange, and finally red as they age. Learn about Growing Black Pepper Plant here 2....

If you are looking forward to including an easy-to-grow plant for your rooms, then Syngonium makes a lot of sense. It does well in the shade and looks fabulous all year round! Here are the best Indoor Arrowhead Vine Varieties you can grow! Check out our article on growing arrowhead plants in the water here Best Indoor Arrowhead Vine Varieties 1. Emerald Gem Botanical Name: Syngonium podophyllum ‘Emerald Gem’ The plant has comparatively large arrowhead-shaped, deep green leaves on short leaf stalks with light green leaf veins....