Creating an Outdoor Reading Library: Weatherproof Book Storage and Seating
There is a particular kind of quiet that exists only in a garden in the late afternoon. The neighborhood noises…
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Natural Pest Control for Vegetable Gardens
I lost an entire planting of kale to cabbage worms one summer before I got serious about pest control. I…
How to Mount Solar Lights on Vinyl Fencing Without Drilling
Vinyl fencing is a mixed blessing. It looks clean, it never needs painting, and it does not rot. But it…
Creating an Outdoor Bocce Court: Surface Materials and Boundary Marking
Bocce is the most backyard-friendly game I know. You need a flat strip of ground, some balls, and a target,…
Dealing With Clay Soil: Amendments and Plant Choices
If you can take a handful of soil, squeeze it, and it holds the shape of your fist like pottery,…
Creating a Cut Flower Garden for Arrangements
A flower garden and a cut flower garden are not the same thing. The flower garden is for looking at.…
Building an Outdoor Pizza Oven: Materials, Construction, and First Fire
The first pizza oven I built cracked straight down the dome on the third curing fire. I had used standard…
Creating a Sensory Garden: Touch, Smell, Sound, and Visual Elements
A garden that asks to be touched, smelled, listened to, and tasted works differently than one meant only for looking.…
No-Dig Gardening Method: Building Beds Without Tilling
I spent ten years turning my vegetable beds with a fork every spring, breaking my back and breaking the soil…
Weatherproof Outdoor Storage Solutions
I opened my patio storage bench one spring to find that water had gotten in over the winter. The cushions…
Hugelkultur Raised Beds: Building Mounds From Logs and Branches
The first hugelkultur bed I built was a disaster of ambition. I piled logs six feet high, covered them with…
Extending Solar Light Lifespan in Humid Coastal Climates
Living near the coast has its advantages. Ocean views, mild winters, sea breezes. But if you install solar lights within…
Keyhole Garden Construction: Composting-In-Place Bed Design
The keyhole garden solved a problem I did not know I had. I was running a compost pile thirty feet…
Solar Path Light Brightness Comparison: 12 Models Tested
Path lights are the workhorses of solar outdoor lighting. They line walkways, define garden borders, and provide just enough light…
Lasagna Gardening: Layered Bed Building Without Soil
Lasagna gardening is the method I recommend to every new gardener who tells me their soil is impossible. Clay hardpan,…
