Jordan Laio

If you've ever kept a compost pile, then most likely you've seen some squash or tomatoes growing out of it at some point and wondered, “How did that pop up there? I didn't plant...

It is spring and you've just turned over your winter green manure, double dug your beds, and transplanted seedlings. The soil looked perfect, the sprouts just taking off, and suddenly,...

My friends ... perfect tomatoes are not those red tasteless orbs for sale at your local grocery chain store, however nice they look. The ideal tomato is the one you're going to grow...

It's already February! The days are lengthening and hinting at the promise of long summer days spent in the garden yet to come. These are the days that we gardeners spend poring over...

I had the great pleasure of attending the first annual National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa, CA. Among thousands of heirloom fruit and vegetable varieties, some of the biggest attention-grabbers...

One of the least appreciated and perhaps most misunderstood food crops is the Jerusalem artichoke. Having nothing to do with either Jerusalem or artichokes, the plant is a North America...

It's the middle of December again and grocery stores and gift shops are overflowing with those ubiquitous cheery red poinsettias. They make for festive holiday presents, but why not...

The Jewish festival of Chanuka takes place every year around the time of the winter solstice. It is both a celebration of the defeat of the Greek armies in Jerusalem in the second century...

Now is the time to plant garlic if you haven't done so already. Like other bulbs (think tulips), garlic enjoys overwintering in cold conditions (a process known as stratification)....

You don't need to be a farmer to have chickens. Keeping chickens for eggs in an urban setting is fun and educational for kids (and adults), provides companionship and access to fresh,...