This Week's Bounty: Fresh Fruit Maple Ambrosia Salad, Indoor Spice Garden, DIY Vegetable Trellis, Best Shovel, and More!

Our weekly roundup of advice and tips for growing good food at home. [Food Gardening Network Weekly]( October 1, 2023  [Freebie Text-Ad]( [Save Your Garden from Ruin—Plant the Right Things Next to Each Other!]( [GET THIS FREEBIE NOW!](  Featured Weekly Video [Fresh Fruit Maple Ambrosia Salad]( [Video]( As a kid, I lapped up bowls of fruit ambrosia at our family gatherings. You know the stuff – canned mixed fruit with fluorescent cherries, in a fluffy batter of marshmallow, whipped cream, and sour cream – what a delight! [Read More...](  [Fall Calendar]( [FREE Printable 2023 Fall Garden Planning Calendar Kit!]( Download this kit when you join the Food Gardening Network Gold Club Membership: - Get checklists for garden tasks in September, October, November, and December—every month of Fall! - Prioritize your own garden with personal notes. - 10 fresh-from-the-garden Fall recipes! [Read More ...](  Spice & Herb Gardening [How to Grow an Indoor Spice Garden]( [Article 1]( Herbs and spices. Spices and herbs. Anyone else grow up thinking these two words were interchangeable? ::sheepishly raises hand:: For some of you, I’m about to blow your mind. Herbs and spices are different things. In simplest terms, herbs are strictly the leaves of the plant and the spices come from the seeds, roots, and bark. This should settle the big debate on cilantro (leaves) and coriander (seeds) once and for all! Now that you’ve recovered from that bombshell, let’s talk about growing spices. Specifically, how to grow an indoor spice garden. [Read More...](  [Carrots]( [Crunchy Carrots Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Carrots may just be the perfect vegetable: sweet, crunchy, and delicious. They’re easy to grow, and they come in a rainbow of colors from palest white to deepest purple, and in sizes from golf ball to gargantuan! Learn how to choose the carrots that are right for you, whether you have a sprawling garden, a couple of raised beds, or only room enough for container gardening. We’ll get you on your way to a delicious carrot harvest! [Read More ...](  Food Preservation [How to Store Leafy Greens and Other Produce Without Plastic]( [Article 2]( Question: What’s worse than wilted, mushy, refrigerator lettuce stored in single-use plastic? Answer: Nothing. Over the last few years, I’ve been slowly swapping out my single-use food storage items for more sustainable options. One surprising benefit (aside from… you know, saving the planet) is that my produce keeps fresh longer! Not only am I reducing my single-use plastic but I’m no longer throwing out a bag of mushy refrigerator lettuce at the end of the week, either. Talk about a win-win. Here are some of my favorite tips for how to store leafy greens and other produce without using plastic. [Read More...](  [Lettuce]( [Leafy Lettuce Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Growing lettuce is as easy as BLT. A cool-season annual, this leafy crop grows readily from seed, and you can sow seeds every few weeks to have a season full of salad! With this Gardening Guide, you get all the details that go into growing and harvesting delicious, leafy lettuce. Get recipes that go beyond the salad bowl and see what’s possible when you grow your own lettuce. Get it all in this Leafy Lettuce Gardening Guide right now! [Read More ...](  Garden Tools [Choosing the Best Shovel for Your Gardening Needs]( [Article 3]( A shovel is a shovel is a shovel. Unless we’re talking about the best shovel. Then there are all sorts of shovels. Short-handled, long-handled, rounded, round-point, square-point, serrated, trenching shovels, ditching shovels, digging spade, garden spade, perennial spade, and scoops. They’re made from steel, stainless steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, and plastic. They range in price from under $10 to over $100. [Read More...](  [Bell Peppers]( [Beautiful Bell Peppers Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Bell peppers are one of the most commonly grown crops in the world. When grown to full ripeness, you can enjoy a rainbow of peppers—from creamy white to deep purple! Bell peppers need lots of warm sunshine to thrive, and there are varieties that will produce prolifically in containers. Learn what it takes to add bell peppers to your garden plan. [Read More...](  Composting [How to Keep Animals Out of Compost Bins]( [Article 4]( Composting is the gift that keeps on giving. I love turning food scraps, cardboard, [grass clippings]( and other green and brown materials into a usable and nutritious soil amendment. It saves money and the planet. Not to mention trash day is a lot lighter! With so many ways to compost, finding a method that works for your lifestyle is pretty easy. You may run into issues keeping critters out of your compost pile. Whether it’s your furbabies or some rogue raccoon posse, it’s important to learn how to keep animals out of compost bins and piles. [Read More...](  [Gooseberries]( [Triumphant Gooseberries Gardening Guide Available Now!]( The American Gooseberry is back on the scene and more popular than ever! With this Gardening Guide, you get all the details that go into growing and harvesting plump, juicy gooseberries. Get recipes that make the most of the flavor of your gooseberries so you can enjoy the fruits of your harvest all year long! Get it all in this Triumphant Gooseberries Gardening Guide right now! [Read More ...](  Garden Design [How to Build a DIY Vegetable Trellis from Recycled Materials]( [Article 5]( It’s usually after the third or fourth big snowstorm that I start sketching out my [garden design for the spring](. If I’m being extra nerdy, I’ll even bust out the graph paper. My desire to micromanage each square foot of my backyard is outdone only by my desire to save money. This is where recycled materials come in! In garages, basements, and tool sheds across the world, there are gobs of recyclable materials we can use to build a DIY vegetable trellis. [Read More...](  [Magazine]( [October 2023 Issue Available Now!]( Did you know that turnips and not pumpkins were the original jack-o-lanterns? Did you know that beets were originally grown for their greens and not the deliciously sweet root we love today? Discover the history of these nutritious vegetables and learn about growing and eating them when you accept your Food Gardening Network membership! [Read More ...](  Member Posts: New This Week - [The Joy of Growing Blueberries]( - [Growing a Raspberry Patch]( - [Our Pickle Barrel Strawberry Patch]( - [A Bumper Crop Bonanza: Conquering Our Mammoth Tomato Harvest]( Member Favorites - [How to Make Banana Peel Tea for Plants]( - [5 of the Best Plants for Aeroponic Vegetable Gardens]( - [Terracotta vs Plastic Pots: Which is Better for Edible Gardens?]( - [How to Identify an Overwatered Plant]( - [The Best Grow Lights for Tomatoes and Peppers]( - [How to Ripen Tomatoes Quickly Three Ways]( - [Pressure Canning Safety: 10 Rules to Live By]( - [How to Preserve Zucchini and Summer Squash 5 Ways]( - [The Best Vegetables to Grow in a Greenhouse]( Premium Recipes of the Week - [Waldorf Salad]( - [Best-Ever Roasted Broccoli]( - [Kale Salad]( - [Krunchy Kale Chips]( - [Pumpkin Crème Brûlée]( [GP]( [FREE for You Now: Printable Butterfly Garden Planting Chart!]( Download this FREEBIE now and get: - Beautiful full-color printable chart. - Which plants attract butterflies? - Best flowers for your garden. - Fun facts about each of the 24 plants. [Read More ...](  [FREEBIES: Get Them Now!]( [Planting chart]( [ GET MY FREEBIEÂ]( [Bug Control Chart]( [ GET MY FREEBIEÂ]( [Seed Germination Chart]( [ GET MY FREEBIEÂ](     About Food Gardening Network: Food Gardening Network brings you expert in-depth information and daily advice to help you grow good food at home and become the best food gardener you can be. Our worldwide community of gardeners, farmers, and cooking enthusiasts share advice and practical information on how to plan, plant, grow, tend, harvest and enjoy great-tasting and nutritional food from your home garden. Our magazine articles, in-depth gardening guides, how-to videos, recipes and cookbooks, and planning calendars help you improve your gardening skills, be a better cook, and enjoy all the benefits of successful food gardening—including saving time and money. 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