This Week's Bounty: How to Plant a Food Garden, A Year in Vegetable Gardening, Eating Vegetables from the Grocery Store, & More!

Our weekly roundup of advice and tips for growing good food at home. [Food Gardening Network Weekly]( January 7, 2024  [Freebie Text-Ad]( [Start Your Garden Off Right—Know Which Seeds to Start Indoors … and Which Can Start Outdoors!]( [GET THIS FREEBIE NOW!](  Featured Weekly Video [How to Plant a Food Garden According to Your Palate]( [Video]( Winter is the season of garden planning, and once the holidays are over, I like to sit down and dream about what my garden will look like in the spring and get a head start on my gardening wishlist. It’s a good time to think about what you like to eat from your garden all summer and plan accordingly. Let me show you how to plant a food garden according to what you actually like to eat, not just what looks pretty in the garden! [Read More...](  [Herb Garden Planning Kit]( [FREE Printable Herb Garden Planning Kit!]( Download this kit when you join the Food Gardening Network Gold Club Membership: - How to grow an herb garden - How to design your herb garden plot. - 18 fresh-from-the-garden recipes! - Printable companion notecards, beautifully designed and easy to use! [Read More ...](  Gardening Life [A Year in Vegetable Gardening: Harvesting Memories and Planting Dreams]( [Article 1]( Today is the perfect time for fruit and vegetable gardeners to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the next growing season. The journey of nurturing plants from seed to harvest is a profound one, filled with lessons, surprises, and a deep connection to nature. Let’s take a moment to cherish the memories of the gardening year gone by and prepare our hearts and gardens for the bountiful possibilities the future holds. [Read More...](  [Peaches]( [Perfect Peaches Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Peaches are so sweet, they’re used as a synonym for a person who is delightful! With this Perfect Peaches Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this delicious fruit. [Read More ...](  Gardening Life [Eating Vegetables from the Grocery Store Could Kill You]( [Article 2]( When I first started gardening, I had this idea that grocery store produce was safer than my own. I suppose I knew that birds pooped on blueberries in the fields too, and lettuces were likely thrown in large bushels much less carefully than I’d hack down my own, but for some reason, I imagined some commercial equipment would clean the germs away better than I could. And it turns out, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. [Read More...](  [Melons]( [Marvelous Melon Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Melons come in a wide variety of flavors and textures sure to please any palate. With a little TLC, you can look forward to harvesting marvelous melons on the vine in your own garden—there are even varieties that are perfect for small spaces! With this Gardening Guide, you get all the details that go into growing and harvesting bodacious, delicious melons. Get it all in this Marvelous Melon Gardening Guide right now! [Read More ...](  Vegetable Gardening [The Best Heirloom Vegetable Plants to Grow]( [Article 3]( Mention [heirloom vegetable plants]( and immediately we think of rich [tomatoes]( sweet [corn]( or bright purple carrots. The other thing that comes to mind is a garden full of vegetables that get ruined by disease or eaten by bugs or that fail to thrive because they have such specific growing needs. [Read More...](  [Corn]( [The Everything Corn Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Corn is an all-American staple! With The Everything Corn Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this unique food in your home garden, including advice on planting, raising, harvesting, and preparing dish after delicious dish featuring your home-grown corn. [Read More ...](  Watering & Irrigation [How to Recycle Rain Water for Vegetable Gardens]( [Article 4]( I remember watching a film strip (yes, I’m old) in grade school that showed me how people wasted up to four gallons of water if they left the faucet on while brushing their teeth. That same filmstrip highlighted the environmental benefits of the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. [Read More...](  [Fennel]( [The Fabulous Fennel Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Fennel deserves a lot more love and attention from food gardeners! The Fabulous Fennel Gardening Guide will give you everything you need to know about fennel, including planting tips, harvesting methods, and quick-and-easy recipes that will please even the most discriminating diner! [Read More ...](  Composting [Ways to Make Compost Break Down Faster]( [Article 5]( I know the feeling. You’re excited about your compost pile; you’ve tried to keep the mix right between browns and greens. Finally, you’re ready to get some finished compost and work it into your garden, so your plants have plenty of nutritious soil. And you can’t use any of it because the compost break down process seems suspended in time. [Read More...](  [Magazine]( [January 2024 Issue Available Now!]( Get in-depth articles and videos, including our feature article about "5 Garden Planning Tools & Apps" and “How to Propagate Rosemary and Other Herbs Indoors.” You’ll also learn to make “3 Easy Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes." Plus, enjoy spotlights on how to grow and cook with oregano, hot peppers, and tomatoes! [Read More ...](  Member Posts: New This Week - [Starting the New Year off with a Bang]( - [Trowel Tales]( - [Discover The Right Essentials For An Amazing Indoor Veggie Garden]( - [Gnome Sweet Gnome: The History and Myths of Garden Decorations]( Member Favorites - [60 Inspirational Quotes About Gardening]( - [The 10 Most Beautiful Flowering Fruit Trees]( - [Pros and Cons of Fabric Grow Bags for Vegetables]( - [How to Grow Herbs in Mason Jars]( - [5 Tips for Protecting Fruit Trees from Deer and Other Wildlife]( - [5 Mistakes to Avoid When Adding Manure to Garden Beds]( - [How to Make a Mediterranean Herb Box Garden for Greek Cooking]( - [10 Deer-Resistant Vegetables and Herbs]( - [10 Drought-Resistant Vegetables for a Water Conscious Garden]( Premium Recipes of the Week - [Roasted Bell Pepper Salad]( - [Chicken Salad with Bell Pepper Crunch]( - [Classic Stuffed Bell Peppers]( - [Rainbow Bell Pepper Hummus Boats]( - [Quick Pickled Bell Peppers]( [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!]( [Composting 101 Chart]( [ GET MY FREEBIEÂ]( [Kitchen Garden Planting Charts]( [ GET MY FREEBIEÂ]( [Tomato Garden to Table]( [ 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. When you join our growing worldwide community of more than 300,000 food gardeners, you get the information, advice, and camaraderie that can only be experienced with your membership in Food Gardening Network. You are receiving this email as part of your free subscription to email updates from Food Gardening Network. If you no longer wish to receive this update as part of your free subscription, please click the unsubscribe link below. [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [Unsubscribe]( Help us be sure your email update isn't filtered as spam. Adding our return address [Support@foodgardening.mequoda.com](mailto:support@foodgardening.mequoda.com) to your address book may 'whitelist' us with your filter, helping future email updates get to your inbox. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( [Send us a message]( Did a friend send this to you? [Sign up to receive your own FREE advice about growing food at home.]( Copyright © 2024 Mequoda Systems, LLC Food Gardening Network 99 Derby Street, Suite 200 Hingham, MA 02043 Email: Support@foodgardening.mequoda.com [Our Privacy Policy]( Having trouble viewing this email? [View online](.