This Week's Bounty: 6 Essential Gardening Tools, Nitrogen to Soil, Subterranean Greenhouse, Fertilizing Fruit Trees, and More!

Our weekly roundup of advice and tips for growing good food at home. [Food Gardening Network Weekly]( February 11, 2024  [Freebie Text-Ad]( [Stop Bugs from Eating—and Ruining—Your Garden!]( [GET THIS FREEBIE NOW!](  Featured Weekly Video [6 Essential Gardening Tools for Beginners to Buy in February]( [Video]( Now that it’s February, we’re only a hop skip and a jump until the tulips start springing up where I live in the Northeast, the fragrant sign that winter is finally over. But by the time they’re in bloom, most of the gardening supply stores, including the farmers co-op down the street from me, are sold out of the most essential gardening tools, or at least any specific ones that I want. [Read More...](  [2024 Garden Planning Calendar Kit]( [FREE for You Now: Printable 2024 Garden Planning Calendar Kit!]( Download this kit when you join the Food Gardening Network Gold Club: - Plan your 2024 food garden today! - Never miss an important task. - Be inspired to plan, plant, and enjoy! - Covers every month of 2024! [Read More ...](  Indoor Gardening [The Best Hydroponic System for Vegetables and Herbs]( [Article 1]( As someone who loves to cook and does it a bit for a living, I always need fresh ingredients, especially herbs. With so many [lettuce recalls in the last few years]( I’ve also gotten wary about purchasing store-bought lettuce. It was these two things that led me to seek out a way to start gardening indoors during the winter, and how I discovered the best hydroponic system for vegetables and herbs. [Read More...](  [Chives]( [Chill Chives Gardening Guide Available Now!]( You can’t make a meal out of chives, but sometimes chives can make the meal. We have recipes for you that make the most of the fragrant flavor of chives. And you can grow your own chives indoors on a sunny windowsill, in containers on your deck or balcony, or out in the garden in raised beds or open land. Learn what it takes to add chives to your herb garden. We’ll explain how to choose the chives that are right for you, how to get them started, and how to enjoy them after harvest. [Read More ...](  Soil & Fertilizer [How to Add Nitrogen to Soil to Encourage Vegetable Growth]( [Article 2]( You may know that some vegetables, like peas and beans, add nitrogen to soil. You may know that plants and vegetables need nitrogen. And you’ve no doubt seen the NPK ratio on a bag of fertilizer, which denotes how much nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are in the mixture. [Read More...](  [Broccoli]( [Broccoli: America’s Favorite Vegetable Guide Available Now!]( Broccoli—hated by children, loved by adults—proves that when we grow older, we grow wiser. And growing broccoli in your garden is a very wise choice. With this collection, you get all the details that go into growing and harvesting healthful broccoli, and easy, savory recipes that make it all the more rewarding to grow your own broccoli. [Read More ...](  Vegetable Gardening [The Best Flowers for a Vegetable Garden to Attract Pollinators and Deter Pests]( [Article 3]( To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee. And every. The revery alone won’t do, If bees are few. When Emily Dickinson wrote this poem in the mid-1800s, she may or may not have been thinking about flowers for a vegetable garden. There’s really no way to say. She is, however, absolutely correct in that without bees and other pollinators, we would have a lot fewer fruits and vegetables in this world. [Read More...](  [Cranberries]( [Your Guide to Homegrown Cranberries]( Learn how to grow these tart, bright berries at home – without the bog! No bog needed! They grow on dry land just like your blueberries or raspberries. In fact, both blueberries and raspberries are great companion plants for cranberries. [Read More ...](  Garden Design [How to Build a Subterranean Greenhouse to Grow All Year]( [Article 4]( Subterranean greenhouse, underground greenhouse, deep winter greenhouse, or Walipini. If you want to grow vegetables throughout the year, this might be your go-to. [Read More...](  [Ginger]( [Zesty Ginger Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Ginger is easier to grow than you may think! With the Zesty Ginger Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this versatile plant—including specific advice about soil requirements and fertilizer, watering techniques to details about avoiding bacterial wilt, and even easy-to-make and delicious recipes that will allow you to enjoy the fruits of your ginger gardening labor! [Read More ...](  Growing Fruits & Berries [Fertilizing Fruit Trees: Why, How, and When to Start]( [Article 5]( As much as I love [vegetable gardening]( there’s something truly magical about having a few [fruit trees in your yard](. A fresh apple or peach or cherry straight from the tree is simply unbeatable. Like all plants, though, fruit trees need certain nutrients to thrive, and over time, they can deplete the soil of these nutrients. That’s why fertilizing fruit trees is a sometimes important part of taking care of your vegetation. [Read More...](  [Magazine]( [February 2024 Issue Available Now!]( Get in-depth articles and videos, including our feature article about "How to Grow an Authentic Italian Garden", "How to Make Organic DIY Seed Tape" and savor the flavors of a classic Italian dish with our recipe for "Hearty Winter Cacciatore." Two bonuses include our “Italian Food Garden Planning Kit” and “33 Weekend Projects You Can Do At Home!” Plus, enjoy spotlights on how to grow and cook with basil, bell peppers, and cauliflower! [Read More ...](  Member Posts: New This Week - [Craving Summer Flavors on a very Wintry Day]( - [Choosing the right garlic: fresh, dried, powder?]( - [Parker the Protector]( - [Craving a Hot Bowl of chili on a Chilly Day]( Member Favorites - [3 Ideas for a Whimsical Kids Herb Garden]( - [7 Causes of Hydroponic Root Rot and 7 Solutions]( - [Can Compost Tea Help Vegetable Gardens Thrive?]( - [How to Plant an Irish Vegetable Garden]( - [How to Grow Lingonberries and 3 Ways to Use Them]( - [How to Grow Herbs For Tea in Your Kitchen]( - [How to Identify an Overwatered Plant]( - [5 of the Best Cover Crops to Keep Weeds Under Control]( - [How to Build a Hanging Vegetable Arbor for Climbing Crops]( Premium Recipes of the Week - [Potato Pancakes]( - [Rosemary Roasted Potatoes]( - [Basil-Potato Frittata]( - [Basil-Watermelon Salad]( - [Basil Ice Cream]( [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!]( [Companion Planting 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. 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