This Week's Bounty: Authentic Italian Garden, Last-Minute Valentine Gifts, 8 French Cooking Herbs, and More!

Our weekly roundup of advice and tips for growing good food at home. [Food Gardening Network Weekly]( February 18, 2024  [Freebie Text-Ad]( [Plant the Perfect—and Productive—Food Garden Every Year!]( [GET THIS FREEBIE NOW!](  Featured Weekly Video [How to Grow an Authentic Italian Garden]( [Video]( My husband and I both have Italian roots, with my family originating from Rome and his from Ischia. Whenever our conversations get animated, with wild hand gestures and raised voices, we often have to explain to our confused five-year-old that, “We’re not yelling, we’re just Italian!” [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 ...](  Pests & Diseases [The Best Organic DIY Insecticide for Indoor and Hydroponic Food Gardens]( [Article 1]( I love my indoor garden for several reasons, but mostly because I don’t love outdoor garden pests. Well, maybe except for those cute rabbits that I always plant a little extra for in my outdoor garden. I also don’t love using harsh chemicals on my vegetables. It’s beyond me how they can kill insects yet be perfectly benign otherwise. Granted, I’m not a chemist, and maybe I’ve watched a few too many episodes of X-Files, but I prefer the DIY insecticide approach. [Read More...](  [Tomatoes]( [The Everything Tomato Gardening Guide Available Now!]( Tomatoes are the most popular plant for home gardeners! With The Everything Tomato Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this versatile food, from the history and background of the mighty tomato to specific advice on growing, harvesting, and enjoying your hard work! [Read More ...](  Spice & Herb Gardening [8 French Cooking Herbs to Grow to Make Herbs de Provence]( [Article 2]( I promise this isn’t a fan-girl post about my undying love for Julia Child, but we’ve got to start somewhere! Around the 1960s, Julia Child brought French cooking into the homes of many Americans through her cookbooks and then later, television shows. Ms. Child frequently featured recipes calling for herbs de Provence, a description for a collection of herbs featured in Southern French and Mediterranean cuisine. Nowadays, it’s easy (if not a little expensive) to pick up a bottle of dried herbs de Provence at the grocery store. But if you prefer a homegrown lifestyle, there are several French cooking herbs to grow to make herbs de Provence right in your own garden. [Read More...](  [Oregano]( [The Oregano Grower’s Guide Available Now!]( Get everything you need to know about growing versatile herb. Oregano is an indispensable herb for every kitchen, offering a burst of Mediterranean flavor that can elevate your culinary creations. With the ease of growing oregano at home, you’ll wave goodbye to the days of bland, store-bought oregano! [Read More ...](  Vegetable Gardening [10 Last-Minute Valentine Gifts for Gardeners]( [Article 3]( It can be tough to find the right Valentine gifts for gardeners. They’re a relatively self-sufficient bunch. They also probably fall into two groups: those who already have every imaginable [gardening product]( and those who are happy with a shovel, a spade, a rake, a hose, and nothing more. [Read More...](  [Lemons]( [Tart & Tangy lemon Guide Available Now!]( Lemons may seem like an exotic tree to grow, but all they need is a little TLC to give you years of tangy harvests! You don’t have to live in a subtropical zone to grow lemons—there are plenty of varieties happy to grow as productive houseplants! With this Gardening Guide, you get all the details that go into growing and harvesting bright, fragrant lemons. Get recipes for dishes sweet and savory that make it all the more rewarding to grow your own lemons. Get it all in this Tart & Tangy Lemon Guide right now! [Read More ...](  Soil & Fertilizer [How to Mix Your Own Potting Soil for Container Vegetables]( [Article 4]( [Container vegetable gardens]( are the versatile champions of any garden. I love container gardens because you can start them indoors and transition them outdoors without disrupting the vegetable roots. They’re ideal for small spaces, porches, balconies, and even that sliver of side yard you might have that gets great sun exposure but is too small for a garden bed. The key to a successful container garden is your potting medium. There are many different store-bought varieties of potting soil and potting mix, but in my opinion, the best potting soil for container vegetables is a hand mixed. [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 ...](  Seeds & Seedlings [What is the Best Temperature for Seedlings to Thrive?]( [Article 5]( Too hot or too cold, and those freshly germinated seeds won’t go anywhere. They won’t grow into those juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, or rich eggplants that we love. So what is the best temperature for seedlings? How can we make sure they thrive? [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 - [My Failing Peach Tree]( - [Winter Dreams of Spring]( - [Nick's Southern Herb and Spice Mix: A Family Legacy]( - [Reasons to Love Heart-shaped Tomatoes]( Member Favorites - [5 of the Best Plants for Aeroponic Vegetable Gardens]( - [7 Types of Beans to Grow to Add Color to Your Vegetable Garden]( - [How to Start a Community Vegetable Garden]( - [How to Create a Living Wall Herb Garden Inside Your Home]( - [12 Best Vegetable Gardening Instagram Accounts For Tips, Photos, and Ideas]( - [How to Store Leafy Greens and Other Produce Without Plastic]( - [Is it Safe? How to Test Soil Quality Before Growing Edible Plants]( - [7 Tips for Storing Squash No Matter What Type]( - [What is My USDA Planting Zone?]( Premium Recipes of the Week - [Easy Capellini with Basil and Tomatoes]( - [Roasted Tomato-Basil Soup]( - [Basil-Lemon Grilled Chicken]( - [Basil Pesto]( - [Roasted Bell Pepper Salad]( - [Spice Up Your Super Bowl Party with Irresistible Jalapeño Poppers!]( [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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