Grow it as a cover crop, or grow it for the market stand. Spinach is a great early spring plant to sow directly in beds. As cover, it stabilizes soil, preventing weeds and erosion, while building soil ...

In March, winter is waning, even if your region has a long, cold season. In southern regions, March signals the end, whereas in the North, there may still be a few months of cold weather. Unless the ...

There are two images associated with the word compost. One is of a rotting, fly-infested cesspool of kitchen scraps that makes you gag if you get close. The other is rich, crumbly, pleasantly earthy ...

As she walks amongst the sea of green, yellow and orange leaves of a chestnut tree orchard, carefully collecting chestnut burrs from the trees, Sara Fitzsimmons, director of restoration for the ...

Welcome to the world of mutton busting, also known as wool riding. It’s a recreation that has been taking county fairs and rodeos by storm in which children reenact the rodeo ritual of bull riding in ...

And they’ll tell you, if it’s your first time, that licking your fingers between throws (you get two chances) will give you good luck and a better grip. I was invited to try my hand at throwing cow ...

Heat mats are the best way to ensure future harvests when you start tomato seeds. Coupled with lights, warmth simulates the ...

In the spring of 1987 in Tulelake, a tiny California farming town four miles from the Oregon border, a small band of scientists wearing yellow Tyvek suits and respirators paced across a field spraying ...

Building a basic chicken coop for a small flock of birds is a solid weekend project for the determined do-it-yourselfer with basic carpentry skills, while the more elaborate coops could easily take ...

What is graywater, exactly? Household wastewater from washing machines, bathroom sinks, showers, and bathtubs is considered “gray” because it is only lightly soiled and poses a minimal health risk. As ...

A dearth of children in the wake of the Great Plague, some historians surmise, led farmers to use adults to guard their crops, some keeping watch in straw huts as Native Americans did, evident in an ...

As Brian Paddock walks through his 12-and-a-half acres of almond trees, he’s taking in everything. Paddock, like a lot of farmers, is a details guy. He pays attention to each tree, to the soil ...