My Mid-January Garden Feeding Routine (To Carry Us to the End of the Season + Prep for Winter) Mid-January is usually when I do a slow walk through the garden and I can feel what’s happening. Everything is still producing, still growing, still trying… but the soil...
Mid-January Tomato Rescue: How I Keep My Tomatoes Strong Until the End of the Season If you’re reading this in mid-January, you’re probably standing in your garden doing that tomato look… You know the one.The plants are still producing, but suddenly they look a...
Beds vs Containers — and what we’ve learned at VanZylStead Every December, I get dozens of panicked messages that all sound the same:“Tash… we’re going away for a week. Will my garden die?” And honestly — I get it.We pour our hearts (and our compost!) into these...
December always feels like the garden is holding its breath — the heat kicks in, the wind arrives with drama (as always), and suddenly the whole veggie patch is either thriving… or sulking. Every year around this time, I get so many messages asking, “Tash, what on...
Why I Always Go Back to My Faithful Contender Bush Beans There’s something wonderfully simple about growing beans. They’re quick to germinate, rewarding to harvest, and they somehow make the veggie garden feel instantly productive. But not all beans are created equal...
If you’re like me, you hate wasting good kitchen scraps and you’re always wondering, “Can I use this in the garden?” Lately, banana water — or banana peel tea — has been popping up all over social media. Some call it the ultimate natural fertilizer. Others (especially...
When Are Your Carrots Ready to Harvest? The art of patience beneath the soil. I’ll be honest — carrots test your patience more than almost any other veggie in the garden.They sit quietly underground, giving you no obvious sign of progress while everything else around...
