Whether you're planting your very first seeds or looking for ways to make the most of your harvest, you're in the right place.
Here you’ll find practical, down-to-earth advice to help you grow a thriving backyard garden - from starting strong in the spring to preserving your harvest in the fall. Just choose a category below to get started!
Table of Contents
- Getting Started in the Garden
- Garden Beds and Growing Spaces
- Planning and Planting for Success
- Watering and Maintenance
- Seeds
- Growing and Tending Your Plants
- Herbs
- Growing Great Tomatoes
- Composting and Soil Health
- Dealing with Pests
- Foraging and Wild Plants
- Garden to Table
- Food Preservation
Getting Started in the Garden
Brand new to gardening? These posts will help you start strong and begin your garden journey the right way.
- Common Gardening Terms and Phrases for Beginners
- What Should I Grow in My Garden? 7 Tips for Beginning Gardeners
- Start a Kitchen Garden to Increase Your Food Security
- How to Plan and Plant a Homestead Orchard
- When to Plant a Fall Garden
- How to Recover from a Disappointing Garden Season
Garden Beds and Growing Spaces
Let’s design a growing space that fits your life, your yard, and your goals - these articles will show you how.
- How to Build a Raised Bed Garden
- How to Assemble a Metal Raised Garden Bed (OLLE brand)
- Vegetables You Can Grow in a Container Garden
- What Vegetables Can You Grow in a Tiny Garden Space?
- How to Grow Vegetables in a Shady Garden, an ebook
- Grow More Food in Less Space with Vertical Gardening
- Best Tomato Trellis Ideas
Planning and Planting for Success
Smart planting makes all the difference. These tips will help you choose what to plant, and why.
- What Should I Grow in My Garden?
- What to Plant in Your Herb Garden
- 9 Warm Weather Vegetables to Grow in Raised Beds
- 10 Secrets to a Thriving Summer Garden
- How to Root Tomato Cuttings and Double Your Harvest
- Why You Should Grow Flowers in Your Vegetable Garden
- How to Grow Food in as Little as 3-4 Weeks
- Free Food in Your Garden: Make the Most of Volunteer Plants
Watering and Maintenance
Tending your garden doesn't have to be a hassle. These simple solutions make garden maintenance manageable.
- How to Make Watering Your Garden Easier
- How to Fix a Leaky Hose
- Make Comfrey Tea Fertilizer for Your Garden Plants
Seeds
- How to Choose Seeds for Your Garden: What You Should Grow
- How to Buy Seeds for Your Vegetable Garden
- The Beginner's Guide to Starting Seeds Indoors
- Test Your Seed Germination Rate
- How to Save Tomato Seeds from Your Garden
- Alternative Greenhouse Ideas
- Why You Should Garden with Heirloom Seeds, a guest post by Mary of Mary's Heirloom Seeds
- How to Store Leftover Seeds for the Best Germination Rate Next Year
Growing and Tending Your Plants
Practical growing guides to help you nurture strong, healthy plants from seed or transplant to harvest.
- How to Grow Sweet Potatoes in Containers
- How to Grow Cabbage in Your Backyard Garden
- Grow Potatoes in Buckets
- How to Plant Potatoes in Containers
- How to Transplant Tomatoes the Right Way
- How to Grow Looseleaf Lettuce
- How to Grow Egyptian Walking Onions
- How to Grow Sweet Potato Slips in Water
- Tips on Growing Cabbage
- Grow Broccoli Sprouts
- How to Grow Garlic from Cloves
- Planting Onions
- Harvesting and Curing Onions
- 10 Secrets to a Thriving Summer Garden
- Can You Force Green Tomatoes to Turn Red?
- Over-Wintering Tomato Plants Without a Greenhouse
Herbs
- What to Plant in Your Herb Garden
- 5 Reasons You Should Grow Comfrey
- How to Dry and Store Homegrown Herbs
- How to Propagate Rosemary
- How to Grow Comfrey
- How to Propagate an Aloe Plant
- Growing Lemon Balm for Culinary and Medicinal Use, an ebook
Growing Great Tomatoes
Tips and wisdom from 30+ years of tomato-growing experience - because homegrown tomatoes are the best part of summer!
- How to Transplant Tomatoes the Right Way
- How to Root Tomato Cuttings and Double Your Harvest
- Best Tomato Trellis Ideas
- How to Save Tomato Seeds from Your Garden
- Over-wintering Tomato Plants Without a Greenhouse
- Canning Tomatoes, No Matter What Kind You're Growing
- What to Do With Green Tomatoes in the Fall
Composting and Soil Health
Build rich, fertile soil naturally and reduce waste with these composting and soil-improvement tips.
- 4 Reasons You Should Be Composting
- How to Start a Compost Pile in Your Backyard
- Composting Yard Waste and Garbage
- Where to Find Free Compost Materials
- How to Build a Summer Compost Pile
- Caring for Your Compost Pile in the Winter
- The Down-to-Earth Guide to Composting, an ebook
Dealing with Pests
Stop garden pests before they ruin your hard work. These practical tips help you handle common problems organically.
Foraging and Wild Plants
Want to supplement your garden with wild edibles? Learn how to identify and responsibly harvest from the land around you.
- Dandelion Salve
- Woolly Mullein - How to identify and use it
- How to Forage, Dry and Use Yarrow
Garden to Table
From fresh-picked to home-cooked, here’s how to use your harvest in delicious and wholesome ways. Click here for my Garden to Table Recipes.
Food Preservation
Make your harvest last all year! These guides will help you freeze, can, dehydrate, and store your garden bounty, including a few methods you may not have thought of.
- How to Preserve Fruits, Vegetables and More to Fill Your Pantry
- How to Vacuum-Seal Almost Any Jar in Your Kitchen
- Canning Tomatoes, No Matter What Kind You're Growing
Kathi Rodgers is the gardener and writer behind Oak Hill Homestead and the host of HOMEGROWN: Your Backyard Garden Podcast. With over 30 years of hands-in-the-dirt experience across several U.S. states, she helps new and aspiring gardeners grow healthy food, no matter the size of their backyard.
Known for her practical, beginner-friendly advice, Kathi teaches you how to build confidence in the garden, grow what you love, and enjoy a more self-reliant life. She's also the author of several ebooks and a frequent contributor to print and digital publications.
Kathi lives in Oklahoma, where she grows more cherry tomatoes than she can keep up with and believes that gardening is one of the best gifts we can pass down to the next generation.
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