by Bethany Hayes (revised and updated) The 30-second version: Green beans are easygoing neighbors, and the best companions for them mostly earn their place by repelling or distracting the pests that bother beans — flea beetles, Mexican bean beetles, and the like. Good picks … [Read more...]
Topping Tomato Plants: Everything You Need to Know
by Bethany Hayes (revised and updated) The 30-second version: Topping just means cutting off the growing tip of a tomato plant. I'll be honest with you about what it does and doesn't do: it's genuinely useful for two things — keeping tall indeterminate plants from outgrowing … [Read more...]
22 Different Gardening Methods, Clearly Explained
by Bethany Hayes (revised and updated) The 30-second version: "Gardening method" is really two different things wearing the same name, and that's the source of most of the confusion. Some of these — in-ground, raised bed, container, hydroponics, straw bale — are how and where … [Read more...]
26 Tomato Companion Plants – and 5 You Don’t Want Nearby
by Bethany Hayes (revised and updated) The 30-second version: Companion planting really can help your tomatoes — but I'll be honest with you, not every old garden pairing holds up. The pairings I trust most are using a hairy vetch cover crop to fight early blight and Septoria … [Read more...]
10 Common Tomato Plant Pests and How to Fight Them Organically
By Bethany Hayes (revised and updated) The 30-second version: Most tomato pests are manageable organically if you catch them early. The single most effective thing you can do is walk your garden often and look closely — especially under the leaves. Hand-pick what you can, … [Read more...]