Oregon Tree Hugger

While trying to stake up my fallen Lemon Boy tomato plant, I dropped one of the wood sticks and broke the stem on a very large, nearly ripe tomato. (As you can imagine, I was pretty mad because I have been waiting a LONG TIME to get anything ripe out there.) I cursed at myself [...]

The sun finally peeked through for a few hours on Friday evening, and I swear the plants took it as an opportunity to double in size. Those vile mosquitoes also took it as a reason to break out of hibernation — after only an hour of sun, one landed on my arm (and was immediately [...]

Spring is fast approaching, so it is time for some spring planning in terms of planting! Now is the time to finalize those varieties that you will be growing and get your seed growing kits ready. I added new seed varieties this year as well as a new seed starting kit with heat mats.

Pouring rain isn’t enough to keep this gardener inside. Read on to find out what I had to do to help my garden through the downpour, and what lessons I pulled from the experience.

Normally I water my garden at ground level using a watering wand, but I’ve decided to give it a "rain bath" two or three times a month. I basically use the wand as a shower to give the garden a heavy rain from above.

Are you getting confused while sorting through the many methods of pruning tomatoes? Try this no-nonsense approach to tomato care.

Repotting tomatoes is a technique that helps produce stocky, healthy and hearty tomato plants for your garden. In this post, I tell you how and when to plant and replant your tomatoes.

The morning sun cast a soft light on the gardens here a the Hugger House, and I took a tour to review how everything is doing.

Why start from seeds? First of all, it is cheaper to start from a seed than it is to buy pre-started vegetables. Secondly, I can get a greater variety of plants, because mail-order seeds are very easy to obtain. Third, it is just kind of fun to grow your own and let your kids participate in the process. (And if it doesn’t work out, don’t put too much pressure on yourself—you can always buy vegetable starts from a store, a plant sale, or the farmer’s market later in the season! Want to know more? Read on for the rest of this handy guide.