Like many gardeners we have our share of hummingbird feeders around the yard, and so along with trying to grow plants that will attract the hummingbirds we have to find a source of hummingbird food or nectar to add to the feeder fairly often (more than once a week). We know that making hummingbird food is straightforward enough using one of the many hummingbird food recipes, but using one of the recipes can be more than a little work to keep the nectar on hand when you expect to be changing the food out once or twice a week in the heat of the summer.

Insecticidal soaps are one of the organic gardeners first lines of defense against pests like aphids and spider mites. Here’s a look at the makeup and use of insecticidal soap, and where to find the best deals on it.

Insecticidal soap can be formulated a few different ways, but it is always a potassium fatty acid soap. The most common use for insecticidal soaps is as an organic pesticide, although it is used at times to control powdery mildew.

Seaweed extract is soil amendment for organic gardeners. It is often used as either a powder for use directly in the soil, or more commonly it is used in a liquid form for application during the growing season.

When added to the soil, the powdered form of seaweed extract (seaweed meal) has a number of benefits. Just directly as a soil conditioner, it improves the ability of the soil to hold water and improve the structure of the soil. This of course requires a bulk amount of seaweed, and is often reserved for a major reconditioning of the soil.

Rubbermaid makes a fairly complete line of storage sheds that fulfill a variety of needs around the home and garden. The best storage shed for you will be a function of what you would like to store, so here’s a look at the different Rubbermaid storage sheds for different uses.

Of course the first thing to consider is what you would like to store. A small upright shed is not going to be a great choice for a riding lawnmower. If you are wanting to store a variety of smaller hand tools or garden tools like hoes, rakes, or shovels, an upright shed can be a great choice.

Cherry tomatoes are a favorite of many gardeners, and really deserve a place in most tomato gardens. They will bear fruit when other varieties won’t and are a nice change of pace from the typical large tomato that is the typical prize most gardeners seek.

These indeterminate tomatoes will just keep growing all season long, so some type of tomato cage or other support is a necessity for growing cherry tomatoes. It needs to be one of the larger tomato cages as it is not uncommon for these plants to grow taller than 6 feet in height. You can also use a tomato stake but be aware that these can get to pretty impressive heights. If a cage isn’t the right choice for you consider a tomato trellis.

Patio tomatoes. Are they a tomato variety or a way to grow tomatoes on your patio. Here we take a look at both the variety called patio tomatoes, and the whole idea of how to best grow tomatoes on your patio or balcony.

First, we’ll look at the tomato variety known as patio tomatoes. As you may expect, this is a hybrid variety that was bred to be a good choice for growing in containers, suited for a patio. It has a small growth pattern, more of a bushy type growth, sometimes only reaching about 2 feet in height. It’s leaves are darker than most tomatoes, and its fruit tend to the smaller size, around 2 inches in diameter. Some consider the skin on the tough side. Like many smaller fruited tomatoes, it will germinate and bear fruit in somewhat warmer climates than the larger fruited tomatoes, so this is a popular choice in the Southwest and places like Texas.

If you are serious about composting, you want a way to store kitchen scraps without the smell. Compost crocks or compost pails are an attractive way to store scraps out of sight, and out of mind since they can eliminate the smell you may get with scraps that are stored for a day or more.

Both a compost crock or a kitchen compost pail are a small (approximately 1 gallon) container that can sit on the kitchen counter or under the sink. Typically a compost crock is a ceramic container, while a pail is a metal container. For either one you want to get a container that has a tightly sealed top to help contain the odor and keep the pests like flies out. Many have a rubber or silicon like ring to form a tight seal.

If you have an active compost bin or pile, a compost aerator or turner is an easy and low cost way to speed up the compost pile. Here’s a look at several types of compost tools that will help you turn the pile with a minimum of effort.

The purpose of a compost aerator is twofold. One, as the name implies, by turning the pile you get air into the middle of the pile more efficiently so the microbes can do their work. It also helps to distribute the moisture more efficiently, so you don’t end up with a slimy mess if you are trying to compost a large amount of green material like grass clippings.

Most folks who are serious about gardening eventually come to the decision to include a garden composter in the yard. But what makes the best garden composter. As you can imagine, it varies for each individual, but here are some thoughts on how to choose the best garden composter for your needs.

Fish emulsion is generally considered to be one of the better organic fertilizers available. And these days there are not only deodorized emulsions but other formulations that take the smell out of the fish. Here’s a look at fish emulsion fertilizers, where they come from and where to get them.

As with most organic fertilizers, if you judge it by just the NPK ratings, fish emulsion doesn’t pack a big punch. The natural formulation has and NPK of 5-1-1 or 5-2-2. But fish emulsion has many micronutrients and some of the trace elements have been found to be effective in some types of pest control, for example in controlling some types of nematodes.

Cucumbers are a warm weather favorite. With the some of the newer hybrids like the burpless cucumbers, and the traditional pickling cucumbers, you can have some real variety in the kitchen when growing cucumbers. Here are a few quick tips on how to grow cucumbers.

Cucumbers come in a number of different size varieties, and probably the first thing you may want to consider is the amount of space that you are willing to give to each plant. Some of the bush varieties or dwarf varieties will only take a few square feet for each plant, while some of the heirloom varieties will sprawl around and can take 10-20 square feet per plant if you don’t train them to grow up a trellis or cage of some sort to take advantage of the vertical space in your garden.

One of the age old problems with tomatoes is that they tend to sprawl all over the place. While this is not always bad, in some cases this can lead to malformed fruit, invasion of pests, and some tomato diseases if we just let them lay on the ground. So as we look fat tomato support, let’s take a look at the advantages of tomato stakes vs cages for tomato production.

One of those tools that gardeners eventually want as the size of their gardening effort grow is a garden cart. It’s one of those things that you will find an endless number of uses for once you have one. And one of the largest selections are the Rubbermaid garden carts. Here’s look at some features to consider when buying a garden cart to help you select the right one.

The uses for a garden cart are endless. You may be hauling soil, peat or other soil amendments to a new garden bed. Collecting and hauling tree or bush trimmings is another. Putting leaves or even manure in the compost bin, or hauling compost to the garden are other gardening chores that are simplified by the use of gardening cart.

A cold frame is one of the old standby garden tools. It’s great for extending your garden season, but it’s not just for use in colder climates. It can help you get those seedlings in before the hot weather hits even in the South.

A cold frame is simply a raised bed vegetable garden that has a covering over it. Its primary use is to put seedlings outside before they may be ready to go, especially tender crops that absolutely can’t take a freeze, like tomatoes and peppers. It encourages “hardening off” of seedlings, which gradually acclimates the plants to the temperature swings that nature has in store for it.

A raised garden bed kit is a good way to simplify the job of building a raised bed garden. While you can build a raised garden from your own lumber like cedar, or arranging concrete blocks, a kit gives a compromise of cost and simplicity of assembly that will get you an attractive garden that will typically last for years.

There are a wide range of raised garden kits. You can start with your own lumber, and just buy the raised bed corner brackets. Joining the corners is the most difficult part of building a bed, and the brackets can make this much easier. This is especially true when you are building a bed that is taller than a single board depth. Another bed design where the brackets are a real time saver is for an irregular shaped bed like a hexagon raised bed.

Raised garden beds are a great way to add a garden to many yards. Raised beds can give more crops in less area, and are better for those who can’t or don’t want to do the bending and stooping that often comes with traditional gardening. There are many types of ways to build a raised garden, from building one yourself with scrap lumber to buying an attractive cedar raised garden kit. But one of the most popular ways to make a raised garden is to use a vinyl raised bed kit. These plastic garden kits offer a great compromise between the cost of the high end wooden beds to the sometimes less than aesthetic appeal of the scrap lumber approach.

Without a doubt, the most popular type of raised bed garden is the cedar raised garden. Cedar is a popular wood species to use in the garden because it naturally resists rot and insect infestation, not to mention that’s it’s an attractive wood. Often showcasing it’s knotty character, it adds some beauty to the raised garden bed, and cedar can last for decades if properly cared for.

Broccoli is a cool weather crop that’s actually fairly easy for the home gardener to grow. It gives and impressive head, and can yield beyond it’s first harvest, giving it an advantage over some other cold weather favorites like cabbage or head lettuce. Here’s a few tips on how to grow broccoli.