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Practical garden guides for growing your own food

These garden guides are not your typical generic advice. They are thorough, detailed, and thoughtfully answer your gardening questions.

Even something as simple as 'how far apart should corn be planted,' gets a detailed explanation (conventional advice is based on fitting farm equipment between the rows, not the practical spacing home gardeners can use).

The guides are based on knowledge from various experts:

  • University researchers & published papers
  • Agriculturalists & farmers
  • My own education & decades of experience

I've published guides on growing several different vegetables so far. Each topic takes a significant amount of time to dig into (pun intended) and reach out to researchers for their expertise. These guides are not rushed, but I am continually adding more each month.

If you have a topic you'd like to know more about, leave a comment. I can either answer it quickly or get working on that plant guide sooner than later.

 

  • All nasturtium parts are shown with text indicating what's edible: green seeds, leaves, stems, and flowers.
    Nasturtium: what's edible & recipes that use it
  • 4 seed starting trays
    My new favorite seed starting trays
  • Nasturtium plant growing in the garden
    How to grow nasturtium for the prettiest edible plant in your garden
  • A thermometer showing temperatures above 95F degrees, next to a tomato plant and pepper plants in the background.
    How to protect your garden from a heat wave
  • Green asparagus spear growing in the garden
    How to grow asparagus for beginners (with pictures!)
  • Corn stalks in my garden at sunset
    How to grow corn in your home garden
  • A closeup photo of Mara des Bois strawberries in the garden
    Mara des Bois strawberries: a little berry with big flavor
  • Boston Pickling cucumber seedlings and plant tag
    Seed picks for my 2025 garden
  • Butternut squash climbing up a trellis in raised garden beds
    Growing butternut squash on a trellis
  • Peppers growing a gray raised metal garden bed
    Metal raised garden beds & rust problems
  • Amish Paste tomato on a mulch background, weighs about 12 ounces. The best tomato for making paste.
    The best tomatoes for making paste, based on flavor
  • Gift ideas for a gardener packed in a planter, including a rosemary plant, seeds, soil, fertilizer and plant notebook.
    85+ Gift ideas for a gardener (who has everything)
  • Comparing tomato varieties to find the best tomatoes for making sun-dried tomatoes. Showing before and after dehydrating: Sungold, Principe Borghese, Juliet, and Evil Olive.
    Best varieties to grow for sun-dried tomatoes (from garden trials)
  • Seed packets from Territorial seed company
    The best & cheapest sources for vegetable seeds in 2025
  • 3 butternut squash ready to be picked
    When to harvest butternut squash: ripening stages
  • A test to find the best pickling cucumbers, lined up outdoors for size and shape comparison
    The best pickling cucumbers (for crisp pickles!)
  • 2 giant zucchini next to a regular sized butternut squash and box of pasta for scale, showing what to do with large zucchini
    What to do with large zucchini - suitable recipes
  • One bell pepper followed through its ripening stages. It starts off green with a hint of red on August 5th, turning red on August 15th.
    Bell pepper growth stages (with timeline photos!)
  • How to grow red bell peppers in the garden, showing a bright red bell pepper
    How to grow bell peppers (in YOUR climate!)
  • A mature green bell pepper that's ready to harvest. It's full size and feels firm.
    When to harvest bell peppers (are they ripe yet?)
  • Green and purple asparagus varieties
    The best asparagus varieties for your region
  • Harvested asparagus spears
    When & how to harvest asparagus
  • Asparagus spears from 12 crowns in a jar of water
    How much asparagus to plant per person
  • Chart showing how to grow asparagus in less space with high density garden bed layouts.
    How to grow asparagus in less space
  • Almond tree buds in April that are starting to flower but need protection from freezing temperatures and possible overnight frost.
    How to protect fruit trees from frost damage
  • A Boston pickling cucumber on a vine and trellis, ready for harvest
    When to pick pickling cucumbers
  • Ear of corn on a stalk
    How much corn to plant to person
  • A box of herbs including rosemary, sage, basil, mint, and thyme
    Where to buy herb plants online
  • A young peach tree that will need protection from the large 2024 cicada brood
    How to protect fruit trees from the 2024 cicadas
  • Raw almonds from Javid's Iranian almond tree
    Javid's Iranian Almond: a cold hardy tree for the Northeast & Midwest
  • Sweet corn varieties & seeds: golden bantham (su), sugar buns (se), and Sweetness (sh2)
    What is the best type of corn to grow?

About the Food Geek

Welcome, I'm Veronica, your resident food geek - experienced recipe developer and gardener. My goal is to help you enjoy eating at home by knowing what fruits & vegetables are currently in season and the best ways to use them. To do that, I've put together seasonal produce guides and recipes with practical advice.

More about me

Bundles of herbs on a black countertop with text "April produce & recipe guide"
4 seed starting trays

My favorite seed starting supplies


Popular recipes

  • Salad with edible flowers, arugula, lentils, and couscous.
    Salad with edible flowers, lemon, and couscous
  • Stir fry with asparagus, snap peas, and spinach over rice, on a gray plate.
    Stir fry with asparagus, snap peas & spinach
  • Parmesan roasted asparagus, 425F in the oven for 8 minutes
    Parmesan roasted asparagus
  • A plate of blueberry cucumber salad with feta cheese and pistachios
    Blueberry cucumber salad with feta cheese
See more Spring recipes →

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