I love to garden. When I was younger, I thought nothing of gardening out in the back 40, rototilling, hauling produce long distances to the kitchen, and bending over weeding for hours. Now that I’m older, my gardening motto has become “Work smarter, not harder”: Why bend over if …

I love fresh salsa. I used to experiment with different ingredients and different recipes,but the most delicious recipe I have found is in Ingrid E. Newkirk’s Compassionate Cook vegan cookbook.  It’s called Salsa Mexicana, and it’s really simple to make, with just four ingredients: tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro. Although I’ve settled …

“Why does my dog always lift his leg on my plants and kill them?” This question is a top concern for dog guardians, especially those with male dogs. When we get the call that dogs have killed many plants in a new garden, I always suspect the lack of “fire hydrants,” as I call …

A common discussion topic among gardeners is how to keep out “unwanted” critters. Because I specialize in keeping gardens safe for humans and animals, I come at this challenge from a different perspective.

While I do not want my plants to be eaten by insects and don’t want my yard to become a mouse …

Unfortunately, there are no plants that can withstand all of the heavy foot traffic or urine burns from our four-legged friends. However, there are ways to organize your garden so that your doggie can play while minimizing the problem of dead sod and the frustrations that go along with having to fix …