Not only does tapping maple trees make for a delicious hobby but it’s also easy to do. Making your own tree-to-table maple syrup provides a delectable sense of satisfaction you can enjoy every time you make pancakes. If you’re new to maple tapping, here’s how to get started.    What You’ll Need  You’ll need a hammer for light tapping, 5/16” diameter spouts, a drill with a bit, sap collection containers, and of course a maple tree. Use a drill bit the same size or slightly smaller than the spouts so the spout will be flush with the wood. Sap collection containers should be food-g ..read more

It’s no secret that maintaining a lush, healthy garden requires more than just planting seeds and walking away. It requires time and effort to reap a bountiful harvest and keep your garden free of pests. Perhaps your busy schedule won’t allow you to put in the time your garden needs. How can you find the right garden service company? Experience The more experience a gardening service has, the more likely they’re experienced in your exact needs. A professional gardener should be willing to show you a portfolio to prove their successes in previous projects. Checking in on references will keep yo ..read more

While insects found inside the house can be a pest, insects in your garden can prove to be quite beneficial. Certain insects are helpful to your garden and can protect your plants from true pests. Keeping a pesticide-free, organic garden will keep these little critters happy and your garden healthy. Here’s a list of six insects that are sure to maintain a cheerful and harmonious garden: 1. Honeybees Honeybees improve the pollination of tree fruits, berries, and crops of the cucumber family in addition to providing delicious honey. Bees that can collect pollen and nectar from a diverse group of ..read more

Wildlife may be beautiful to watch but if they become destructive in your garden, those happy feelings can quickly turn into frustration. Rabbits and other small creatures can become far more destructive than deer so here’s how to protect your turf with a variety of safe wildlife deterrents: What To Plant One of the best ways to protect your garden is to plant perennials that go underground in the winter. Evergreen perennials like lavender or bergenia, have a reputation for being deer resistant but in winter months when food is scarce, a hungry animal will consume anything and everything everg ..read more

We believe organic gardening is a year-round activity, with different things to accomplish every season. Here are five garden chores you might want to complete before Winter sets in, this year! 1. Transforming Leaves and Debris Leaves make for great compost to add back as organic matter to beds. Start a leaves compost pile for use as mulch next year. Leaving leaves on your lawn will cause them to mat over and damage the grass in the spring. Running over dry leaves with a mower to shred them will reduce the amount of space needed to store them and will speed up their breakdown. When hard frosts ..read more

Imagine having an unlimited supply of your favorite produce. Did you know you can regrow many popular vegetables and herbs food from scraps you might have thrown away? Whether they come from your backyard organic garden or your local grocery store, here are just seven veggies and herbs you can regrow, step by step: Ginger Step 1: Get a fat piece of ginger at least 2 inches long and two inches wide. Step 2: Break the ginger apart into two pieces. Step 3: Plant a piece one inch deep into a pot containing loads of compost and water after planting. Step 4: Wait. After about one-month little ginge ..read more

Everyone knows that the bees have been in trouble lately. So why should you keep bees in your backyard? The professional farmers at Homefront explain why there are so many benefits to backyard beekeeping. Why Beekeeping is Beneficial to your Vegetable Garden Pollination Your garden will thank you. Honeybees are a highly efficient pollinator that will travel over a 3-mile radius in search of blossoms. Your organic vegetable garden will show increased production and produce larger and more uniform fruits as a direct result of the honeybees’ tireless work. They are responsible for pollinating ⅓ o ..read more

Here in the Northeast, we are surrounded by one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. Did you know that Connecticut and New York are abundant with sugar maples? While sugar maples contain the highest sugar content, we can also tap red, silver, and Norway maples. Are you interested in making maple syrup at home? With as little as three trees we can help you tap your own trees. When is Maple syrup season? In our region, maple syrup season typically runs from February to mid-March, depending on the weather. In order for the sap to flow daytime temperatures must be above freezing while ..read more

Tomatoes are native to Mexico and the Andes and are one of the most coveted of garden crops! They are a warm weather plant that grows best at 75 degrees. Full sunlight is ideal for the best yields, but 6 hours of direct sunlight is the bare minimum. Large fruited varieties need more sunlight than small fruited varieties like cherry tomatoes. Tomatoes prefer a moderately rich, well-drained soil with an average to slightly acidic pH and require consistent moisture throughout the season. Excess or inadequate moisture may cause blossom end rot, a disorder which causes the blossom end of the fruit ..read more

Come late winter, you may be longing for delicious harvests from your home garden.  While nothing beats tomatoes straight from the vine or carrots right out of the soil, frozen produce can be a good substitute while your garden is dormant.  You may be picturing bland food from the frozen section of the grocery store, but don’t worry– quality veggies properly frozen shortly after harvest taste great. As an added bonus, freezing is one of the easiest ways to preserve food from your garden.  Unlike with canning, there’s no need to worry about acidity levels and you can mix and matc ..read more