Three pollinator garden ideas Pollinators can find everything they need in this very low-maintenance landscape. When his parents bought a house in Carroll, Iowa, Austin Escheid saw what many aspiring garden designers dream of: a blank canvas. "The weekend they left I drove home with a car full of plants," says Eischeid, who at the time was working toward a bachelor's degree in horticulture at nearby Ames. He arrived at their new location with a clear view of meadow-like meadows and a landscape of blooming perennials. He got the idea after hearing horticulturist Roy Diblick lecture on the beauty of natural gardens and their ability to attract pollinators. Practically speaking, Eischeid saw the approach as a way to relieve his parents of frequent pruning, watering and mowing. So out went the mowed lawn of the front yard, along with the shrubs and vines grown in the backyard. In their place, Eischeid arranged lawn-like plants in drifts, a move he learned while w...
Growing Tomatoes Indoors Fresh tomatoes year-round? It is possible! We asked a tomato expert for tips on successfully growing tomatoes indoors, no matter how much space you have. You don't need a backyard garden or a hot and sunny climate to grow delicious tomatoes. To find tips on growing tomatoes indoors, we turned to a tomato expert. Craig LeHoullier (known as the Johnny Appleseed of tomatoes for owning and sharing nearly 5,000 tomato seed varieties) is a gardener, educator, and author of "Epic Tomatoes: How to Select and Grow the Greatest Varieties of All Time." He gave me the inside scoop. If you're lucky and persistent, you can grow and eat tomatoes 12 months a year! Tip 1: Choose the best tomato variety to grow indoors First, you can grow tomatoes indoors! But you need to understand what tomato plants need to bear fruit, and it's not just the vines that spin. Choosing the right tomatoes is key to success. For example, Cherokee purple tomatoes c...