Judith Peterson

After one too many downpours left puddles pooling near my foundation, I started looking for a fix. I didn’t expect the solution to come from …

Compost is supposed to be hot, right? I decided to test that—and deliberately let my pile go cold for months. What happened next surprised me: …

At first, it felt risky—leaving parts of the garden to the birds, letting them drop seeds where they pleased. But by the end of the …

Not all gardens need straight lines or raised frames. I started experimenting with a borderless bed—a planting layout that spills gently into paths, fences, even …

At first, I took it personally—plants spilling over paths, birds scattering at my footsteps, vines closing off places I once weeded daily. But then I …

Planting by the calendar no longer works like it used to. With shifting seasons, late frosts, and sudden heat waves, guessing the “right time” often …

Summer heat can be brutal on container plants, especially those not built to handle intense sun and drying winds. Many popular choices, despite their beauty, …

If you’ve ever touched your garden soil just before a storm, you may have noticed something strange. It feels denser, cooler, even electrically alive—as if …

Some gardens you see. Others—you remember. A whiff of basil, wet mint, or warm rosemary can pull you instantly back to a childhood kitchen, a …

We often plant “for the birds,” but how much do we really know about which plants they actually use—and why? I decided to find out. …