I know a woman who works in the White House, and she said that Michelle Obama didn’t want to build raised beds for her garden because it sounded too hard for people. I agree it can sound intimidating. However, so is standing before a patch of grass grown in concrete-like dirt that needs to be […]
Organic Gardening
Free Organic Fruit! Plant an Orchard
This spring I am planting an orchard. I’ve got the spot picked out, and I’ve just submitted my order for trees. People like to say you can’t grow fruit organically, but I know it’s possible. Certainly, I buy organic fruit at the supermarket, and at my local farmer’s market. And I grew up eating cherries […]
It’s Time to Order Seeds
Holidays are over; decorations are put away. The winter darkness is starting to lift a tiny bit, but the cold doldrums are here to stay for a while. These are all the indelible signs that it’s time to order seeds and plants for this year’s garden. Sure, you can wait until spring, and rush to […]
The End of Farmer’s Market Season…Waaaaaaah!
November is here, and the last farmer’s market of the season in Emmaus is on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This week things are already winding down. The vendors are thinning out, and the crowds are filled with hard-core regulars rather than the summertime occasional shoppers. In the few short years that this market has been […]
Sex, Adventure, and Plant Hunting
It never really occurred to me to wonder how the Latin names for plants were decided, or why and how the British became obsessed with gardening, or even to wonder where the plants in my garden originated (other than the nursery). But my daughter Maya gave me a book to read called The Brother Gardeners: […]
Ruthless Gardening: A Must!
Every summer around this time the same thing happens. I head out to the garden after a busy work week (or three), and take a look at my vegetable garden and go, “Oh *%$!” Once again, I have let sentimental, kind-hearted generosity screw up my patch. It starts simply enough, with the idea that I’ll […]
Lead in Lawns: A Looming Crisis
Last week I read that the White House garden’s soil was tested, and they found it contained lead above the safe limits. I know exactly how Michele Obama feels. Twenty years ago—after a few years of putting in vegetable gardens and letting my little daughter play in the dirt—I discovered that my historic urban yard […]
Growing a Miracle in Coppell, Texas
A few months ago, I invited the readers of Organic Gardening magazine to send me their garden fantasies. I received so many wonderful, funny, heartwarming emails…but this one is my favorite, and the one I promised to post on my blog today. Enjoy! –Maria Growing a Miracle in Coppell, Texas I grew up in Lebanon, […]
Scratch
Raised on America’s first organic farm, Scratch author Maria Rodale learned how to make everyday favorites from, yes, scratch — the way you remember them; the way they turn out best.
Order NowOrganic Manifesto
Drawing on findings from leading health researchers as well as conversations with both chemical and organic farmers from coast to coast, Maria Rodale irrefutably outlines the unacceptably high cost of chemical farming on our health and our environment.
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