The Outdoor Apothecary is passionate about gardening and permaculture.
If you’re new to gardening or just need a refresher, this is the best place to find advice on everything from how to plant seeds to what is propagation, to sustainable gardening practices.
Growing plants for food and medicine can be one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and your family. Here you will find information on growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs along with sustainable gardening practices for a more self-sufficient lifestyle, closer to nature.
Permaculture gardening is a blueprint for sustainable practice in a garden, underpinned by a series of ethics and ideas. Rooted in a philosophy of harmony with nature, permaculture is all about making sure that what we do today does not have a negative impact on the world of tomorrow. Simply put, permaculture gardening is a holistic approach to gardening, and something we feel very strongly about.
Basically, Permaculture uses organic gardening and farming practices but it goes beyond these practices and integrates the garden and home to create a lifestyle that impacts less on the environment. … Permaculture brings production of food closer to consumers and the consumer’s wastes back into the cycle.

Hugelkultur: An Amazing Permaculture Gardening Technique
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the basics of hugelkultur, what makes it different from traditional raised beds, and the many benefits of this unique gardening technique. So, let’s get started!

Winter Sowing in Milk Jugs: The Easy Way To Start Seeds
Have you ever wanted to start your garden early? Well now you can, with the practice of winter sowing in milk jugs. You’ll be able to stay productive through the winter months and then hit the ground running as spring arrives.

Bee Gardening: 4 Essential Elements for Happy, Healthy Bees
In order to support bee populations, you need to ensure their habitat. Bees need water, shelter, pollen, and pesticide control if they are going to thrive. Follow these four easy steps for bee gardening in your own backyard!

Bee Gardens: 12 Essential Native Plants Bees Love
You can make a huge difference in the lives of bees by planting bee gardens. Here are some tips for good bee-friendly gardening.

Root Cellar: Preserving a Bountiful Harvest
Using a root cellar is a great way to preserve your garden’s bounties. A root cellar makes it easy to keep your food on hand for as long as possible, making it possible to preserve home-grown goodness long term, even through the winter.

Saving seeds: Why It’s Important and How To Do It
Saving seeds isn’t hard – it just takes a little bit of knowledge. Here are all your questions answered and tips for becoming a successful seed saver!

Garden Prep for Winter: 10 Easy Ways to Get Ready
This fall garden prep for winter checklist consists of 10 things you can do to prepare your garden for winter and an abundant growing season to come.

Gardening in the Winter: Tips for Success
Check out these tips for how to keep gardening in the winter so you can skip the produce aisle and enjoy fresh ingredients all winter long.

20 Hardiest Cold Weather Crops to Grow in Fall and Winter
This ultimate guide to cold weather crops for fall and winter gardening in Connecticut discusses the vegetables and fruits that you can grow there in the winters and discusses ways to extend the growing season.

6 Excellent Reasons Why You Need Joe Pye Weed In Your Garden
A native plant that provides many benefits to your garden, joe pye weed is a versatile addition. This native plant attracts pollinators while being low maintenance and beautiful.

5 Best Garden Cover Crops for Fall
The fall season is the ideal time to plant garden cover crops. If you’re looking for an easy way to improve soil structure and fertility, these are the best garden cover crops for fall.

How to Easily Grow Zucchini and Yellow Squash from Seed
Learn the basics of growing Zucchini and Yellow Squash including information on spacing, planting depth, and weather conditions.

Easy Steps to Creating A Food Forest In Your Backyard
The Food Forest is an innovative new way of eating that combines organic farming with permaculture principles. Learn more about its benefits!

Amazing Yarrow Plant: The Native Herb with Surprising Uses
The Outdoor Apothecary is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more As a young girl, I

Composting 101: An Easy Composting How To Guide
Making homemade compost is easy with this composting how to guide. Learn how to make, use and care for effective compost that will boost plant growth in your garden, while helping you be more sustainable!