Question
I have a question about gardening in northern Wisconsin. I’ve never lived remotely near this far north and am rather nervous about what I’ll truly be able to grow.
Continue reading Gardening in Northern Wisconsin: Tips for Success in a Short Growing Season
Companion planting is a traditional gardening method that pairs certain vegetables, herbs, and flowers together to create natural benefits—such as pest control, improved growth, and better use of space. Whether rooted in time-tested gardening wisdom or supported by modern research, these combinations can help boost vegetable yields without relying on synthetic inputs.
For heirloom and open-pollinated gardens, companion planting is especially valuable. It encourages natural balance, reduces plant stress, and makes the most of every square foot in your garden beds. Below are some of the most effective companion planting combinations you can try this season, along with practical tips for each pair.
Continue reading Top 11 Companion Planting Combinations to Boost Vegetable Yields
Successful vegetable seed germination depends heavily on soil temperature. Each crop has its own ideal conditions that influence how quickly and reliably seeds sprout. This soil temperature guide outlines the minimum, optimum, and maximum temperatures needed for germination, helping gardeners plant with confidence and accuracy.
Maintaining the right soil temperature for each crop encourages strong, uniform sprouting and sets the stage for healthy growth and abundant harvests. This resource is especially helpful for timing plantings of popular vegetables like asparagus, beans, carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes.
Continue reading Soil Temperature Guide for Vegetable Seed Germination: Minimum, Optimum, and Maximum Ranges
The strength and productivity of any heirloom vegetable garden depend on more than just sunlight and water; they hinge on the specific plant food elements each plant receives from the soil. In heirloom and open-pollinated gardens, nurturing plants with the essential nutrients they need is especially crucial for strong yields and for sustaining their unique qualities. Just as we need balanced nutrition to stay healthy, plants rely on specific macronutrients and micronutrients to grow well and produce abundantly.
These essential elements are divided into two main categories: macronutrients—such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which plants require in larger quantities—and micronutrients, which are needed in much smaller amounts but are still critical for healthy growth. Each element plays a unique role in plant development, from building strong roots to producing flavorful, disease-resistant crops. Understanding these core nutrients helps gardeners diagnose problems and apply the right soil amendments when needed.
Continue reading Plant Food Elements for Heirloom Vegetables: Ensuring Healthy Growth and High YieldsA windbreak can be used to conserve soil moisture in your Open Pollinated / Heirloom vegetable garden or to keep the wind from blowing the vine plants around. Use a material that casts low shade while filtering wind is ideal. This simple version uses wood snow fencing, which is inexpensive, easy to install and remove, and may be attractive enough to leave up year-round.
Continue reading Build a Snow Fence Windbreak: Protect Your Heirloom Vegetable Garden from Harsh Winds
A seasonal planting guide is essential for understanding the specific temperature requirements for heirloom vegetables, allowing you to make the most of your garden throughout the growing season. Heirloom vegetable varieties vary significantly in their temperature preferences, so planting them is a season-long effort rather than a one-day task. To achieve a productive and resilient garden, it’s vital to plant each heirloom crop according to its unique temperature needs.
From the cool days of early spring to the warmth following the last frost, and into the heat of midsummer, following this seasonal planting guide ensures that each vegetable is placed in its ideal environment. By aligning planting times with the temperature requirements of your heirloom vegetables, you’ll be able to stagger crops effectively, matching each one to the climate it prefers—leading to a healthier, more abundant harvest.
Continue reading Seasonal Planting Guide: Temperature Requirements for Heirloom Vegetables
Making a Broom Corn broom is a time-honored craft that requires patience and a little practice, but it’s a skill anyone can learn with some guidance. Broom corn, which isn’t actually a type of corn, is a species of sorghum whose long, durable seed heads make ideal bristles for brooms. By following these steps and tips, you can create your own sturdy, eco-friendly broom that works well for cleaning both indoors and outdoors.
Continue reading Crafting a Broom Corn Broom: A Step-by-Step Guide
Scarecrows have been standing guard in gardens and fields for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian farmers used wooden frames draped in nets to protect wheat fields along the Nile, while Japanese rice growers crafted kakashi—humanoid figures sometimes armed with fake bows—to frighten birds away from their crops. In Europe, early tribal farmers stationed children in fields to clap sticks together before eventually crafting human-like figures from straw and old garments. Native American communities also used scarecrow-like methods, including placing fish or animal skulls on poles to ward off crows. These rustic sentinels, built from whatever materials were on hand, have remained part of farming life through the centuries.
Today, the DIY scarecrow carries on that timeworn tradition, offering home gardeners a simple, creative, and family-friendly way to protect their open-pollinated and heirloom vegetables—part guardian, part expression of personality, and always a charming presence in the garden.
Continue reading DIY Scarecrow: Protect Your Heirloom Garden with This Fun Project
Adding organic mulch to your heirloom vegetable garden is one of the most effective ways to improve plant health while minimizing maintenance. Organic mulch, made from natural materials like wood chips, grass clippings, shredded bark, sawdust, or pine needles, can significantly reduce your time spent weeding, watering, and tending to your garden. Here’s a deeper look at why organic mulch is an essential part of any heirloom vegetable garden.
Continue reading Top 10 Ways Organic Mulch Can Improve Your Heirloom Garden
The benefits of worm castings are numerous, making them one of the most valuable tools in a gardener’s arsenal. They enhance seed germination, encourage strong root development, improve water retention, naturally deter certain pests, and reduce plant stress. Worm castings, often called vermicompost or worm manure, are a natural powerhouse for enhancing plant growth and soil health. Packed with essential nutrients, trace minerals, and growth enhancers, worm castings improve soil structure, boost microbial activity, and promote long lasting plant vitality.
Their unique composition not only nurtures plants but also protects against root diseases and harmful toxins. Safe and gentle for even the most delicate plants, worm castings offer slow release nutrition that sustains growth over time while being eco-friendly and free of harmful chemicals. With their ability to enrich soil and support robust, healthy plants, worm castings are a must have for any gardener seeking superior results.
Continue reading From Soil to Plant: The Incredible Benefits of Worm CastingsWorm castings, often referred to as “black gold,” are a versatile and nutrient rich organic fertilizer that can enhance plant growth in a variety of ways. From boosting the health of houseplants to enriching garden soil, these natural amendments provide a gentle yet effective source of nutrients. They can be mixed into potting soil, applied as a top dressing, or brewed into a nutrient rich tea to support vibrant growth. With applications ranging from seed starting to lawn care, worm castings are an excellent choice for beginners looking to naturally nourish their plants and promote healthy, thriving gardens.
Continue reading How to Use Worm Castings: Organic Fertilizer Tips for Beginners
Choosing the right location is one of the most critical steps to ensure a productive heirloom vegetable garden site. Factors like sunlight, soil quality, drainage, and proximity to your home can significantly impact how well your heirloom garden grows. While a spot close to your house is convenient, sometimes poor drainage, shallow soil, or shade from nearby structures may mean that your heirloom vegetable garden site needs to be placed a bit further from home. Let’s explore the essential elements of selecting a garden site that fosters healthy, high yield heirloom plants.
Continue reading Selecting a Garden Site for Heirloom Vegetables: 6 Tips for Success
Anyone interested in Open Pollinated / Heirloom Vegetable gardening has one question in mind when choosing a new plant: Will it thrive in my heirloom vegetable garden? Many factors come into play to determine whether or not a garden plant will perform well for you. Each kind of garden plant has its own needs and plant requirements. Some plants, like the dandelion, are tolerant of a wide variety of conditions, while others, such as the pink lady slipper orchid, have very exacting requirements.
Continue reading Essential Plant Requirements for a Thriving Heirloom Vegetable Garden
Can you give me some ideas on how to best choose seeds for my needs? I’m having trouble choosing from all the variety that’s out there.
Besides which varieties have the prettiest picture, what factors should weigh in on your list for what to plant this year? First up, should be what will grow in your region/climate. If you have a shorter season, look carefully at the “days to maturity”, if a plant will take too long to grow, your work will be in vain, and your setting yourself up for disappointment. So, plant things with the shortest “days to maturity” listed.
Continue reading How to Choose Seeds That Will Thrive: A Gardener’s Essential Guide
August is one of the best months for gardeners, as it’s the time when many fruits of your labor are ready for harvest. The excitement of reaping what you’ve sown is undeniable, but it’s important not to let your guard down when it comes to garden maintenance. There are still essential tasks to be done to ensure your plants stay healthy and your yields remain high. In many places, August is the hottest month of the year, which means paying close attention to watering, weeding, and overall plant care. Let’s dive into the top August garden tips to keep your garden thriving during the peak of summer.
Continue reading 5 August Garden Tips: Making the Most of the Summer Heat
This month we thought we’d highlight one of our neatest seeds, Black Aztec Corn (really, who can pick? there is so much awesome variety to God’s creation in the garden!). Recently we had the opportunity to share Black Aztec Corn with the young ladies at the Girls’ Camp at our church, which was a blast. The girls had the chance to tryout grinding their own corn with a grain mill, and then made the fun and delicious purplish-grayish-blueish cornbread that results from Black Aztec Corn. We heard many comments that this was the best cornbread they’d ever had.
Continue reading Grinding Corn and Making Memories: Black Aztec Corn at Girls’ Camp
Q. I want to try out composting, but I find it daunting and am uncertain where to start, any composting tips?
A. Sure thing! Compost is great for your heirloom vegetable, fruit, or flower garden, and essential to organic heirloom gardening, as it is natural, nutrient-rich fertilizer right from materials you most likely have on hand, or can get easily. Not only is compost great fertilizer, it improves the structure of your soil, and it’s water retaining capabilities(less work to water your garden!). All of the above reasons will help produce healthier plants in your heirloom garden, what’s not to like about compost?!?
Continue reading 6 Essential Composting Tips for Beginners
At St. Clare Heirloom Seeds, we manage large test gardens every year, growing a wide variety of vegetables. One of the most time-consuming tasks in gardening is controlling weeds, but we’ve discovered a method that drastically reduces the amount of time spent weeding: pre-planting tilling for weed control. This approach allows us to get a head start on weeds before they become a problem, making garden maintenance much easier throughout the growing season.
Continue reading The Secret to Less Weeding: Pre-Planting Tilling for Weed ControlRecognized by Dave’s Garden Watchdog: Top 30 Company, Top 5 in Heirloom and Vegetable Seeds
St. Clare Audio audiobooks bring faith, family, and classic storytelling together.
8 Perfect Christmas Gift Ideas for Gardeners: Heartfelt Picks From St. Clare Seeds
Plant a Christian Themed Heirloom Garden: Growing Closer to God Through His Creation
Planting a Mary Garden: Faith, Flowers, and Tradition Grown from Heirloom Seeds
The November Gardener’s Almanac – Zone-by-Zone: Where and What to Plant with Heirloom Seeds
Companion Planting: A Complete Guide to Natural Plant Partnerships for the Heirloom Garden
Rediscover Timeless Classic Audiobooks — Faith-filled Classics, Family Favorites, and Inspiring Stories!
