Methods, Tools & Supplies Library

Learn 10 different ways to extend your season using protected cultivation, with quick tips and recommendations from Johnny's Selected Seeds.

Take a closer look at beneficial insects, including some of the helpful roles of pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests. Includes a 5-step summary of how to establish a flowering insectary in your garden or on your farm, and a list of further reading, with links, for the curious.

Research and industry experts discuss basil downy mildew, disease management, and tracking, and the latest in breeding innovations, including the new Prospera DMR.

Information on vining pole beans, including how to plant, setting up a trellis, recommended varieties and growing tips, from the experts at Johnny's Selected Seeds. Under cover and in the field, follow Phil Foster & John Bauer's 6 Easy Steps to Pole Bean Success.

Use this comparison chart to see at a glance which Bobcat Tunnel Kits are compatible with various options for the end walls, roof, roll-up sides, and ventilation.

A downloadable, printable (PDF) version of our Broadfork Applications Comparison Chart.

An introduction to controlled environment agriculture (CEA), with an overview of greenhouse design and environmental control, growing systems, irrigation and mineral nutrition, hydroponics, biological controls, and considerations regarding location, marketing, suitable crops and varieties, workshops and continuing education opportunities, by Dr. Merle Jensen, Professor Emeritus and Founder, University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (UA-CEAC).

Here are Lisa Ziegler's 5 recommended "Cool Flowers" — cold-tolerant hardy annuals for overwintering and shoulder-season growing for the earliest possible blooms in spring.

A full-color, downloadable/printable (PDF) version of our Fertil Pots Comparison Chart.

A full-color, downloadable/printable (PDF) version of our Seedling Flats Comparison Chart, including 20-Row Seed Flats; Pro-Tray Cell Flats; Plug Flats; and Jumbo Plug Flats (Six 6-packs).

What are the best practices and systems for harvesting and post-harvest handling of flowers, herbs, and foliages before they leave the field and workshop, to safeguard that quality? This survey of 5 specialty cut-flower growers distills the collective and cumulative wisdom of three-quarters of a century of farming and selling flowers, from the Slow Flowers community.

Follow these guidelines for best success when direct seeding crops into the garden or field: covers benefits, materials needed, bed prep basics, recommendations for sowing to thinning, and how to address common post-germination issues the grower may encounter.