Have a vegetable garden? Then you should hopefully have earthworms. A lot of earthworms. You may already know earthworms are the great transformers of landscape, but there's another reason why you should want them in your garden: turns out if you have earthworms you're less likely to see damage inflicted by...

If you don't have a garden, or curbside compost, you might think composting isn't for you. But guess what — you can still join the compost party, even if you're an apartment dweller or suffer from a black thumb. Read on for ways to turn your kitchen scraps into soil and make sure it's put to good use...

Last week we asked those of you who garden in small spaces to share your best advice for starting and maintaining a successful kitchen garden in pots or containers. You had lots of tips to share, but we culled the top five. If you're ready to jump in and start your own cook's garden, read on for advice from those who've done it before:

If you've ever read our About page, you know we say The Kitchn is a site for people who like to get their hands dirty while they cook. One way to interpret that is quite literally — as in, "dirty" from digging in the dirt! As home cooks, we know that growing herbs, fruits, and vegetables is a natural extension for many of you. So we want to know: if you live and cook in a small space but still manage to grow things in pots or containers, what advice would you give to a fellow home cook and newbie gardener who wants to try his or her hand at it?

I found myself working in the yard today, dedicating a few hours to digging up dandelions by the root. It's the best way for us to get rid of them without chemical sprays. Plus, it turns out that the oft-damned "weed" is useful:

Dirt free and portable. That's how Modern Sprout describes their new hydroponic windowsill planter box. While most hydroponic setups are an unattractive display of plastic bottles, buckets, and tubes, Modern Sprout's version is pretty stylish. And because it automatically waters and feeds your plants for you, it's also perfect for black thumbs. (Not that I have that problem, of course. Ahem.)

It's high time to start a garden, but what if you have almost no outdoor space or, as in the case of this reader, Jean, clumsy roommates? Sew a hanging herb garden, that's what. Read on for more about Jean's ingenious solution and smart small-space garden! 

As a cook, I am quite naturally drawn to the garden, the place where all cooking begins.  But having spent the vast majority of my adult life in cities, I'm not so well-versed in the mysterious ways of soil and plants.  I can never tell if those yellowing leaves mean the plant is thirsty or if it is drowning in my enthusiastic watering.  (I usually forget when I've last watered and so therefore tend to overcompensate.)  Gardening is just not instinctive to me and in fact, I have no problem self-identifying as a black thumb.  But that hasn't stopped me from starting a garden this spring.

A beautiful, well-planned plot of land surely highlights the work of an organized, dedicated gardener, and should be admired. But what about the purely lazy? Can't they, too, have bountiful warm-weather gardens? Slate author Ari LeVaux says yes. In fact, he argues that laziness breeds one heck of a garden. More

Spring officially arrives this week, and what better time for the release of Amy Stewart's delightful new book, The Drunken Botanist. As you're planning your garden, foraging for wild plants, or simply looking for a good cocktail recipe (and cocktail party conversation topics!), you don't want to miss this entertaining and illuminating guide to "the plants that create the world's great drinks." More