Articles from The Growing Guide

Adding Fruit to Your Homestead For over 200 years, Stark Bro's Nursery has been helping homesteaders across America live more self-sufficient lifestyles. As the oldest continually operating nursery in the country, we've curated a time-tested collection of over 300 unique varieties of fruit trees, nut trees and berry plants.

Planning a Fall Garden You may still be reaping the benefits of your summer harvest and have not yet thought about what to plant next. Cooler weather is around the corner and it is time to start planning your fall garden!

Small Space Growing Maximize your growing space and your harvest! Not all of us have acres of land to work with but that doesn’t mean you can't have a plentiful harvest right out of your backyard. With proper planning you can create your own edible oasis - whether a patio filled with pots and containers or a modest backyard that you can line with fruit trees and bushes.

vintage illustration of lady with homegrown veggies

Victory Gardens It’s no secret that Stark Bro’s has a rich history in the gardening community. As the oldest continually operating nursery in the country, we’ve spent two centuries helping families cultivate their legacies in the garden. Our commitment to your success runs even deeper than just providing you with healthy, thriving plants… we’re also committed to the rising movement in our country to get back to the garden.

Best Fruits for Partial Shade Let’s face it, as much as we might all desire several acres of blazing sunlight to grow everything under the full face of the sun, many of us live in suburban or urban environments that present a challenge when we want to grow our own food.

Start Growing Fruit Today – Varieties that Thrive in Containers Stark Customer @monpetitchou_gardening on Instagram shares her container grown fruit trees and berry bushes.

5 Bits of Wisdom to improve your spring garden plans... before you even put pen to paper. Are you growing for pleasure, for beauty, for food production or maybe a combination of reasons? Are you planning a long-lasting perennial garden or simply looking for some short-term enjoyment in a location you only plan to stay for a season? Every garden is unique, and serves a purpose defined by you, the gardener.

Lasagna Gardening No, you can’t grow lasagna in your garden — sad, but true. What you can do is treat your garden bed like a big pan of lasagna, and assemble layer upon layer of goodness to create a thriving environment for your treasured plants. It’s inexpensive, and very worthwhile doing. All it requires are the right materials and a little elbow grease.

Preventing Problems Before They Begin Organic gardeners have fewer tactical weapons in their arsenal in the war against pests and diseases, as chemical problem-fighters are not in the mix. Non-chemical alternatives are, by nature, less potent and sometimes an extra effort is required to keep your garden in good health. Preventive action bridges the gap.

The Best Fruit-Tree Varieties for Organic Growing Raising your fruit trees without the aid of man-made chemicals can be a challenge, so why not make it an easier and more successful endeavor by choosing disease-resistant organic trees at the outset?