Pro tip: Ask your neighbors about their garden secrets

I learned more from chatting with old-timers on my street than any book. One showed me how to test soil with just a jar of water. It's saved me so much guesswork.

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ivan9896mo ago

In our community garden, half the plots are looked after by retired people. They share tips you won't find in gardening books, like using coffee grounds for soil. One lady taught me how marigolds keep pests away from tomatoes, just by planting them close. This kind of hands-on help is how I've learned most useful things in life. It's a pattern I see all the time, where local know-how fills in the holes that guides miss.

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evanjohnson6mo ago

My neighbor swears by companion planting with marigolds.

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the_iris6mo ago

Wait, what? Like, hundreds of them? That's a whole army of marigolds, that's kind of wild.

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