Maybe you’re one of those rare parents or grandparents whose kids are already excited about being outdoors, digging in the dirt, and doing manual labor instead of playing video games or texting their friends. If so, you probably don’t need this guide.

However, did you know that an increasing number of children, especially in urban areas, don’t know how milk or eggs are produced, or where they come from?

Rootwell Products, Inc. is a company that is passionate about keeping the world green – wherever green things are growing. We want everyone to feel successful at growing green things in their homes, yards, fields, balconies or community gardens.

And we know this takes practice and a lot of expert advice. We strive to bring a variety of topics to you to help you to grow more green things successfully and to be informed about what’s going on with our earth.

Every New Year we round up the 20 most popular articles from the previous year according to Google Analytics. It’s fun to see what our readers liked most! It also helps us to know which articles were most exciting and helpful to you – our valued readers.

You know what else helps? Your comments and suggestions! We appreciate them all.

We hope this list also helps you find more topics you haven’t read about in one handy location. So, without further adieu:

Do you love fresh garden veggies? Do you also live in a cold climate? Have you found yourself wishing you could have fresh vegetables in your backyard through the winter months and not have to rely on expensive produce shipped from far away through the winter?

You are in luck.

Don’t you love the smell of lavender? There’s nothing better than a natural lavender scent to freshen clothing and linens or to invite a sense of relaxation into a room.

Almost better than the smell of fresh lavender is the sight of the bright purple herb dancing in the sunlight or bunched together and drying in someone’s cozy kitchen.

Did you know there are many uses for lavender, beyond sachets and bath salts?

Have you thought about trying to compost leaves?

Most of us think of the leaves on our trees with a kind of dread, knowing that it will inevitably require a lot of time and backbreaking labor spent raking, mowing, hauling, and burning.

Or we fear what will happen to our lawns or our relationships with our neighbors if we don’t do the yearly raking. I can remember the years of childhood spent raking leaves and getting blisters. The piles were fun to jump in for a while, but mostly it was just a lot of work!