Mother Earth Gardener Guidelines for Writers & Photographers

Mother Earth Gardener is a premium quarterly magazine tailored to organic gardeners, chefs, homesteaders, herbalists, and market growers who are interested in growing and preparing plant varieties with a rich history. The magazine covers all aspects of raising and using heirloom edible, ornamental, medicinal, and fiber plant cultivars, including organic growing tips, recommended varieties for each region, seed-saving tutorials, garden-fresh recipes for both the table and the medicine chest, and historical accounts of seed cultivars, traditional plant breeders, botanical organizations, and more. Published by the editors of Mother Earth News, Mother Earth Gardener provides decades of organic gardening experience from the most trusted voices in the field.

Many of our feature articles are written by our contributing editors, but we also assign articles to freelance writers, particularly those who have experience with our subject matter (both firsthand experience and writing experience).

If you would like to submit a query, please send a short synopsis of the idea, a maximum one-page outline, and any relevant digital photos to Letters@MotherEarthNews.com. We would also like to see samples of your writing.

Tips for Potential Contributors

Read our magazine. Take a close look at previous issues to learn more about the various topics we cover, but all queries should fall into one or more of the following topic areas:

Seed and plant profiles

Organic gardening techniques

Seasonal recipes/food preservation

Inspiring profiles (farms, gardens, companies, people)

Herbal remedies

DIY projects for home or garden

Fiber plants/natural dyes

Submission Guidelines

Text should be submitted as plain text with no formatting. This allows the design team the flexibility they need to lay things out correctly.

Photos should be submitted in high-resolution format. We prefer photos at 300dpi. We prefer you submit unaltered photos shot at the highest quality settings on your camera. If we determine photos are unusable for any reason, we will substitute photography from a different source. We reserve the right to reject photos for any reason.