Annual weeds complete their lifecycle – sprouting, flowering and setting seed – in one season. Keep compost heaps and potting mixes covered to prevent blown-in seeds from settling.
Rich and Reliable Compost Well-rotted homemade compost is wonderful stuff – sweet-smelling, crumbly and packed with nutrients. It can take two years or even longer for leaves to rot down enough to be considered leafmold.
An ideal design is comprised of beds sized to fit the hillside in ways that make them easy to plant and maintain. Logs and untreated boards need replacing every few years, but this is part of their value in a terraced vegetable garden.
It's been a rough year in many vegetable gardens, but mild autumn days are just around the corner. The remains of reseeding flowers and herbs can be given their own space in the garden 4.
Another complication is wind, which here in the British Isles becomes increasingly present as the growing season draws to a conclusion. Simply lay these soft-skinned beauties, stem-side down and not touching, between two layers of breathable linen.
Keep on Picking to Keep Plants Producing The first rule with any fruit or pod-producing vegetable is to keep up with the picking. Here, then, are some top tips to keep those pickings coming...
With no predators and no existing pests, this creates a gap in your garden's ecosystem for other pests to surge in unchecked, meaning you need to apply ever more pesticides just to keep on top of the problem.
How to Sow Cabbage Cabbages may be started off in an outdoor seedbed to transplant once they're bigger, or under cover into modules or pots, which also enables an earlier start to the season.
Easy DIY Drinks Cooler On hot summer days don't forget to quench your thirst with all manner of smoothies, cordials and lemonades made from garden-grown fruits and herbs. Sit the smaller pot inside the larger pot, levelling up the rims by pouring sand...
Wonderful Watermelon Radishes The round radishes with red interiors called watermelon radishes have a more poetic name in their native home of China – shin ri mei , or “beauty in the heart.” These round radishes grow to 4 inches (10cm) in diameter,...
Cover them with paper bags to stop them getting covered in dust. Freezing Homegrown Produce The freezer has transformed the home-grower's lot. Tougher vegetables, such as carrots, need four.
Rutabaga growth slows as the days become short, and the oldest leaves often shrivel and may be cut away. After the first frost passes, harvest your rutabagas during a period of dry weather.
Best Vegetables for Seed Saving Some vegetables are easier to save seed from than others. Save only the best clean seeds. But how can you take your vegetable growing one step further?
Bacterial canker affects plums, cherries and other trees in the Prunus family. Make your cut so that it slopes away from the bud to help rain to drip off. Branches can quickly die of this disease.
If you are going to pick lots of fruits, or you're a little absent-minded like me, then wear a pair of gloves for the job. The knot will support the first chili so it needs to be a good size so it won't drop off.
Mulches may not be very high-tech, but they are incredibly effective in a hot summer. Suspend it over plants to help them keep their cool. The moisture in the drill will drain through, encouraging the seedling's roots to follow.
If you're thinking you could simply replant some of your summer-harvested potatoes, I'm afraid this will only meet with disappointment. Planting Second Crop Potatoes Second-crop potatoes take about three months to reach maturity.
The fruits left to grow on will enjoy more airflow, sunlight and energy from the tree for even ripening. Finally, continue thinning until the fruits are evenly spaced, leaving only the biggest and healthiest.
Whiteflies are great at making more of themselves. The real clincher for quibble-free identification is their habit of swarming away when approached or disturbed. Yes, really! In a bad outbreak a handheld vacuum can be very effective at sucking up clouds...
They will root during the winter, and multiply into a cluster in late spring or early summer. If storing shallots, cure in a dry place for 10 days after pulling the plants. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and...
Delaying spring planting by two weeks can often help with cucumber beetles management. A small vacuum is a good way to collect cucumber beetles. Managing Outbreaks: Striped cucumber beetles are difficult to hand pick because they are small and prone to...
Companions Tomato, Squash, Strawberry and Pepper. A fresh crop of plants can be planted in late summer for bloom in the fall. Harvesting Cut back borage plants by half their size in midsummer to encourage reblooming.
Preventing Problems: Floating row covers (fleece) are an effective way to prevent egg laying by adults. Tips: Yellow sticky traps or yellow pans of water can be used to monitor and trap onion flies.
Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Any average, well drained soil. Dried valerian roots are used to make a bedtime tea that promotes sleep. Feeding Not generally needed. Valerian can stand 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall when it is in full bloom.
You also can start seeds in late winter, and set out the seedlings in spring. Harvesting Gather sprigs as needed in the kitchen. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
Fertilize established clumps with a balanced organic fertilizer in the fall. Hot pepper sprays help to deter these nibblers. Companions Daylily, Catnip, Bells of Ireland and Salvia.
Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Fertile, well-drained soil. Harvesting Snip off spent blossoms to keep plants looking neat, and to prolong flowering. Feeding Mix a light application of a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil prior to planting.
