Deep mulch that reduces repeated freezing and thawing of the soil is a good way to enhance the cold tolerance of parsley, celery, other biennial vegetables with fibrous roots. The challenge for many gardeners is finding a place with consistently cool...
You will probably need to replace the cardboard as it rots down. The weedy strip is ground that hasn't been mulched, while the clear ground either side beautifully demonstrates how a thick layer of mulch keeps weeds away and the ground nice and clean.
Any thicker and it will quickly turn into a sour, vinegary smelling sludge. Sawdust should be used with care, as if used fresh it can mat together and make it hard for water to permeate.
As the wood decays, mycelium from the wood-feeding fungi also infiltrate adjoining soil. It's like being on a stair-step machine sometimes but you get used to it, which may be one of the reasons why living in the mountains is associated with longer life.
Summer Compost for Fall Veggies My new seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and other widely spaced plants get a huge helping of fresh summer compost, buried by the spadeful at the bottoms of their planting holes, with a little organic fertilizer...
This is easy to do if you are gardening in a drier climate or under cover, but in wetter conditions one option is to sever some of the roots to slow the flow of water to the plant.
Branches that rub together will cause wounds, so they should be removed. Make sure your tools are sharp and sturdy enough for the job; hand pruners can be used for very small twigs, but anything larger calls for loppers or a saw.
To speed drying, and ensure a thorough job, start by splitting the just-picked chili peppers in two lengthways. Begin by tying a knot into one end of the line. Drying is an excellent way of preserving chilies.
Allow the water to completely drain away, then fill and drain once again before you sow. I hope you've found some of these ideas handy. The best setups use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to deliver water right at the base of plants, near the roots.
Potato foliage can be kept snug with an insulating layer of fleece, removed during the day to allow maximum sunlight penetration. Potatoes need a period of dormancy before they can sprout into a new plant, so in this case you really will need to start...
Plants Related to this Article Apple (Dwarf) Grow Guide Pear (Dwarf) Grow Guide Plum (Dwarf) Grow Guide < All Guides For larger cooking apples you're looking for around 6-9 inches (15-23cm) between fruits.
If that all sounds a bit grim, it is. Greenhouse whitefly are tiny but can seriously weaken plants Greenhouse Whitefly Organic Controls Whitefly can strike any time from the middle of summer.
Keep on Picking to Keep Plants Producing The first rule with any fruit or pod-producing vegetable is to keep up with the picking. Top up mulches with new material. Or why not make your own liquid feed from fast-growing, nutrient-rich plants such as comfrey?
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.
And they go a long way in the kitchen too, more than earning them the space they need to grow. Sow two to three seeds per cell about half an inch (1cm) deep. This avoids unnecessary root disturbance, helping the seedlings to quickly adapt to their new...
LED lighting is low cost, versatile and doesn't use much electricity. Bamboo contributes a welcome rustle if you haven't got many trees or shrubs nearby to sway and shuffle in the breeze.
The fall growing season has many attractions, including fewer weeds, milder temperatures, and the opportunity to try special radishes that are happiest growing at the season's tail end.
One of my favorites deals with that glut goliath, the zucchini. As you'd expect, there are many thousands of chutney recipes. Plants Related to this Article Cucumber Grow Guide Zucchini Grow Guide Beans (Pole) Grow Guide Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant...
Harvesting and Storing Rutabagas Rutabagas make rapid growth once they become established, producing a profusion of leaves that show the plants' crossed genetic heritage. Spacing is important, too, because crowded rutabagas will grow huge tops with skinny...
If you save seeds we'd love to hear your top tips for doing so – don't be shy, please drop us a comment below! < All Guides As with any vegetable, it's important to choose the very best plants to collect seed from.
It produces abundant white, pink, salmon, red or yellow flowers. For example, if you want a 20-foot hedge, set four plants at 5-foot intervals, to allow room for fast-growing oleander to fill in properly.Fill in soil around plants.
Don't bang the pot too hard, or the pot may break.Place the ivy pot into a drainage tray. Bang the bottom of the pot onto a flat surface to collapse air pockets in the soil. This potting soil is sold at garden supply stores.Turn the ivy pot upside down...
If your plant seems flat, try a brighter location.thrives outdoors all year only in the warm climatesIf you are in the habit of putting your potted medicinal aloe outside during summer or on warm winter afternoons, bring it back inside before the temperature...
If you run into any sections that do not tease apart, repeat the process with that section. Let's look at how to revive a plant and how to how to replant a potted plant.One of the first steps you need to take for reviving plants is to prune both the top...
For example, the “eye” of a black-eyed pea is the hilum. The hilum is easy to find on beans and peas. This technique is also known as scarification.Which seeds need to be nicked?
Enlarged seeds, and cracks on the seed coat, also indicate sprouting.You cannot dry and store seeds that are in different stages of germination. It is not advisable to try and save healthy seeds from the lot because mold spores can survive drying.
This can give a flower bed a unique charm and lively color. Only allow a certain number of flowers to seed in order to start early containment. Reseeding is simply this process. The little guys can come up anywhere,, but that is half the fun.
