How To Use Rooting Powder

Sometimes breaking the rules turns out OK. I had read that early-sprouting radishes can be a great way to help mark the rows where slow-germinating carrots are planted. This should prevent any breakage, but don't be too afraid to break the rules!

If the roots hit even a tiny pebble, they'll fork or grow into a twisted, gnarled form. Properly preparing a carrot bed can be a real chore that requires carefully tilling the soil to break up any large clods and screening it to remove stones and other...

Mature beet greens can be steamed, braised or sauteed before enjoying their delicious flavor. Store harvested, unwashed roots in a plastic bag in the fridge, after cutting off their tops.

To harvest the bulbs, dig up the entire clump and carefully crack the bulbs apart. They'll last for many months. Leave the rest of the bulbs in place for later harvest. With a mild, onion-like flavor, shallots are real champs in the kitchen, flavoring...

Homegrown beets taste nothing like their processed counterparts. The queen of the spring garden, radishes thrive in cold temperatures. For best results, plant the seeds according to package instructions as early as four to eight weeks before your last...

In the 1960s, California growers faced a serious virus problem called Russet Crack disease. Surprisingly, one problem new growers sometimes have is that they fail to harvest before the potatoes become too large for market preferences.

The body of the cactus is bluish green, stocky and made up of short stems that hug the ground.The entire plant is covered in silky white hairs that cover the red or yellow curved spines that also coat the entire cactus.

In general, fennel needs a good amount of sunlight, but for a solid spring crop, consider planting near sweet corn or another tall crop so that when the sun is more intense, the fennel receives a small amount of shade.

That's a lot of spuds! If you grow potatoes and you don't harvest new potatoes, you're missing out. The process is known as “curing.” When I harvest my mature potato crop, I use a digging or pitch fork to gently lift the entire plant up and out of...

Fresh horseradish root is extremely aromatic and very healthy. It has also been found to be effective as a topical poultice for arthritic joints. I greedily eye my horseradish bed, awaiting the time when I can dig their delicious roots for fresh sauce.

Size: 10 to 12 inches Sunlight requirements: Full sun (will tolerate partial shade) Water requirements: About 1 inch per week—consistent moisture is key, so mulching well is recommended.

Carrots are not drought-tolerant and will sometimes fork, gnarl or turn pithy if the soil gets too dry. Beneficial nematodes are microscopic, worm-like organisms that seek out and attack ground-dwelling pests.

Because phosphorus becomes tied-up and unavailable for plant use at lower pH levels, it's important to maintain an average soil pH of around 6.5 in the vegetable garden in order to enable the plants access to plenty of phosphorous.

I don't know of anyone in this day and age that doesn't need to work on repopulating their digestive workforce. It grows on waste ground in the margins between fields or on the edges of woody areas.

Parsnips are particularly sensitive to thinning or hard weeding near the root because they have a tendency to form a less uniform root if disturbed, the Lowes say. Parsnips For parsnips, you might want to wait until after a frost to harvest, as the flavor...

Direct-seed when soil temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees F. Can harvest throughout the winter when provided with a protective mulch. When to plant: Best planted in late summer for fall harvests, but can be grown season-long.

Sweet Corn Ron Dauphin/Flickr Why They're Easy Corn is fast, competitive, tall and vigorous. Why People Fail Crows and rodents love sweet corn. This will help keep the birds out, though, again, they're smart , so you might need a scarecrow, too! Remove...

Rootnot, white spot and club root are common diseases that may occur. Rutabagas are not overly susceptible to disease problems unless crop rotations are not strictly adhered to or fertility and drainage are inadequate.

Then it was firmly packed into this new pot with wads of sphagnum. On prying the orchid out of its pot, I found the moss was not a topdressing. Realize this and care for the plant accordingly.

Root crops thrive in a pH range between 6 and 7, and they use good amounts of phosphorus and moderate amounts of nitrogen. A yearly, even seasonal, addition of organic matter is not an option; it's a necessity.” Because the edible portion of this vegetable...

The greens are edible, as well. Japanese White Eggplant Beautiful, egg-shaped fruits are produced on heavy-yielding plants. As consumers of fruits and vegetables, the compounds found in these different plant pigments not only provide us with nutrition,...

Planting potatoes in wet soil can lead to rot. This signals that tuber formation has begun. If you find teeth marks on your harvested potatoes, you might need to set a few mousetraps inside sideways, empty tin cans to control them.

Peel the harvested roots with a pairing knife and slice them carefully as the flesh can be quite hard. Preparation can be as simple or as complex as you'd like. Many have a purple tinge to the top of the root, with a pale yellow color inside.

Cut the celery root into 1/2-inch cubes and immerse the slices into the lemon water as you work.2. Peel and dice the potatoes since they will require slightly more time to cook than the celery root.

I pulled up the green bean plants yesterday, too, because after producing several harvests, they simply gave up the ghost and decided to call it quits. I spent a few hours last evening working in my vegetable garden.

This surprisingly tasty bulbous root can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked and used in soups and stews. Celeriac, also called celery root, might not be very pretty, but it sure is tasty.

Once the roots dry out, the texture changes, too. With a flavor I'd describe as mellow, buttery and earthy, a frost-kissed turnip picked at its prime can be the belle of the ball. Instead, store them right in the garden.