Shredded prunings are great for mulching and path surfaces Most gardens containing shrubs or trees produce lots of small prunings every year. They can then be added more thickly to the soil if you wish.
Natural stone is often free if you live in a mountainous area, and as long as you stack a low wall so that it tilts slightly backward, into the slope, it should need only minor restacking at the beginning of each season.
I like to collect some to replant or share at my community seed swap, but I also dump many seed-bearing poppies, calendulas, cosmos, marigolds, nasturtiums and zinnias onto a bed where I'll know to look for seedlings in the spring.
If the variety you're growing is heavy cropping, you could continue picking early on in order to maintain a balance between ready-to-eat peppers and those that are lined up and earmarked for consumption over the coming days.
Top up mulches with new material. It's naturally full of potassium, which fruit and pod-bearing plants love. You can let us know by dropping us a comment below. Remove covers during the day to enable pollination, then replace it in the evening to provide...
Simply leave some areas of your garden unmanicured, or you can install a bug hotel . Compost any remaining plant debris from the beds once the crop is cleared to prevent pests hiding out under leaves or in dead stems, and give greenhouses and hoop houses...
Wire mesh will protect seedlings against pigeons, but to stop butterflies from laying their eggs on the leaves it's best to use netting during the summer months. Netting protects cabbages from pests such as cabbage white butterflies Caring for Cabbage...
Bamboo adds gentle sound and movement to the garden An Evening Outdoor Retreat What remains of the warmer evenings may be enhanced with a little lighting. Easy DIY Drinks Cooler On hot summer days don't forget to quench your thirst with all manner of...
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.
No matter how meticulous you are with planning crop timings, there's always going to be a hardcore of homegrown hooligans that arrive en masse, intimidating gardeners with more fresh produce than can be coped with! Common culprits include the likes of...
Thin direct-sown rutabagas gradually to at least 8 inches (20cm) apart. Rutabaga growth slows as the days become short, and the oldest leaves often shrivel and may be cut away. Plants Related to this Article Rutabaga Grow Guide Bugs, Beneficial Insects...
If they are black then you are good to go. Fava beans can cross-pollinate with other varieties, so only save seeds from these beans if you are growing just one variety. You've sown it, grown it and harvested it.
Cut through a branch for a certain diagnosis. But remember, plums fruit on young wood. Plum trees may produce generous harvests of some of the most mouth-wateringly juicy fruits, but they're not without their problems.
You can use your dried chilies as needed, or infuse whole fruits in sterilized bottles filled with olive oil to make chilli oil. Fellow GrowVeg blogger Barbara also has a truly scrumptious recipe for chili paste – it comes tried, tested and thoroughly...
Try two – one for each hand. Another option is to use a portable tank to cart water to where it'll be dispensed. The moisture in the drill will drain through, encouraging the seedling's roots to follow.
You can also protect plants against light frosts by wrapping the container in layers of corrugated cardboard or bubble wrap. Cover them over then once the stems reach about 20cm (8in) tall, begin earthing up by drawing the soil up around the stems to...
Additional thinning of tree fruits ensures there's less chance of fruits rubbing together, which can lead to diseases like rot. Plums are notorious for over-producing – with often-disastrous results.
Then, when the eggs hatch, the young Encarsia feed on the larvae from the inside out. It's that time of year again, when wafts – nay, clouds – of whitefly lay siege to summer favorites like tomatoes and cabbage.
Harvesting Harvest in early summer when the tops begin to fail, and the bulbs have divided into several plump bulblets. In clay soil, use raised beds or rows. Spacing Single Plants: 5" (15cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 3" (10cm) with 5" (15cm) row gap (minimum)...
You can also coat the fingertips of a yellow rubber glove with petroleum jelly to make it easier to collect any beetles clustered in blossoms. The Western version is slightly larger.
Companions Tomato, Squash, Strawberry and Pepper. Frost tolerant Seedlings will survive light frosts, but older plants are easily damaged. Large plants produce edible, starry blue flowers that attract bees in droves.
Be sure to get covers installed early, before the newly emerged adults fly in search of host plants. Tips: Yellow sticky traps or yellow pans of water can be used to monitor and trap onion flies.
Valerian can stand 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall when it is in full bloom. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. Frost tolerant Extremely cold hardy, even in harsh winter climates.
Locate it where leaves can be conveniently picked, crushed and sniffed. Position Any sunny spot. Lemon balm can be transplanted from early spring to early summer. Notes Lemon balm is very easy to grow.
In less than full sun, tulip blossoms will twist toward the strongest directional light. As the flowers fade in the garden, trim them off with scissors or pruning shears. Hot pepper sprays help to deter these nibblers.
Dwarf types make good edging plants for beds and containers. Most gardeners buy ageratum seedlings, but only dwarf varieties are widely available as bedding plants. Frost tolerant None.
Black patches on the bottom of fruits are a nutritional disorder best prevented by growing tomatoes in well-prepared soil with constant light moisture. Crop Rotation Group Solanaceae (Potato and tomato family) ● Soil Rich soil with plenty of compost...
