An ideal design is comprised of beds sized to fit the hillside in ways that make them easy to plant and maintain. There are no rules on the materials you choose provided they don't leach nasty chemicals into the soil, as can happen with treated lumber...
It gets better: The cut corn stalks made handy weights for securing the edges of the cover. Worth going for, don't you think? Most of the seeds succumb to winter, but there is always an assortment of volunteer seedlings that appear around my deadhead...
To do this, plunge a spade into the ground about 25cm (10in) away from the central stem. Simply lay these soft-skinned beauties, stem-side down and not touching, between two layers of breathable linen.
And if you're heading away from home for more than a week, encourage your neighbors to harvest them – they'll get free food and you'll come home to continued pickings! Keep picking to keep the harvests coming 2.
No food gardener's armory is complete without a length of fine mesh netting. To make a cabbage collar, simply slit a circle of thick cardboard to the middle then place it around a brassica plant's stem at the soil line.
Harvest cabbages once the heads have firmed up How to Harvest Cabbage Use a sharp knife to cut your cabbages once the heads have firmed up. Cabbage heads, or hearts, can be rounded or conical, with leaves that are light green, dark green, red or purple.
Good-quality strings of solar-powered fairy lights can be bought for very little outlay. Consider the look and feel of the bench, which will become a feature in its own right. Make your own flower pot beer cooler – no tools required! And how about this...
Unharvested daikons make a good winter cover crop because the big roots drill deep holes into the soil, which are then enriched by the rotting radishes. Watermelon radishes have stiff, serrated leaves that resemble those of turnip, and the only tricks...
Many recipes abound, so it's worth rooting around in books and the Internet to find the ones you love. Tougher vegetables, such as carrots, need four. Chutneys are simply magnificent, capable of storing in the cupboard for many months.
Some people find young rutabaga leaves quite palatable, but if you are looking for super nutrition from rutabagas, sprouts are the way to go. I like to sidestep hot summer sun by starting the seedlings indoors and setting them out when it's cloudy, but...
But how can you take your vegetable growing one step further? You'll be able to see and feel the beans swelling within their pods. You can get a lot of seeds from just a few plants, which makes saving these seeds very worthwhile indeed.
Photo by Rosser1954 Sunken, dead and often oozing areas of bark will become apparent from spring and early summer, and shoots may die back. Don't use a wound paint or wrap to try and seal the wound.
Fellow GrowVeg blogger Barbara also has a truly scrumptious recipe for chili paste – it comes tried, tested and thoroughly approved! Of course, if you've got other ideas for storing and using dried chili peppers then don't hesitate to let me know –...
Provide shade to help seedlings thrive during a heatwave Add Some Shade Young seedlings, and cool-season crops in general, perform better under the protection of some shading in hot summers.
Potato foliage can be kept snug with an insulating layer of fleece, removed during the day to allow maximum sunlight penetration. Protecting Potatoes from the Cold Containers have the obvious advantage of being portable, so when cold weather threatens...
Finally, continue thinning until the fruits are evenly spaced, leaving only the biggest and healthiest. Start by cutting away any misshapen, damaged or scarred fruits. But thinning further can help trees to stay in good shape and produce a more useful...
Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant Diseases Greenhouse Whitefly Guide < All Guides You can buy them on cards primed with ready-to-hatch pupae to hang up near infected plants. Then, when the eggs hatch, the young Encarsia feed on the larvae from the inside...
Notes Used in place of onions for concentrated flavor. Companions Beet, Chamomile, Carrot, Strawberry, Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage and Cabbage. Alternatively, plant first thing in spring, or grow from seed and set out seedlings in early spring.
On cool mornings, place a piece of cardboard beneath plants to catch beetles you knock to the ground. Preventing Problems: Plants including buckwheat, borage, catnip and radishes attract numerous beneficial that can help control cucumber beetles.
Blossom clusters make beautiful but short-lived cut flowers or edible garnishes. A fresh crop of plants can be planted in late summer for bloom in the fall. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your...
Dig and move perennial onions every fall. Be sure to get covers installed early, before the newly emerged adults fly in search of host plants. Preventing Problems: Floating row covers (fleece) are an effective way to prevent egg laying by adults.
Frost tolerant Extremely cold hardy, even in harsh winter climates. Harvesting Dig roots in fall or early spring and dry outdoors, because they release an unpleasant smell as they dry.
Notes Lemon balm is very easy to grow. Spacing Single Plants: 1' 11" (60cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 1' 11" (60cm) with 1' 11" (60cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Start with a purchased plant, or obtain a rooted piece from a friend or neighbour who...
Planting tulips behind daylilies or other summer-blooming perennials hides the fading foliage from view. Hot pepper sprays help to deter these nibblers. Position Full sun. Cover the bulbs to four times their depth with loose soil.
Frost tolerant None. Notes Blue ageratum provides excellent contrast when combined with flowers with orange blossoms. In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth.
Harvesting Pick regularly as soon as the fruits turn color but are still firm. Set out after the last frost has passed, when the soil is warm and settled. Crop Rotation Group Solanaceae (Potato and tomato family) ● Soil Rich soil with plenty of compost...
Notes Thin seedlings to proper spacing when they are 4 inches tall. Spacing Single Plants: 7" (20cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 7" (20cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Sow direct into soil, and cover the seeded bed or furrow with a board...
