Perennial Planting Guide

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.

Cool-season cover crops are a beautiful and bioactive way to increase your soil's organic matter content during the off season, and you won't need a tractor to chop down the plants when the time comes.

What tricks do you use? This may seem like bizarre advice, but by making a plant work harder it will concentrate more of its efforts on fruit production and ripening. There are some reliable methods to ripen green tomatoes at the end of the season.

Bacterial Canker in Plum Trees Bacterial canker is another serious disease that affects plums and other trees of the same plant family ( Prunus ). Soft shoots can be pinched out with your thumb and forefinger.

Keep them whole or halved for dropping into spicy homemade curries, or pulverise them first – in the food processor or with the end of a weighty rolling pin (somewhat noisy but strangely satisfying!).

Balance and Speed Using a watering can? Another option is to use a portable tank to cart water to where it'll be dispensed. Some can even be fitted to water barrels, so you can make the most of any rainwater you've managed to collect.

If you thought growing potatoes was hugely satisfying, second-crop potatoes will prove even more so! Give your holiday season dinners a home-grown boost and try them for yourself. The seeds are exactly the same as those sold for spring planting, only...

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.

As well as tomatoes and cabbage family crops, particular whitefly favorites include peppers, eggplant, strawberries, cucumbers, pumpkin, okra and sweet potato. Here are five tactical techniques to help you banish the bugs: 1.

To prolong storage life, it's also important to trim off the leaves as the radishes are harvested. Some people rate the leaves as edible, but I'd rather hold out for the large, red-skinned roots, which pop up out of the ground when they're ready.

Making Pickles and Chutneys Pickles – raw vegetables preserved in spiced vinegar – and chutneys – vegetables and/or fruits cooked slowly with herbs, spices, sugar and vinegar – are a must for any kitchen gardener travelling on the road to self-sufficiency.

Rutabaga sprouts are loaded with antioxidants. They will keep in good condition for two months or more, should they last that long. By any name, they are a top storage crop to grow in the fall garden.

Spread the seeds out on paper to dry out for a week or more before storing. Seeds should be stored in paper envelopes labeled with the variety and date. Saving Onion & Leek Seeds Onions, leeks and shallots set seed in their second year.

They will root during the winter, and multiply into a cluster in late spring or early summer. Crop Rotation Group Allium (Onion family) ● Soil Fertile, well drained soil with compost dug in.

Delaying spring planting by two weeks can often help with cucumber beetles management. Striped cucumber beetle [Credit: CamPixie ] Striped cucumber beetle [Credit: CamPixie ] Host Plants: On Crops: Cucumbers, melons, squash Where Found: Most of North...

Feeding Not generally needed. Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Any average, well drained soil. Spacing Single Plants: 1' 1" (35cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 11" (30cm) with 1' 11" (60cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Plant the large seeds in...

Onion root maggots Onion root maggots Onion root maggots in garlic Onion root maggots in garlic Onion fly larvae burrow into plant roots Onion fly larvae burrow into plant roots Onion flies lay eggs at the base on onion plants Onion flies lay eggs at...

Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Valerian Aphids (General) Slug Snail Plants die back to the ground in winter and re-emerge in spring. Harvesting Dig roots in fall or early spring and dry outdoors, because they...

You also can start seeds in late winter, and set out the seedlings in spring. Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Rich well-drained soil. Position Any sunny spot. Frost tolerant A cold-hardy perennial, lemon balm can survive temperatures to -20F...

Planting tulips behind daylilies or other summer-blooming perennials hides the fading foliage from view. Feeding Topdress with rich compost in spring, when new growth appears. As the flowers fade in the garden, trim them off with scissors or pruning shears.

Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Ageratum Aphids (General) Slug Snail Ageratum cannot tolerate cold temperatures. Notes Blue ageratum provides excellent contrast when combined with flowers with orange blossoms.

Crop Rotation Group Solanaceae (Potato and tomato family) ● Soil Rich soil with plenty of compost mixed in before planting. Companions Marigold, Broccoli, Chives, Mint, Borage, Parsley, Basil, Pepper, Asparagus, Monarda, Lettuce, Garlic, Dill and Calendula.

Crop Rotation Group Umbelliferae (Carrot and root family) ● Soil Deeply worked soil that has not had compost or manure added withing 6 months. Feeding Not required. Can be left in the soil through winter in many areas.

Frost tolerant Yes Feeding Mulch with well-rotted organic matter in spring. Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Prefers well-drained loamy or sandy soil. A wide hole is better than a very deep one.

Try growing different varieties from seed to explore differences in bulb color, size and shape. Crop Rotation Group Allium (Onion family) ● Soil Fertile, well drained soil with compost dug in.

Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Cantaloupe Aphids (General) Slug Snail Plant Diseases which Affect Cantaloupe Cucumber Mosaic Virus Squash Bacterial Wilt Squash Blossom Blight Squash Downy Mildew Squash Powdery...

Apple maggot trap Apple maggot trap Apple maggot fly [Credit: Elena Dadale Jones ] Apple maggot fly [Credit: Elena Dadale Jones ] Host Plants: In the garden: Hawthorn On Crops: Apple Where Found: Much of North America Description: Small black flies with...