As the wood decays, mycelium from the wood-feeding fungi also infiltrate adjoining soil. In this way, retaining logs or boards have what you might call a hugelkultur effect. An ideal design is comprised of beds sized to fit the hillside in ways that make...
In the row where next year's tomatoes and peppers will go, I like to sow nitrogen-fixing legumes like hairy vetch, crimson clover, or Austrian winter peas, or a blend that includes vetches, grains and clovers.
Delicate fruits such as peaches or nectarines need very careful handing to avoid bruising. 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...
In cooler climates, now may be the time to wash off or remove any greenhouse shading, to trap more of the late summer sunshine. Keep Watering for Best Fruit Quality All vegetables need water, but fruit and pod-producing vegetables are particularly thirsty.
In very extreme cases, if all else fails, use certified organic pest control products. Not only can it be used to create protective tunnels for the likes of brassicas (for instance to exclude cabbage white butterflies ), it can be turned into a vertical...
And with a little planning it's even possible to enjoy cabbages year round, by planting a carefully curated succession of varieties suited to each season. In very cold regions, growing cabbages in a greenhouse or cold frame is a great way to guarantee...
If you're patient, why not lay down plans for a country wine or two? It doesn't have to be grandiose; a self-contained fountain powered by a small electric pump brings the soothing gurgle of water while offering local wildlife somewhere to drink, preen...
Asian radishes grow slower than little salad radishes, so they are best planted about eight weeks before your first frost date. Expect to be inspired by these long-storing beauties.
Tougher vegetables, such as carrots, need four. 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...
The best rutabagas are harvested from cool soil after autumn leaves start to fall. A little goes a long way, so allow only three pinches per plant. Rutabaga seeds sprout quickly, with shade-grown seedlings ready to transplant in only three weeks.
Saving these vegetable seeds isn't challenging and it's amazing how many seeds you can get from just a few plants. But how can you take your vegetable growing one step further? See our video and article How to Prepare and Store Seeds from Your Tomato...
Make your cut so that it slopes away from the bud to help rain to drip off. Don't leave a stub of branch sticking out – it will only die back and could introduce disease. It's not uncommon on plums and related plants, and in the absence of the distinctive...
When to Harvest Chili Peppers for Drying You don't need to wait until your chilies turn colour before you pick them. Plants Related to this Article Chili Pepper Grow Guide Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant Diseases Greenhouse Whitefly Guide Cutworm Guide...
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. Balance and Speed Using a watering can?
Planting Second Crop Potatoes Second-crop potatoes take about three months to reach maturity. Potatoes can be enjoyed immediately, but if you want to have a shot at keeping them until Christmas leave the spuds untouched in containers, keeping the compost...
Early summer offers us a tempting taste of what's to come in the fruit garden. Now remove the smallest fruits and any that are awkwardly positioned. Some fruits, particularly plums, can become exceptionally heavy if they aren't thinned, leading branches...
They appear from seemingly nowhere and colonize plants fast – they're certainly contenders for the most efficient-at-reproducing-and-spreading pest! How to Identify Greenhouse Whitefly For those unfamiliar with whitefly (lucky you!) here's a quick description...
Remove infested plants. Troubleshooting Onion root maggots can cause plants to collapse. In clay soil, use raised beds or rows. Notes Used in place of onions for concentrated flavor.
You can also try growing varieties like ‘Little Leaf' and slicing cucumbers, which lack the bitter gene and are less attractive to the cucumber beetles. Tips: Most conventionally grown cucumbers and melons are grown with dangerous systemic pesticides,...
Troubleshooting Beware of sleepy bees when pruning or otherwise working with mature borage plants. A good companion for any crop that needs strong defense from insects. Borage attracts large buzzing insects that dominate their air space.
Beneficial nematodes are the only effective treatment for this pest. They lay eggs at the base of onion plants, and the larvae tunnel into onion roots. Onion root maggots Onion root maggots Onion root maggots in garlic Onion root maggots in garlic Onion...
Gather them for use as cut flowers to keep valerian from reseeding and becoming invasive. Spacing Single Plants: 2' 11" (90cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 2' 11" (90cm) with 2' 11" (90cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Start with a purchased plant, or start...
Troubleshooting Control lemon balm's spread by cutting back flowering stems in late summer. Gather stems for drying or steeping into tinctures in early summer, just before the plants bloom.
Allow 4in (10cm) between bulbs of miniature tulips, and 6in (15cm) between taller varieties. Troubleshooting Tulips are often eaten by deer and squirrels. Cover the bulbs to four times their depth with loose soil.
Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. Tall varieties often are grown as cut flowers. Companions Thyme and Osteospermum.
Frost tolerant No. Feeding Weekly liquid feed or seaweed drench from mid summer onwards. Notes Bushy determinate plants can be tied to stakes, but long-bearing indeterminate varieties need a sturdy cage or trellis.
Frost tolerant Yes. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. Germination often takes up to 2 weeks. Crop Rotation Group Umbelliferae (Carrot and root family) ● Soil Deeply worked soil that...
