I have been gardening on a slope for more than 10 years, and every season I learn a little more about the hillside and its potential. Raised Beds for a Sloping Vegetable Garden Building a terraced vegetable garden is basically making raised beds on a...
Get Ready for Planting Garlic Finally, it's never too soon to get ready to plant garlic, which deserves loose, deeply dug soil that has been generously amended with compost. The corn plants may not use up all the fertilizer applied to the row middles,...
Reducing the amount of water you give plants is the best way to ‘stress out' plants. This odorless, tasteless gas is the vital catalyst that turns under-ripe green fruit to red, yellow and many a color in between.
Consider cutting back overhanging foliage and act promptly to remove spent crops so that those remaining enjoy plenty of sunshine and good air circulation. None of these techniques are exactly rocket science, but by applying each you'll almost certainly...
Hold your nerve, and if your predatory platoon of frogs, hoverflies, ladybugs and so on is in place, you can achieve, if not an outright conquest, then at least peaceable relations with all the inhabitants of your garden.
Or sow into trays or pots then transfer the best seedlings into individual cells or pots to grow on. 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.
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. Good-quality strings of solar-powered fairy lights can be bought for very little outlay.
Then factor in that daikons are a pickler's dream, whether you ferment them in a salt brine or turn them into spicy Vietnamese-style refrigerator pickles. Watermelon radishes have stiff, serrated leaves that resemble those of turnip, and the only tricks...
To freeze, slice vegetables then blanch (boil) them for one to five minutes. Plants Related to this Article Cucumber Grow Guide Zucchini Grow Guide Beans (Pole) Grow Guide Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant Diseases Squash Bug Guide Squash Vine Borer...
Thin direct-sown rutabagas gradually to at least 8 inches (20cm) apart. Some people find young rutabaga leaves quite palatable, but if you are looking for super nutrition from rutabagas, sprouts are the way to go.
Once the plant displays its fluffy seed heads, pull it out of the ground and hang it upside down indoors to dry. Easy: by saving your own seed from this year's crops to sow next season.
Once that's done, step back again and look over your tree. Plants Related to this Article Plum (Dwarf) Grow Guide Plum (Large) Grow Guide < All Guides Make your cut so that it slopes away from the bud to help rain to drip off.
Even thorough scrubbing fails to remove all traces of chilli pepper's spicy capsaicin; as you might imagine, a careless rub of the eye during a momentary lapse of concentration can be painful.
Balance and Speed Using a watering can? I hope you've found some of these ideas handy. The moisture in the drill will drain through, encouraging the seedling's roots to follow. The solution is to wet the seed drill before sowing, to give them the cool,...
Seed potatoes for second cropping are sold by garden suppliers and potato merchants anytime from mid to late summer. Check the shoots periodically for aphids and plant them before they begin to wither.
Aim to leave about 4-6 inches (10-15cm) between individual apples of eating varieties. Selectively removing young fruits is called thinning. The main benefit of thinning to the gardener is to give those fruits that remain the space they need to grow into...
Grow some of them next to the greenhouse door to tempt these beneficial bugs closer. Gross as it is, Encarsia formosa are formidable at controlling whitefly within a greenhouse. Greenhouse (or glasshouse) whitefly are closely related to aphids but a touch...
Companions Beet, Chamomile, Carrot, Strawberry, Lettuce, Chinese Cabbage and Cabbage. Remove infested plants. Crop Rotation Group Allium (Onion family) ● Soil Fertile, well drained soil with compost dug in.
Preventing Problems: Plants including buckwheat, borage, catnip and radishes attract numerous beneficial that can help control cucumber beetles. You can also try growing varieties like ‘Little Leaf' and slicing cucumbers, which lack the bitter gene...
Crop Rotation Group Miscellaneous ● Soil Any average, well drained soil. Feeding Not generally needed. A good companion for any crop that needs strong defense from insects. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Borage...
Managing Outbreaks: Remove badly damaged plants, as the maggots can move from one plant to another. Beneficial nematodes are the only effective treatment for this pest. At the end of each season, be sure to pull all onions from the garden.
Store in airtight container. Troubleshooting Control valerian's spread by cutting back flowering stems before they can shed seeds in your garden. Companions Echinacea, Catnip, Agastache and Dill.
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 has an established clump.
Cover the bulbs to four times their depth with loose soil. Troubleshooting Tulips are often eaten by deer and squirrels. Perennial candytuft makes an ideal companion plant. Companions Daylily, Catnip, Bells of Ireland and Salvia.
Some varieties produce white or pink blossoms. Troubleshooting White ageratum blossoms go brown as they age, which is not as noticeable in varieties that bloom blue. In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth.
Position Full sun. Set out after the last frost has passed, when the soil is warm and settled. Troubleshooting Watch for leaf-eating tomato hornworms, and pick them off. Store at room temperature.
Position Sun or partial shade. 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 to keep it moist.
