Logs and untreated boards need replacing every few years, but this is part of their value in a terraced vegetable garden. Then use a measuring tape to estimate the site's rise (elevation gain) and run (distance from front to back).
There are dozens of cold-tolerant species from which to choose, or you can use a cover crop blend offered by your favorite seed company - a great way to get to know clovers, mustards, vetches and other green manure plants.
The bag will trap any ethylene gas produced by the fruit, encouraging it to ripen to perfection. Fellow blogger Barbara Pleasant recommends gathering the first fruits of the season before they are mature, at the ‘breaker' stage when they show the very...
Or why not make your own liquid feed from fast-growing, nutrient-rich plants such as comfrey? It will also avoid the annoyance of fruits splitting, which happens when they have dried out too much then receive a sudden deluge of water.
Improve the Garden Environment Many pest predators, such as hoverflies (syrphid flies) are also nectar lovers and pollinators, so grow battalions of flowers near – or even in – your vegetable patch.
After they've germinated, thin to leave just one seedling per cell. Winter cabbages are very hardy but during exceptionally cold weather they may need some form of cold protection such as a row cover tunnel or cloche.
Consider the look and feel of the bench, which will become a feature in its own right. For this, nothing beats a water feature. Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of your garden while the weather's still clement – or ways to improve it for...
Popular varieties include ‘Red Meat', ‘Mantanghong', ‘Misato Rose' and ‘Stargazer'. The popularity of purple daikons is growing fast, so don't be surprised to see ‘Sweet Baby' and other purple daikon radishes at local farmers markets later this...
Use them to bridge the gap to next season's abundance. A few of these techniques hark back to a time when putting aside some of the growing season's plenty was essential to guarantee survival through the long, cold months.
I like to sidestep hot summer sun by starting the seedlings indoors and setting them out when it's cloudy, but the seeds are such willing germinators that they also can be direct-sown into a prepared row and thinned to proper spacing.
So here's how to do it... But if you need the space, you can hurry things along by cutting the heads a little earlier. Store them somewhere cool, dry and dark until you're ready to sow in spring.
It's harder for the trees to resist the disease in winter, so again summer pruning is the safer option. Oozing bark, though alarming, isn't necessarily a sign of the disease. Soft shoots can be pinched out with your thumb and forefinger.
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 –...
This technique ensures a really thorough watering that makes very efficient use of water. Once you're done sowing, cover the seeds back over but don't water again until after germination.
You can save your own seed potatoes for second cropping by keeping some of your spring seeds back. The easiest way to grow second-crop spuds is in containers . Plants Related to this Article Potatoes (Early) Grow Guide Potatoes (Maincrop) Grow Guide Bugs,...
Selectively removing young fruits is called thinning. It also stops trees from cropping heavily one year, only to produce very few fruits the next – a phenomenon known as biennial bearing.
Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant Diseases Greenhouse Whitefly Guide < All Guides They'll feast on aphids too. Whitefly love the color yellow and will flock to the cards, only to get stuck and meet their end.
Spacing Single Plants: 5" (15cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 3" (10cm) with 5" (15cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Set individual cloves in prepared ground in the fall. In clay soil, use raised beds or rows.
Floating row covers are the most dependable way to protect plants. The Western version is slightly larger. Damage: Striped cucumber beetles emerge in late spring and immediately begin feeding on cucumber, melon and squash seedlings.
Feeding Not generally needed. Frost tolerant Seedlings will survive light frosts, but older plants are easily damaged. A fresh crop of plants can be planted in late summer for bloom in the fall.
Damage: When young onion plants wilt for no apparent reason, pull up a sample plant to check for legless worms (maggots) feeding on it roots. At the end of each season, be sure to pull all onions from the garden.
Often planted with low, mound-forming herbs and flowers. Troubleshooting Control valerian's spread by cutting back flowering stems before they can shed seeds in your garden. Store in airtight container.
Lemon balm can be transplanted from early spring to early summer. Position Any sunny spot. Frost tolerant A cold-hardy perennial, lemon balm can survive temperatures to -20F (-30C).
As the flowers fade in the garden, trim them off with scissors or pruning shears. Perennial candytuft makes an ideal companion plant. Position Full sun. Hot pepper sprays help to deter these nibblers.
Companions Thyme and Osteospermum. Troubleshooting White ageratum blossoms go brown as they age, which is not as noticeable in varieties that bloom blue. Some varieties produce white or pink blossoms.
Frost tolerant No. Feeding Weekly liquid feed or seaweed drench from mid summer onwards. Harvesting Pick regularly as soon as the fruits turn color but are still firm. Notes Bushy determinate plants can be tied to stakes, but long-bearing indeterminate...
Frost tolerant Yes. Notes Thin seedlings to proper spacing when they are 4 inches tall. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
