It's essential to make sure that no weedkiller has been used on the grass, as any residues may harm your crops. Neighbours might also let you rake up their leaves, or may even be glad to deliver them to your garden just to be rid of them! Leaves can be...
Extra reinforcement is not needed for block retaining walls less than 18 inches (45cm) high. A terraced vegetable garden stabilized by raw wood follows similar processes, only from the side.
Kale seedlings ready to transplant atop buried caches of summer compost 2. Fall-sown legumes like winter peas boost soil nitrogen when allowed to grow until they begin to bloom in spring 3.
There are some reliable methods to ripen green tomatoes at the end of the season. You can even add an apple or banana (two generous ethylene producers) to the bag to speed ripening still further.
Photo by Rosser1954 Sunken, dead and often oozing areas of bark will become apparent from spring and early summer, and shoots may die back. Make sure your tools are sharp and sturdy enough for the job; hand pruners can be used for very small twigs, but...
You can store them in containers, thread them into a chili ristra, grind them into a paste and even infuse oil or vinegar with these warming wonders. Keep them whole or halved for dropping into spicy homemade curries, or pulverise them first – in the...
Here are a few ideas to help. Two watering cans are better than one! Don't Blast Your Plants A strong spray from a hose can knock plants about or blast potting soil out of containers.
You should have no problems holding them back for an extra month or two provided conditions remain cool but frost-free. If time allows you to grow your spuds in the ground, pick a warm, sunny spot to ensure the quickest growth and the best chances of...
Early summer offers us a tempting taste of what's to come in the fruit garden. Nectarines should be thinned once to six inches (15cm) apart. This usually includes the odd-shaped ‘king' fruit at the center of the cluster.
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...
Beets are also high in folate, dietary fiber, antioxidants and betaine, which aids in lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, and vascular disease. If you are a beet lover, there are many types of beets to experiment growing in the garden.
Aim to water regularly for consistent soil moisture, which will translate into plenty of well-formed fruits and pods, free of problems such as blossom end rot or cracking. A regular liquid feed will result in better quality fruits for longer 4.
For more targeted protection, cabbage collars are used to prevent cabbage root flies from laying their eggs. Also try trap-cropping using a pest's favorite food to make your crops less appealing to them.
For lots of gardeners a vegetable plot isn't complete without that ever-dependable staple: cabbage! Shredded into a slaw, stir-fried, steamed or baked, there's not much you can't do with cabbage.
Avid gardeners are busy gardeners. The towel wicks moisture away from the pot, which then evaporates. Climbers, particularly scented climbers like jasmine, honeysuckle or rambling roses are also perfect for this purpose and may be trained up an arch positioned...
Wonderful Watermelon Radishes The round radishes with red interiors called watermelon radishes have a more poetic name in their native home of China – shin ri mei , or “beauty in the heart.” These round radishes grow to 4 inches (10cm) in diameter,...
Like a fine wine, chutney matures with age as all the ingredients meld into a delicious symphony of flavors. As you'd expect, there are many thousands of chutney recipes. It uses 900g (2lb) of the fruits together with a large onion and a cooking apple.
The most stalwart members of the turnip tribe, rutabagas are a rustic cross between wild turnip and cultivated cabbage that came about in Scandinavia, Russia or perhaps Lithuania in the late Middle Ages.
First check the seeds are ready by opening up a seed pod to observe the seeds inside. Scrape out the seeds from ripe chili peppers then dry them before storing Saving Pepper & Tomato Seeds The seeds of tomatoes and peppers are ready when the fruits themselves...
Then, get them planted right away. Most plants in thefamilies also have impermeable seed coats and will germinate better after scarification.Seeds that have a low germination rate or that are scarce should also be carefully nicked to increase the chances...
It is not advisable to try and save healthy seeds from the lot because mold spores can survive drying. Dry on paper towels and store separately from other seeds. Dry thoroughly in the shade or under a fan.
These plants don't sow themselves in well behaved rows but in unruly abundance, and mix among themselves. Seeds fall or get scattered by animals, birds and wind. One of the best bangs for your gardening buck is a reseeding plant.
You can smear some honey directly on your cutting or, if you want, mix up a tea of 1 tbsp. Cool the tea back down to room temperature before using it, and store it in a dark place.
For example; peat, wood fiber, and manure absorb more water than bioplastics and rice hulls. They are durable enough for short term production, and can be planted directly into the ground.Once in the ground roots are able to grow through the walls.
It's a good idea to remove the cover as soon as the seeds germinate, but if you want to leave the cover until the seedlings are larger, poke holes in the plastic or remove the dome periodically to allow air circulation.Peat pots are convenient, but they...
This method gives you two plants instead of just one.– Mound layering is used for heavy-stemmed shrubs and trees. This allows you to create a number of fresh new plants where you formerly only had bare stems, and will make perfect copies of your favorite...
Take a small paintbrush and swirl it inside the flower of a plant of the same variety and species, then swirl the paintbrush inside the flower you have selected.If the flower is large, you can tie the flower shut with some string or a twist tie.
