Some sites may need only a low stone wall to transform them into good gardening space, while others will require compact beds stacked up like boxes. You can now play with various bed designs and materials, using your drawing as a planning tool.
I won't plant my garlic until October, but between now and then I might sow a quick mustard cover crop to suppress weeds, or use the broadfork to aerate the soil deep down, all the while throwing on more compost.
Some plants produce many tens of fruits over the growing season, so keeping on top of fruit removal may prove to be a daily task. The bag will trap any ethylene gas produced by the fruit, encouraging it to ripen to perfection.
None of these techniques are exactly rocket science, but by applying each you'll almost certainly be able to eke out more from your fruiting and pod-producing vegetables – and others for that matter.
And don't forget to report any pests you see at BigBugHunt.com . Plants Related to this Article Broccoli (Purple Sprouting) Grow Guide Broccoli Grow Guide Cabbage (Summer) Grow Guide Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant Diseases Cabbage Worm Guide Carrot...
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. A bed improved with compost or well-rotted manure is ideal for these hungry feeders, who will appreciate...
Place your beers, wine or sodas inside, then lay a soaked towel over the top. Hang them around outdoor eating areas to extend your enjoyment of the garden long after the sun has dipped beneath the horizon.
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,...
Label each bag with the date and details of what's inside – you'll quickly forget and it can be hard to identify frozen produce through the haze of ice crystals. No matter how meticulous you are with planning crop timings, there's always going to be...
Then store them in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or packed in damp sand or sawdust in a cold basement. Rutabaga sprouts are loaded with antioxidants. After the first frost passes, harvest your rutabagas during a period of dry weather.
Easy: by saving your own seed from this year's crops to sow next season. For this reason only ever save the seeds of traditional, open-pollinated varieties. Spread them out onto newspaper to dry out on a warm windowsill for seven to ten days.
Plants Related to this Article Plum (Dwarf) Grow Guide Plum (Large) Grow Guide < All Guides Silver leaf disease is spread by spores from a bracket fungus. Pruning in summer helps plums to avoid disease Before any pruning task, stand back and take a look...
Push the needle through the green cap of each chili, rather than the flesh of the fruit, which could serve as an entry point for mold. If necessary, wipe the fruits with a dry cloth to remove any traces of dirt.
Allow the water to completely drain away, then fill and drain once again before you sow. Try two – one for each hand. Fruit trees, canes and bushes can be mulched with chunkier materials such as bark chippings, or fibrous materials like straw.
You need to allow enough time before the temperature drops and growth slows right down. 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 barely...
It also stops trees from cropping heavily one year, only to produce very few fruits the next – a phenomenon known as biennial bearing. Additional thinning of tree fruits ensures there's less chance of fruits rubbing together, which can lead to diseases...
Flowers and flowering herbs such as calendula , thistles, oregano, fennel, parsley, poached egg plant and buckwheat are all easy to grow and will draw in whitefly-eating predators by the crowd.
Pinch off damaged stem tips from basil and other herbs. Preventing Problems: In a diversified organic garden, four-lined plant bugs are kept in check by numerous natural predators including birds, frogs, wasps and spiders.
Troubleshooting Poached egg plant has few problems with pests or diseases, but may fail when subjected to extreme humid heat. Notes Pull up old plants to limit reseeding. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Poached...
Remove infested plants. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area. 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. Managing Outbreaks: Striped cucumber beetles are difficult to hand pick because they are small and...
Troubleshooting Beware of sleepy bees when pruning or otherwise working with mature borage plants. Large plants produce edible, starry blue flowers that attract bees in droves. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Borage...
Beneficial nematodes are the only effective treatment for this pest. Tips: Yellow sticky traps or yellow pans of water can be used to monitor and trap onion flies. They lay eggs at the base of onion plants, and the larvae tunnel into onion roots.
Companions Echinacea, Catnip, Agastache and Dill. Position Full sun to partial afternoon shade. Valerian can stand 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall when it is in full bloom. Frost tolerant Extremely cold hardy, even in harsh winter climates.
Troubleshooting Control lemon balm's spread by cutting back flowering stems in late summer. Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Tulip Aphids (General) Slug Snail Perennial candytuft makes an ideal companion plant. In less than full sun, tulip blossoms will twist toward the strongest directional light.
In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth. Position Full sun to partial shade. Dwarf types make good edging plants for beds and containers. Frost tolerant None.
