When To Plant Corn

The legend of the three sisters was a mythical explanation of a long-standing Native American agricultural practice--that of interplanting beans, squash and corn, respectively the youngest, middle and oldest of the “three sisters.” Planted together...

When heated the moisture turns to steam, building up pressure. If you laid out an area that size on a map, you would have an area larger than the state of New Mexico. This amount is grown within a very short period of time: the average length of sweet...

Sweet corn kernels are plump, juicy and immature – the tastiest time to eat them. Fresh sweet corn is among the most celebrated summertime crop from the home garden, but it is not the only natural variety of Zea mays grown in gardens or farmers' fields...

Several cultivars have been introduced, mostly in smaller sizes than the species. Smiles lit their faces when they realized the flowers were still there – still growing strong, and still beautiful.Winter came, and with it the death of the melampodiums.

I added about a cup of water to my stockpot and set the burner on medium to prevent sticking. Pour it into a flat pan to cool. We like our corn with more kernels and less cream, so I take off about three-fourths of the kernel when I cut, but that takes...

To grow from seed, soak the seed in water for 24 hours to soften the seed coat. Kids love to garden, and if you grow the popcorn cassia (Senna didymobotrya), yours will love it even more.

These devices have revolutionized farming, allowing farmers to harvest vast tracks of land quickly with only a few employees. According to the website for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, these devices are built of rows of...

Cabbage family plants can safely be overwintered under cover in buckets Damp sawdust or sand are good packing materials for biennial root crops including beets, carrots, parsnips and turnips because they keep the vegetables from drying out.

Cover crops help suppress weeds and nourish the soil Peace Treaty Peace at last! Once your garden is clear of annual and perennial weeds, you'll want to keep it that way. Begin your campaign to gain back control by cutting or mowing weeds to the ground,...

Chopping the leaves up with a few passes of the lawn mower makes them less likely to blow around and lets rain pass through more easily. Summer Grass Clipping Mulch For many gardeners, figuring out what to do with grass clippings can be a headache.

Extra reinforcement is not needed for block retaining walls less than 18 inches (45cm) high. Then use a measuring tape to estimate the site's rise (elevation gain) and run (distance from front to back).

It's been a rough year in many vegetable gardens, but mild autumn days are just around the corner. Cool-season cover crops are a beautiful and bioactive way to increase your soil's organic matter content during the off season, and you won't need a tractor...

Rice also traps ethylene, a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by many Indian households who sink the fruits into containers of rice. Here, then, are a few ideas to speed up ripening of some common fruiting plants.

If you need to cut back to the main trunk, cut close to the raised ‘collar' but not into it. Don't leave a stub of branch sticking out – it will only die back and could introduce disease.

The warm flow of air will see the fruits dried out within 24 hours or so. Earlier in the year I shared some top tips for growing super-spicy peppers . Drying is an excellent way of preserving chilies.

Another option is to use a portable tank to cart water to where it'll be dispensed. Once you're done sowing, cover the seeds back over but don't water again until after germination.

Planting Second Crop Potatoes Second-crop potatoes take about three months to reach maturity. Cover over with another 10cm (4in) of compost then add more compost as the stems grow, topping up 5-10cm (2-4in) at a time until the top of the container is...

But thinning further can help trees to stay in good shape and produce a more useful crop. The fruits left to grow on will enjoy more airflow, sunlight and energy from the tree for even ripening.

With an initial assault complete, it's now time to apply an organic insecticidal soap, again taking great care to cover all areas of the leaf including, crucially, those undersides.

Pickings from fruiting and pod-producing vegetables such as beans and tomatoes are coming thick and fast right now, but as summer wanes both the quantity of what you pick and how often you are able to pick it will begin to tail off.

Dealing with pests in the garden can feel like an ongoing battle. It is important to keep the immediate vicinity of your vegetable beds tidy. Despite my tongue-in-cheek warfare references, it's important to remember that we're not really in a war against...

Either way is totally delicious! Cabbages you've grown yourself are undeniably sweeter and crunchier than anything you can buy. Left in the ground when the crop is cleared, these roots will help to feed the cabbages that follow.

LED lighting is low cost, versatile and doesn't use much electricity. Make the most of late summer's abundance by seeking out imaginative recipes to turn any gluts into delicious drinks.

They will keep for months. You also can cook daikon radishes into a soft and savory vegetable as is done in Chinese turnip cake ( law bok gow ), which is really made with radishes.

As you'd expect, there are many thousands of chutney recipes. For example, peas and zucchini sliced into 1cm (0.5in)-thick rounds need just one minute. Label each bag with the date and details of what's inside – you'll quickly forget and it can be hard...

Harvesting and Storing Rutabagas Rutabagas make rapid growth once they become established, producing a profusion of leaves that show the plants' crossed genetic heritage. The roots will push up as they gain size, and garden-grown rutabagas tend to be...

Shell the pods to reveal the beans or peas inside, then discard any very small, misshapen or damaged seeds. Spread them out onto newspaper to dry out on a warm windowsill for seven to ten days.