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In our family, we eat a lot of salads and if you’re buying lettuce at the supermarket, the cost quickly adds up. Growing your own lettuce is an easy way to save on grocery bills and enjoy months of homegrown organic greens. Types of lettuce There are many types of lettuce you can plant. I’m a big fan of leaf lettuce because it grows so quickly and you can harvest from each plant for weeks, but there are a lot of varieties available in seed catalogs and on seed racks:...

You may also know cucamelons as Mexican sour gherkin, mouse melon, or sandita. They’re a vegetable that originates in Mexico and Central America. Cucamelons have been a part of my vegetable garden for many years. When I wrote my award-winning book, Veggie Garden Remix, the first section I tackled was cucamelons because it’s such a fun crop to write about. However, it’s not just me that loves this quirky vegetable. My entire family enjoys the crunchy fruits of cucamelons, especially my children, nieces, and nephews who are all happy to help me harvest baskets of the grape-sized fruits....

What is kitchen gardening? There are two types of kitchen gardening. The first type takes place in your kitchen and can involve either re-growing veggies from food scraps (if you want to try this, I recommend Katie Elzer-Peter’s book, No-Waste Kitchen Gardening) or growing herbs and veggies on your windowsill. But the type of kitchen gardening we’re talking about in this article takes place outdoors. It involves growing fresh, organic vegetables right outside your back door....

Preventing houseplant pest infestations Certain houseplants are definitely more prone to pest issues than others, but houseplant bug problems are often prevented by following a few simple steps. Carefully inspect all new plants before bringing them into your home. Many types of houseplant bugs piggyback their way into your house from the nursery where the plants were grown. Before buying new plants (or taking in “strays” from friends and family), be sure to examine the plant from top to bottom, looking on leaf undersides, along the stems, and even in the soil for signs of the common houseplant insect pests I’m going to introduce you to below....

We’ve teamed up with Acti-Sol, a company that specializes in organic fertilizers made from hen manure, to provide an easy-to-follow list of container garden maintenance tips. Read on for our advice on helping those pots of whatever you’ve planted flourish! Water your container gardens regularly Jessica, our horticulturist, says: Designing and planting are, for many gardeners, the most fun aspects of growing in containers. But, if you want to get the most from your potted flowers and vegetables, it’s important to care for them properly....

Safer weed control When I started my career in horticulture twenty-plus years ago, I sprayed a lot of chemical herbicides. They were a quick-fix to many weed problems, so I understand their appeal in that regard. But, since that time, I’ve come to understand how these products persist in the soil, make their way into ground water, and may potentially impact beneficial soil life, as well as the humans and other animals that are exposed to them....

Why spacing between pepper plants matters Spacing pepper plants at the appropriate distance is the smart way to kick off the growing season. Below you’ll discover why you need to consider giving pepper varieties the right amount of room between plants. Reason 1: Overcrowding plants reduces plant health Overcrowded plants are more prone to insect and disease issues which in turn affects plant health and growth. When plants are plagued by pests or plant diseases expect yield to be affected....

What does “shade” really mean? Before introducing you to the best shade-loving perennial flowers for your garden, it’s important to explain what “shade” really means when it comes to a garden. Typically, shade conditions are divided into two categories: partial shade and full shade. Partial shade flowering perennials are happiest where they’re protected from the sun during the mid-day hours when the sun is at its strongest, or else they’re planted in a spot where the sunlight is dappled, perhaps under the shelter of a small shade tree or beneath a pergola or trellis....

Sunflower planting times As a horticulturist and former cut flower farmer, I’ve grown dozens of different varieties of sunflowers. Over the years, I’ve found that knowing when to plant sunflowers can mean the difference between a large and successful show of blooms and one that’s less than ideal. If you plant them at the wrong time, the seeds could rot or they could fail to germinate. Did you know that there are three different times to plant sunflowers?...

16 Flowering Shrubs for Shade Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) A wide-spreading, 6-foot-tall, North American native shrub for shade, oakleaf hydrangea deserves a home in every shady landscape. Even in the winter the peeling bark of the oakleaf hydrangea is deserving of our attention. The large, oak leaf-like leaves turn an amazing orange and then a deep burgundy in the autumn. Large, cone-shaped panicles of creamy white flowers are produced from the woody stems in summer....

3 considerations when it’s time to plant a fall vegetable garden Most fall and winter crops are planted in August and September when temperatures are sky-high and the soil is dry. This can make establishing crops tricky, but don’t let that stop you from deciding to plant a fall vegetable garden. With a few savvy techniques you can overcome these challenges. For more detailed information on growing into autumn and winter, check out my books, Growing Under Cover and The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener....

Favorite cherry tomato varieties ‘Isis Candy’: Multi-colored fruits are marbled with orange, red, and yellow and often have a golden starburst pattern on the blossom end when ripe. This beautiful coloration is carried throughout the fruit’s interior as well. Each cherry tomato is three-quarters of an inch across and has a sweet, rich tomato flavor with tender, thin skin. A consistent performer, though not as prolific as other cherries, I’ve found that ‘Isis Candy’ should be allowed to fully ripen on the vine to allow the flavor to completely develop....

There are dozens of cabbage varieties to choose from, and both chefs and home cooks probably all have their own particular favourites that they use in various hot and cold dishes. The green heads, like Savoy cabbage, as well as the purple-leaved varieties of red cabbage at the grocery store and farmers’ markets are members of the Brassica oleracea family. Cole crops is another broad term that envelops the cultivated varieties of the Brassica family, which also include Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, collard greens, broccoli, and cauliflower....

Peony season, which can be anywhere from April to June, depending on where you live, can be fleeting. Those blooms that bring such colour and personality to the spring garden sure don’t like to hang around for long. But when shopping for peonies at the garden center, you can find early-, mid-, and late-season bloom times. Check the plant tag for details. I have a few peonies and luckily they don’t all open at once....

Today I’d like to introduce you to the Oslo LED Grow Light Garden, which includes 1-tier, 2-tier, and 4-tier models for any sized indoor space. These products are featured on Savvy Gardening thanks to the sponsorship of Gardener’s Supply Company, an employee-owned company that builds and designs many of their innovative products. What are LED grow lights? LED stands for light-emitting diode. An LED is basically a semiconductor that produces light when electrical current flows through it....

The organic matter you spread on your gardens and lawn may be compost you make yourself in a pile or by using a composter. The compost you use could also be purchased in bags at your local garden center. Labels can vary, from horse or sheep manure to “organic vegetable compost.” Depending on the size of your garden, you may need a delivery. In the spring, depending on where you live, many municipalities have free compost days, which are worth looking into....

The easiest vegetables to grow for a low-maintenance vegetable garden A vegetable garden isn’t a no-maintenance space, but with a little planning, soil care, good site selection, and smart crop choices it can certainly be a lower maintenance garden. If you’re new to gardening or just tight on time, keep it simple and keep it small. You can grow a lot of food in a single raised bed or a few containers....

How to keep a tomato plant alive in winter After putting in tons of effort to grow healthy and productive tomato plants throughout the growing season, it’s always a heartache to watch them succumb to freezing temperatures. So if you want to know what to do with tomato plants in winter, you first have to understand the importance of good timing. Waiting too long to begin your tomato overwintering efforts reduces your chances of success....

Why trellis your vegetables? As noted above, there are a lot of benefits to growing vegetables vertically, but for me, these are the four most important reasons to use a trellis: Save space and grow MORE food – It’s true! You can expect a larger harvest when you grow vining types of vegetables up a trellis. For example, according to Cornell University, pole beans yield two to three times the harvest of bush beans when grown in the same amount of space....

What’s So Special About Milkweed? While many species of butterflies have specific host plants they need to raise their young (you can see a list of other butterfly host plants here), no butterfly is more precious to our collective psyche than the monarch. Monarch populations have dropped dramatically the past few decades, and more and more home gardeners want to help by including the monarch butterfly host plant in their garden....