Why use a winter mulch? Each autumn, we gather about forty bags of leaves from our property. Before they’re raked and bagged, we run over the leaves with the lawn mower to shred them into small pieces. Whole leaves tend to mat together, while shredded leaves form a light, fluffy mulch. Of course, shredded leaves also make an excellent soil amendment and any extra leaves can be dug into your garden beds to improve the soil....
Niki says: “Stretch the harvest with mulch: By mid-November, most of the trees that surround our lawn and garden have shed their leaves. Before we rake them into bags, I shred them into little bits by mowing over them a few times. Once gathered, those bags are then moved up to our vegetable garden. I use leaves throughout the growing season (to mulch tomatoes, in our pathways, to enrich the soil), but I also use them in late autumn to insulate root and stem crops, like leeks, carrots, beets, celeriac, and parsnips for winter harvesting....
Types of garden seeds There are two main types of seeds grown in home gardens: heirloom seeds and hybrid seeds. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. Hybrids, for example may be more disease resistant than heirlooms, but heirloom varieties often have better flavors. Heirloom seeds The term ‘heirloom’ or ‘heritage’ is often used to describe seed varieties, but what does it really mean? As noted above, most experts define heirloom seeds as those that are open-pollinated and have been in cultivation for at least fifty years, although some prefer to classify heirlooms as those grown before World War II....
Why choose tall perennials for the garden? Tall perennials not only add depth and shape to a garden, when included among plants of other heights, they can camouflage things you might want to hide, like a chainlink fence or an air conditioner. They can even add a bit of privacy. When choosing all of the plants for your garden, no matter what the height, try to select a variety based on bloom time, so there is always something flowering from spring through fall....
Why plant small evergreen trees? There are many benefits of planting small evergreen trees in your yard and garden. Their naturally compact form means little, if any, pruning is necessary to maintain their small stature Their evergreen nature means you’ll have color and texture in the garden year-round. Dwarf evergreen trees make great privacy screening without growing too large. The small stature of these plants make them easy to plant; there’s no wrestling with a huge root ball or long branches....
A new kind of companion planting In writing my book, Plant Partners: Science-based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden (Storey Publishing), my goal was to look at companion planting through a science lens. I wanted to sort through current university and agricultural research that looks at the possible benefits of partnering plants and then put it all together into a book to help gardeners make smart planting decisions. In the research community, plant partnering isn’t called companion planting (probably because of the term’s questionable reputation)....
Some of the varieties listed here are diminutive in size, fitting easily in a container or garden border, while others can span a whole garden! What gives a blue hosta its unique color? Blue hosta varieties aren’t technically blue. The plants’ leaves are covered in a wax-like coating, which makes them appear to have that blueish hue. This is also described as “glaucous,” which is Latin for greyish blue and used to describe plants with those tones or others that are blue-green....
Why growing strawberries in raised beds is a great idea Raised garden beds are the perfect fit for strawberries. They offer the good drainage strawberry plants require, and they make it easy to control the quality of the soil your berries are grown in. In addition, raised garden beds make it easy to care for the plants. Protecting the berries from birds is far simpler than when growing strawberries in the ground, and there’s no bending required to harvest the fruits....
I discovered these varieties at the California Spring Trials this past spring, when I visited many of the growers taking part by showcasing their current and 2018 plants with the National Garden Bureau. So without further fanfare, I present to you 10 plants with showy blooms (many or all of which I hope will find their way into my garden). Oh, and be warned. I say “I love” a lot!...
Whether you are indulging in a new-found passion for indoor plants or you have plants older than your pets, here are some ideas for your houseplant shopping list. Indoor gardening supplies for houseplant care In the summer, I lug a big watering can or a hose around my gardens to water. Indoors, it’s possible to display a more ornamental watering can. An indoor model will generally have a slim spout to more easily direct the water to small pots without spilling....
Why start herbs from seeds? It’s true that most good-sized garden centres offer a wide variety of herb plants to grow in your gardens and containers, but if you’re buying more than a few plants, it can get expensive pretty quickly. I prefer to grow most of my herbs from seeds purchased in late winter. It’s easy to do, fun, and allows me to grow plenty of plants for my raised beds and herb pots....
Get to know oregano Like thyme – another popular Mediterranean native herb – oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a perennial plant that is very easy to cultivate. It is winter hardy down to -20°F and even beyond with a layer of insulating mulch. Unlike tender annual herbs such as basil, oregano returns to the garden year after year, often growing larger with each passing season. There are a handful of different varieties of oregano, including Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare var....
Besides the flavor, what I like about parsley is it’s a biennial (though many grow it as an annual). I don’t have to worry about the plant spontaneously flowering (ahem, I’m looking at you cilantro), diminishing flavor and harvests. The first year you grow parsley, the plant will live through the winter (note it could die off depending on where it’s been planted and the weather conditions), and then flower in the spring....
First things first, I should say that the Keukenhof gardens are a hop, skip, and a jump from Amsterdam Schipol Airport. There is a special bus that takes you straight there (the bus trip and admission are included in the price). The airport is also really easy to get to from Amsterdam. I was visiting as part of an Avalon Waterways river cruise, so I got there by motor coach. Other companies also include this stop on spring tours....
Growing celeriac: Both celeriac and its better known cousin celery, are members of the parsley family and prized for their aromatic flavour. They are both slow growers that are tucked into the garden as seedlings in early May, but only begin to size up by mid-summer. Admittedly, they are a tad greedy, enjoying both rich soil and regular moisture, but the minimal work is worth the reward. Related Post: Want winter veggies?...
12 Tomato Growing Secrets While some of these tomato growing secrets involve tomato planting tips and soil health, others are focused on how to properly care for tomato plants throughout the growing season. However, each of these tomato growing secrets is aimed at helping you minimize work while maximizing the harvest. Tomato growing secret #1: Phosphorous is a big deal Tomatoes love sun. At least 6 hours of full sun per day is ideal....
Host plants are the plants where butterflies and moths lay their eggs. They’re important because those plants are what a new caterpillar will start to eat after it has hatched—and after it has consumed its egg shell. A female butterfly will lay her eggs in clusters or as single eggs, depending on the species. You will often find them underneath a leaf or along a plant stem. In this article, I’m going to share some butterfly host plants for common North American butterflies....
What are black beans? Black beans originated in Central and South America. They’re the same species as snap beans, but are grown for their dried seeds, not immature pods. For this reason, black beans take longer than snap beans to go from seed to harvest. They need about 95 to 105 days versus snap beans which are harvested 50 to 55 days from planting. Beans are a warm season vegetable and grown between the spring and fall frost dates....
While you may be picturing the brown fuzzy kiwis you find at the grocery store, those aren’t the kiwi fruits I’m talking about. Grocery store kiwis (Actinidia chinensis) are native to southern Asia and they don’t survive temperatures lower than 10 degrees F. But, hardy kiwis (Actinidia arguta) are native to northern China and Russia and can survive temperatures as low as -25 degrees F. And, best of all, hardy kiwi fruits do not have to be peeled!...
What are round zucchini? Zucchini, or summer squash, is a warm season vegetable in the squash and pumpkin family with fruits that are harvested when immature and very tender. Round zucchini varieties like Eight Ball and Piccolo are best picked small, from one to four inches across, and can be enjoyed in the same way as all types of zucchini – grilled, sautéed, roasted, and baked. The round shape makes this vegetable perfect for hollowing out and stuffing with meats, vegetables, rice, and herbs....
