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What are plum tomatoes? Plum tomatoes are the classic tomatoes used for making sauces, juice, and tomato paste. They’re also called processing or paste tomatoes and have oblong fruits often with blunt or pointed ends. Plum tomatoes are essential in tomato sauce because they have less liquid than slicing types of tomatoes. The fruits have thick walls and are often described as ‘meaty’, a nod to their density and low water content....

How to care for paperwhites planted in soil If you are potting up bulbs yourself and want them to bloom around mid December, keep in mind that it takes anywhere from about four to six weeks from planting. For paperwhites planted in soil in a bulb pan or pot, keep the potting soil consistently moist, but not saturated, which will prevent bulb rot. Choose a pot with a drainage hole so the bulbs are never inadvertently sitting in water....

Winter arrangements are pretty easy on the sliding scale of DIY projects. It might be cold and miserable outside, depending on your timing, but essentially you are arranging branches and sticks, and maybe a decorative element or two. In this article, I’ll share some ideas for Christmas hanging basket materials, as well as some ideas to keep it all in place. Gathering your Christmas hanging basket materials As I do with my urn, I really just gather a collection of greens and sticks, most from my own property, and others I have saved over the years....

Before learning this technique, I would just toss my freshly harvested berries into a plastic zip top baggie and stick them into the freezer. The trouble was that when I went to use them in a recipe, I’d have to defrost the whole bag just to get a handful of berries. They would be frozen into one, giant mass. But using this technique, I can grab a small scoop of berries for my son’s lunch everyday or a cup of berries for homemade blueberry muffins, without dealing with an entire bag....

The Profusion series of zinnias is an interspecific cross between Zinnia elegans and Zinnia angustifolia. The large flower traits of elegans were crossed with the disease tolerance of angustifolia. (Interspecific hybridization is the crossing of two species from the same genus.) They bloom throughout the entire season, well into fall when the temperatures really start to dip and eventually affect their vibrancy. Even as they really start to fade, after a couple of frosts, I’m always loathe to pull the plants out because they still look great....

What is sinningia? Sinningia plants, like African violets, are gesneriads. Most of the sinningia plants at garden centres are hybrids of Sinningia speciosa, also known as florist’s gloxinia. It’s a seasonal plant that grows from a tuber and has an active growing and flowering period followed by a dormant period. The large scalloped leaves grow in a low rosette with the flowers emerging in the center of the foliage. When gloxinia begins to flower, the bloom period can last for several months....

4 vegetable gardening facts you need to know: Fact 1 – You don’t have to plant everything at the same time Growing up, we planted our entire vegetable garden on the long weekend in May; rows of bush beans, peas, tomatoes, beets, carrots, and more. As spring turned to summer and we began to harvest those vegetables, the rows were left empty and soon filled with weeds. I’ve since learned that succession planting is the key to a non-stop harvest, especially in small gardens where space is limited....

The best gifts for gardeners – Niki says: Like many gardeners, I’ve amassed quite a collection of hand tools. However, it’s my Hori Hori Knife, a classic Japanese garden tool, that is always at my side. Lee Valley’s Hori Hori knife is half knife, half trowel. I use mine for prying stubborn weeds from the soil (like butter!), dividing perennials, and digging holes for veggie seedlings, annual flowers and perennials. The blade is made from stainless steel and comes with a handy sheath that protects it when it’s not being used....

Pinching annuals: which plants respond to pinching? Not all annuals should be sheared, but those that trail – like petunias, million bells, and lobelia – appreciate a mid-summer haircut. The easiest way to shear is to prune the entire plant back by about one-third, but with this method, you’ll sacrifice a few weeks of flowers. However, once the plant has had a chance to re-grow, it will quickly be smothered in new blooms....

I consider this wreath quite rustic because I wasn’t concerned with forming a perfect circle or trimming the boxwood to a smooth, clipped finish. I’m thrilled with the end result and the best part is that this project only took me 30 minutes from start to finish. Stylish and simple! Materials for a boxwood wreath: Boxwood clippings – I gathered trimmings from one of my mature boxwoods, clipping to shape and thin the shrub....

Some years I choose a clear colour theme. Others I enjoy playing with multiple hues to see what I can come up with. When I’m ready, I’ll set up an old plastic patio table in my backyard with lots of potting soil close at hand, pull out all my pots that need filling, and lineup the plants, arranging them into their groups. I keep all the plant tags so I remember what did well....

Most salad greens are cool weather crops, growing in early spring when the temperatures are in the 50 to 68 F (10 to 20 C) range. Once the heat of summer arrives, greens like lettuce, arugula, and spinach quickly bolt with the plants switching from leaf to flower and seed production. When plants bolt, the flavor also declines as leaves become more bitter. However, there is good news for those who want to keep growing a salad garden in summer....

There are over 50 different species of marigolds. The most popular include French marigolds (Tagetes patula) and African marigolds (Tagetes erecta). The flowers are used as decoration in various celebrations and religious events around the world. But don’t let the common names fool you. Marigolds are actually native to Central and South America. In fact, the Aztecs used them in Day of the Dead ceremonies. Signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia) are another variety you may encounter....

Why it’s important to know when to cut back asparagus Properly timed asparagus pruning is essential for two primary reasons. First, spear production can be negatively affected if the mature ferns are cut off at the wrong time. In the next section, I’ll dive into the different phases of asparagus growth. I’ll also let you know why it’s important to leave the ferns stand for as long as possible and how improperly timed pruning can cause issues with production....

Why properly spacing cucumber plants matters Before we dive into the details on proper plant spacing for cucumbers, let’s take a look at why giving each plant enough room to grow is so important. Reason 1: Disease suppression Cucumbers are susceptible to a number of plant diseases, several of which are fungal in nature, including powdery and downy mildews, and botrytis. Fungal diseases like these thrive in humid conditions, and the closer your plants are spaced, the lower the air circulation is around them....

One of the benefits of gardening in raised beds is you can reach in to them to plant and weed. You’re not walking through the garden, compacting the soil. This means your garden soil remains nice and loose and friable. Choose the best soil you can afford to fill your raised beds. I ordered a truckload of good-quality triple mix formulated for vegetables when I built all my raised beds. You can also mix your own special soil for veggies, too....

Planting for pollinators and environmental mindfulness when it comes to the garden are the main threads that weave their way through my newest book, Gardening Your Front Yard: Projects and Ideas for Big & Small Spaces. But it’s not just front yards where you can make a plan to attract pollinators. Your backyard can become a haven, too. Even a small porch or balcony, depending on the location and conditions, can integrate pollinator garden design....

Here are 10 upcycling ideas for the garden What have you upcycled for your garden?

If you look closely at their tiny faces, white aster flowers have similarities, but they’re all slightly different. Sometimes it’s the leaves that help to identify them, others it’s the shape of the petal or the center of the flower. In this article, I’m going to share a few white asters that you can choose for your garden, if you live within the plant’s native range. Identifying asters, including white aster varieties At a glance, some may think an aster is an aster is an aster....

Because a lot of people are living in smaller urban spaces, from townhomes or bungalows on wee lots, to balconies, many companies are coming out with more compact varieties of both edibles and ornamentals. Patio varieties of veggies, like beans and cucumbers, make edible gardening more attainable in a wee space, while other cultivars, like the Bloomerang Lilac, are more compact to fit in smaller gardens. Then we head down the scale to these even smaller miniature varieties....