“Teaming with Microbes,” authored by Alaskan-based writers Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, still prevails today as an important epistle for farmers and gardeners everywhere. A dense yet page-turning read, it will open the minds and eyes of every gardener, acquainting them with the microscopic wilderness at their feet and in the soil. Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition The book reveals the true scope of an environment we mostly cannot see – and which we either choose to use or abuse when we garden, with no grey areas in between!...

Native to the eastern United States and Canada, with blooms that are lavender in the wild, it is one of the most extensively cultivated asters and varieties are available in a palette of vivid pinks, purples, and crisp whites that light up the landscape. Symphyotrichum novi-belgii The New York aster, Symphyotrichum novi-belgii, is a showstopper in the late season garden, taking center stage as summer flowers fade to memories. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Luckily for us, this evergreen perennial in the mint family, Lamiaceae, grows splendidly in containers. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is one of those herbs that grows all year long in the right conditions, which is good news for those of us who love using it as a seasoning in our favorite dishes. The name “rosemary” is pretty in itself, but wait until you learn about its roots: “ros,” Latin for “dew,” and “marinus” for “sea” results in combination in the poetic moniker “dew of the sea....

Now, how can you prevent this plant from bolting? We’ll share our best tips below. If you’re growing bok choy, aside from dealing with potential pest and disease issues, the last thing you want is for your crop to go to seed. When bok choy bolts, the leaves and stems can become tough and woody. The plants will stop growing, focusing their energy on setting seeds instead. The flowers may be pretty, but they signal the end of your bok choy, or pak choi, as it’s often called....

Asters vary by color, flower and foliage characteristics, plant stature, and bloom time. They generally prefer full sun and moist, rich soil, but there are exceptions. Pink flowers are a cheerful addition to summer and fall gardens. With a varied palette of lights and darks, they can cool down or heat up their surroundings with swaths of color that mix well with other seasonal hues. “Aster” refers to a number of members of the large Asteraceae family of flowering plants....

But before we talk about eating them, let’s talk about growing mustard in your garden. The first step there is choosing a variety that does well in your area and appeals to you. Foodies aren’t the only ones who can enjoy a range of mustards. Along with those gourmet pots of the popular condiment that are made from the seeds, with flavors like “champagne” and “honey Dijon,” gardeners can sample all sorts of mustard greens when they grow their own supply....

If you are looking for some awesome low maintenance plants that dangle down with style, here are some of the Best Cascading Succulents you can grow. Check out our article on gorgeous pink succulents here Best Cascading Succulents 1. Wax Ivy Botanical Name: Senecio macroglossus This charming cascading plant features succulent stems and waxy ivy-like leaves. It offers attractive foliage and also grows daisy-like pale yellow flowers. Here are some of the best types of Senecio you can grow 2....

While you might not see them too frequently, beets definitely have their fair share of pests that will eagerly make a meal of them if conditions are right. For a cool-season crop, it’s pretty hard to beat beets. They’re quick to grow, and you can have a harvest in six weeks, not to mention the tops as well as the roots are edible. Plus, come on… they’re delicious, with that earthy, rich goodness....

I think that’s why powdery mildew tends to bring out the worst in gardeners. Sooner or later, if you grow roses, you’re probably going to bump up against it. So when you see that telltale powdery coating on your plants, you just want to turn and walk away. I’m a full-grown woman with adult responsibilities and a pretty good head on her shoulders. Most of the time. But when I find powdery mildew on my roses, I just want to lie down, kick my heels in the grass, and throw a certified, grade-A tantrum....

For half a moment I looked at the sky above and decided that I might luck out, that the weather would hold. A grumble on the horizon drew my gaze and a wall of incoming storm clouds dashed away my hopes. Good trees do a lot more than offer shade. They act as miniature ecosystems while defining areas of the landscape, and they also provide the benefits of cleaner air....

Here’s what we’ll cover: Eating your veggies comes with a host of benefits, and homegrown produce serves as a valuable source of essential vitamins and minerals – like zinc. This mineral may come to mind most commonly when you’re trying to fight off a cold, but what is its role in our bodies beyond immune support, and how can we get more of it from our home vegetable gardens? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

This article focuses on why the green segmented stems of Schlumbergera may turn yellow, and what you can do about it. The Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is a tropical ornamental plant that thrives in indirect sunlight with moist, organically-rich soil that drains well. These conditions replicate its natural setting beneath rainforest canopies in South America, where it grows as an epiphyte attached to trees and rocks. In our guide to growing Christmas cactus, we talk about how to cultivate this easy-care houseplant....

However, you might still find yourself with a few questions: As any new cat owner quickly finds out, some felines like to nibble on houseplants. If your home is full of – pardon the pun – unvetted plants, the situation may land you at the emergency animal hospital with a very sick pet. Luckily, Chlorophytum comosum, commonly known as “spider plant” or “spider ivy,” is not harmful to your feline friend....

If succulents bring to mind visions of tiny rosettes, the impressive, trailing stems of donkey’s tail will expand your options, providing the perfect choice for a raised planter or hanging basket. Sedum morganianum With its trailing stems and plump, bluish leaves, donkey’s tail sedum makes a striking houseplant that’s easy to care for. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

That packaged stuff from the store doesn’t even compare to fresh, homegrown dent cornmeal. Zea mays var. indentata If you think dent corn is just boring, bland maize that farmers grind up for their animals to eat, then I have news for you: it’s so much more than that. Dent corn (Zea mays var. indentata) is what my partner’s abuela grows in a field in Mexico, harvests, dries, and then nixtamalizes and dries again, to turn it into masa harina to make the softest, most flavorful tortillas imaginable....

You can learn more about how to plant and care for zucchini in our growing guide. Zucchini is a favorite of home gardeners for good reason: it’s prolific, easy to grow, and the fruits taste so darn good. But these plant may be attacked by a whole range of diseases, from bacteria that can kill off your plants in a matter of days, to fungi that can make the fruits rot right on the vine....

In our guide to growing daylilies, we discussed all you need to know to cultivate and care for this showy ornamental in your summer garden. Daylily, Hemerocallis spp., is a flowering perennial in the Asphodelaceae family that brightens summer gardens in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9. It sprouts from a rhizome and has bare, slender stems – or scapes – that rise from clumps of foliage that resemble large blades of grass....

And our round-ups recommend exciting varieties in shades of blue, pink, purple, and white. Perennial asters are sturdy flowers with masses of small daisy-like blossoms that burst onto the scene in late summer and last until frost. There are numerous aster species and cultivated varieties in the Asteraceae family that includes chrysanthemums, daisies, and sunflowers. Most bloom from late summer to fall, but some, like the Alpine aster, A. alpinus, open in the spring....

There are about zillions of options to choose from when it comes to houseplants. But when it comes to choosing houseplants for children, it becomes even more important to be selective. The first and foremost priority while selecting the houseplant is that it should not be toxic and prickly, other aspects to consider are their appearance, growing requirements, and unique features. For example, the sensitive plant, which has the ability to unfold its leaves when touched....

The title of this article may sound absurd to you, and if you’re offended–you may declare that we’re posting rubbish content these days. You can even suggest us to change our Editor (We got a new editor recently). But believe it or not, human urine can be of great use in the garden. It’s proven by science, in many recent studies. It contains 95% of water, 2.5% urea, and 2.5% of salts and other minerals....