Allowing the heads to grow to maturity requires a lot of time (we’re talking up to half a year) and multiple steps. And this most definitely isn’t a plant-it-and-forget-it type of veggie. Cichorium intybus var. foliosum When other types of greens are out of season, delicate Belgian endive is in its prime – and thank goodness for that! This slightly bitter, nutty, and refreshingly crisp vegetable is a welcome antidote to the usual winter fare....

Here’s what we’ll talk about: Thysanoptera One, two, 1,000 hungry, sap-sucking thrips. The result: scarred flowers, deformed leaves, and discolored fruit. Not exactly what you had in mind when you planted your garden this year, is it? If you’re growing flowers, vegetables, or fruits, you’ll want to know a few things about Thysanoptera pests. That way, if they do appear, you’ll understand what they are and how to deal with them....

In short, bok choy keeps us happy and healthy – so it’s only fair that we return the favor, since a bok choy’s health in the garden isn’t always guaranteed. Good ol’ bok choy… where would we be without you? A leafy green superstar in Asian cuisine, bok choy – or pak choi – is quite delectable, whether it’s consumed solo or as an ingredient in a more complex dish....

If you have an existing specimen and you want to make a few babies, there are several easy ways to go about it. You know how snake plants are super forgiving and simple to care for? They’re just as easy to propagate. And where one snake plant is good, more are better! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

This cool weather crop can be sown in early spring, midsummer, or even late fall, with an array of choices for USDA Hardiness Zones 1-11. Broccoli tops the list of vegetable garden favorites, and it’s easy to see why. Delicious and nutritious, with a satisfying texture, this is a standby in a variety of cuisines. And it’s easy to grow in the home garden. These Old World cabbage relatives come from Mediterranean and Turkish regions, and have been a cooking staple in Italy since early Roman times....

I’m not going to try to debunk any claims about companion combinations. What I am going to do is explain why certain partnerships are beneficial – and leave you to make your own call about the other claims you may encounter. When you’re looking for guidance on companion planting to improve your organic garden, it’s likely that you’ve come across a vast array of charts. Companion planting charts tell you which combinations are supposed to work together, but they don’t typically tell you why these particular pairings are recommended....

We’ll identify the phenomenon, explore causes, recommend avoidance measures, and learn if it’s okay to eat a crop in this condition. Cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, is one of the more challenging cruciferous crops to grow. It requires optimal conditions, including nutrient-dense soil, consistent moisture with good drainage, cool temperatures during head maturation, and minimal temperature fluctuations. Without an ideal environment, a variety of head disorders may occur. In this article, we will discuss why heads that should be smooth sometimes look fuzzy....

And there’s no denying the charm and cozy appeal of stacked firewood in the yard, ready to warm and brighten winter’s gloom. Okay, it’s true – splitting wood isn’t the most “girly” of activities. But I love it. When the garden’s tucked away for the winter, it’s a great reason to step outside into the crisp, cool air and get a bit of exercise. A highly productive task, large rounds or billets of wood are neatly transformed into halves, quarters, and kindling, ready for the fireplace or woodstove....

If you’re like me, you think of the slick, sweet flesh as you bite down and are hit with something that tastes like a honeyed mango met a mild apricot, mixed with a bit of cinnamon and nuttiness. When I say “persimmon,” what do you think of? Perhaps you once bit into an underripe fruit and it conjures up a memory of that tingly, cottony feeling you get on your tongue when you’ve eaten something full of tannins....

Do you have a small space? Want to make it look more interesting? You can use these amazing Rainbow Vertical Garden Ideas for a splash of colors. Have a look at some creative vertical garden ideas here Rainbow Vertical Garden Ideas 1. Hang Colorful Tin Cans Tin cans are great to grow plants and you can paint them in different shades for that rainbow look. 2. A Colorful Tire Vegetable Garden Tires can be great to grow vegetables and they also look good in different colors....

First here’s a quick overview of what I’ll cover: Do you live in a cold region where winters are long and summers are short, and still fancy growing apricots, Prunus armeniaca, in your orchard? Well, luckily for you, despite the challenges of your chilly northern climate, you can indeed grow these lush, sweet, and tart stone fruit in your own orchard. If you pick the right variety. There are a number of different cold hardy apricot trees available, and you can ensure a bountiful harvest if you choose the right cultivars for your growing Zone and take a few extra measures to protect your trees....

And so I started learning. I just needed to know why my landlord insisted so strongly on maintaining that pesky nettle patch. Urtica dioica When I first started gardening, I absolutely hated stinging nettle. I was living at a property with a huge patch of it growing directly across the path from my veggie garden, and those nettles didn’t like to stay put! Frequently, I would be out peacefully weeding my beds and daydreaming – until I was jolted back to earth by an unexpected sting, the effects of which could last for hours....

This fungus can inhibit a who’s who of fungal soil-borne pathogens, including Fusarium (wilts), Rhizoctonia (root rot), Sclerotinia (blight), and Pythium and Phytophthora (damping off). Trichoderma is a genus of soil-dwelling fungi found all over the world that are highly effective at colonizing many kinds of plant roots, and inhibiting fungi that cause many types of diseases. It was one of the first types of biofungicides commercially available. One strain in particular, T....

Hailing from southern Africa, these classically beautiful flowers are simple to cultivate and are typically grown as annuals, but they can also return year after year as perennials in areas with mild winters. Tall-stemmed and elegant, calla lilies are loved for their chic and colorful trumpet-shaped flowers along with their handsome, upright foliage. With their classy good looks, Zantedeschia plants make handsome specimens when mass planted in cutting gardens, foundations, or island beds....

One freshly-picked bite, and I can almost guarantee that you’ll be hooked! I first met arugula, Eruca sativa, when I made a spring panzanella salad several years ago. I’d never used the leafy green before, but I was hooked from the first peppery bite. And when I started shopping for seeds to grow my own, what a surprise it was to discover so many different varieties were available. If you’ve not yet fallen in love with the peppery deliciousness of this member of the Brassicaceae family, it’s probably because you just haven’t tasted the right variety....

In this article you will learn about frost, vegetable hardiness, what to do when frost is predicted, and how to evaluate post-frost damage. Seeing a crop through to harvest can pose a challenge when frost is in the forecast. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. What Is Frost? When water vapor condenses and freezes instead of forming dew, we see ice crystals on outdoor surfaces....

And who can blame them? It’s a quick-growing option with feathery, blade-shaped fronds and an elegant arch to its growth habit. Nephrolepis exaltata The Boston fern, aka the sword fern or the Boston swordfern, is the poster child of the fern world. When the average person imagines this type of plant, chances are they conjure up images of this popular species. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

The many intriguing mythical and medicinal texts that mention Mandragora certainly spark a gardener’s curiosity. Growing a rare plant such as mandrake from seed is rewarding and adds to the allure of cultivation. Mandragora spp. Mandragora, commonly known as mandrake root, belongs to the nightshade (Solanaceae) family. This enchanting herbaceous perennial requires cultivation by a devoted gardener. Patience is mandatory when sowing mandrake seeds and providing the ideal climate for them to grow in....

Luckily, we’ve got you covered with all the information you’ll need to keep your lawn and garden safe from these root gobblers, including non-avian controls, so read on! Scarabaeidae A flock of blackbirds were having a lark on my parents’ backyard lawn, scratching, hopping, and gobbling on a patch that had been looking a little sad for a month. My dad did a little digging of his own and unearthed a few fat, grayish-white grubs....

The name “Sclerotium” is a giveaway to what enables this fungus to be such a successful pathogen. It produces small resting structures called sclerotia that can both live on organic matter and infect plants. Sclerotium rolfsii What do you call a fungus that can infect hundreds of types of plants and live on organic matter in the soil for years? A gardener’s nightmare! In this case, the nightmare is called southern blight or southern stem....