Some of my tips will only help you next season, when you’re back to selecting your dream heirloom varieties and planting your crop. Seeing red? If you’re looking at your homegrown tomatoes, I hope they are a bright, cheery red color as they’re ripening on the vine. And yet, I know that even experienced gardeners have times when their plants are nearing that all-important harvest date and the fruit is still hard and green....

In this article, you’ll learn the most common way to propagate the fragrant herb – plus a less common but no less thrilling way to grow your own garlic. Garlic is such a phenomenal bulb that there’s an entire California restaurant devoted to it. The original location is in San Francisco and it’s called, The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant. I’ve walked past its aromatic doors many times but did not have the chance to partake of the “garlic, seasoned with food” as the restaurant’s motto proclaims....

Composting with Worms: Is It Better? Anyone who’s gardened even a little bit knows that earthworms are fantastic. For the non-chemical, organic gardener, compost is an essential part of your hardworking hobby. Even for those who do use chemicals, adding organic matter back into the soil as broken-down, nutrient-rejuvenated new soil has undeniable benefits – ones you just can’t argue with! For a quick intro: compost is a natural fertilizer made up of broken down organic materials....

This holiday plant’s reputation as highly poisonous is somewhat of a myth, but one that has taken a firm hold and won’t seem to loosen its grip. In spite of their reputation, poinsettias are not considered poisonous – there have been no confirmed fatalities from ingesting this plant. However Euphorbia pulcherrima, aka “Christmas flower,” is far from edible. Just because it’s not deadly doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat. The sap contains low levels of toxic substances that may cause some unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects if ingested, and exposure to the plant may be of even greater concern to individuals with sensitivities and allergies, particularly those with latex allergy....

Fruit tree spacing varies depending on what you’re growing. In this guide, we’ll show you how to determine the ideal spacing for the most common fruit trees at the nursery. Few things are more thrilling than bringing home the beginnings of your own little informal orchard. But you might be wondering where exactly in your yard to put your fruit trees for optimal growth. How far apart should you plant them?...

Maybe you’re a rebel who planted some agapanthus in Zone 5, and you’re wondering if you can keep your lush, colorful plant alive throughout the winter. I know the feeling. Whenever I see a bright cluster of agapanthus, I think of sunshine, warmth, and tropical locales. But these members of the amaryllis family may also need to deal with chilly wintertime temperatures – their growing zone suitability ranges from Zone 6 to Zone 11....

I’m going to fill you in on everything you’ll need to know about growing this tree as a houseplant – and then you can let the green fronds of this small tree fill as many corners of your home as you like! Chamaedorea elegans Parlor palms have a long history as houseplants – and not without reason. These plants add lush green foliage to our households, can adapt to a variety of conditions, and are supremely easy to care for....

Here’s the lineup: Perennial asters are transition plants that refresh gardens from late summer to fall with masses of small blossoms in shades of blue, pink, purple, and white. In our guide to growing asters, we discuss all you need to know to cultivate various species and cultivars in the home landscape. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

It seems like beautiful, blooming houseplants that lend luscious perfume to the air inside our homes are hard to come by. Jasminum spp. I’d argue that jasmine is perhaps one of the best choices for indoor growing. Its deep green, attractive foliage and ethereal, star-shaped, white blossoms entice the senses with good looks and a strong, pleasant, heady fragrance. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

This guide will show you how to distinguish between these diseases, prevent them, and treat the infection. While tomatoes tend to thrive in home gardens, they can sometimes be plagued by disease. Three different types of blight may strike – early, late, and Septoria blight. What’s a poor gardener to do? By keeping a close eye on your plants, and starting treatment as soon as possible if you detect one of these insidious diseases, there may be hope for your crop!...

There are majorly two classes of Roses-Modern roses, which are hybridized varieties of old roses, being bred since 1867 and old roses, in existence even before the modern roses. Both types differ in terms of fragrance and size. You can grow these Different Types of Roses in garden beds, pots, patios, or pergolas. Want to grow roses in containers? Click here! Modern Garden Roses 1. Climbing Roses Popular Varieties: Fourth of July, Alchymist, May Queen, Eden, Dublin Bay, Rosa ‘Peace’...

This type is often used commercially, and I wasn’t thrilled at first, because it’s non-native and doesn’t attract local pollinators. Roses, Rosa spp., are perennial flowering plants suited to cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 11. They thrive in organically-rich loam with a slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 in a full sun to part shade location. If you’re standing, shears in hand, shaking your head at a tangled mass of roses, you’ve come to the right place....

Easily cultivated, these plants grow from rhizomes and make a striking addition to beds, borders, and containers, and they can also be grown indoors as houseplants. Zantedeschia spp. When you’re looking for a statement plant that lends an air of high-end sophistication, the calla lily is always a top contender. Consistently elegant, callas add a unique flair to the garden with their distinctive chalice-like flowers in a range of luscious tropical colors supported by handsome upright foliage....

Goldenrods are wildflowers that bear gorgeous, golden sprays of late-season color. These easy-care perennials attract beneficial insects and pollinators like bees and butterflies. Solidago spp. When the seasons shift towards autumn, have you ever noticed a thick carpet of gold flowers gilding an old pasture or field? While it might look like the mythical King Midas had his way with the landscape, chances are that those yellow blooms were goldenrod....

You can have all that without compromising on color and flower size too. If you’re just starting out with roses, chances are that someone will tell you to try growing a shrub rose first. They’re easy to handle because they don’t need as much pruning as other types. And they’re also disease-resistant, vigorous growers. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

To truly take advantage of everything a greenhouse has to offer, you need to add heat. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use an unheated greenhouse to extend the growing season. Greenhouses are invaluable if you want to be able to keep the growing season going for longer throughout the year than Mother Nature typically allows. While all the fancy additions like heat and supplemental lighting can extend that period even longer, a simple, basic, unheated greenhouse can also do wonders if you know how to work with it....

A juicy American cantaloupe, that is, because I’ve never tried the European variety. There are differences, which we’ll talk about in a moment. Cucumis melo var. reticulatus Cantaloupe is like candy in melon form. For some reason, watermelon gets all the summertime hype. Some of that needs to go straight to cantaloupe, which in my unpopular opinion, is much tastier than watermelon. With a strange texture, slimy seeds, and an abundance of, well, wateriness, the watermelon just isn’t my type of fruit....

Some can be a nuisance because of their ability to inflict a painful sting, which in some cases may require medical attention. Maybe bees or wasps come to mind, but in fact, the insect pests I’m referring to are caterpillars. Keeping a tropical hibiscus healthy and safe from pests can be a challenge. Whether this tropical beauty is included in your landscaping plans or you’re already growing one, there are a few specific pests that you should be on the lookout for in addition to the common garden culprits, depending on your location – and it’s not necessarily because of the damage they may cause to these semi-woody shrubs or small trees....

I’d like to help you start growing this helpful legume in a way that assists you with your own garden needs, while steering clear of rookie mistakes made all too easily when you grow alfalfa for the first time. Medicago sativa If you mainly associate alfalfa with pellets for rabbits and guinea pigs, you’re in for a wonderful home gardening surprise. Along with being a food crop for livestock and pets, this plant shines as an easy-care, affordable cover crop, especially when planted in the fall....

These ants like to nest in warm, moist places in structures – near toilets, hot water heaters, pipes, and drains, and even behind paneling or under carpets! Tapinoma sessile Odorous house ants (Tapinoma sessile) are native to the continental US and are distributed from Mexico to Canada. These ants eat an unusually broad variety of foods, which often brings them into houses and in conflict with humans. They are one of the most common types of ants found in houses....