Plums are a diverse group of fruiting trees. Plums can be found in most temperate regions of the world. There is a wide range of tree sizes, forms, colors, and flavors. European plums are blue and widely grown. Japanese plums are red and very popular. Native American plums are small and tart. Damson plums are […] More
Loquats are easy to grow. They produce plum-sized fruits that are sweet and tangy. Loquats are large evergreen shrubs or small trees. They can grow 20 to 30 feet tall but are usually about 10 feet tall or slightly larger. Loquat fruits are round, oval, or pear-shaped, 1 to 2 inches long with a smooth, […] More
There are all different, shapes, sizes, and colors of plums to be tried. Ripe plums can range in texture from firm to slightly soft. They can range in flavor from deliciously sweet to tasty- tart. Plums can be pink, red, scarlet, purple, blue-black, green, yellow or amber skinned. Their flesh can be yellow, green, pink, […] More
The plum standard is the Santa Rosa plum: that is the rich-tart purplish-crimson skinned plum with amber flesh that shades to dark red near the skin. The Casselman plum is an improved, late season Santa Rosa plum hybrid with a bright red skin and plenty of flavor. The Casselman is one of the so-called Japanese […] More
Planning the home fruit garden requires a bit more future-thinking than the vegetable garden. Most vegetables are annuals or biennials and spend just one or two seasons in the garden. Most fruits are trees or shrubs and live for 10 to 50 years or more. The first consideration in planning an edible garden—either fruit or […] More
Chill hours are the number of cold hours or days that a deciduous fruit tree (or nut tree) requires for flowering and fruit production each year. Every fruit tree variety has its own number of hours of chill needed for fruit production. Some fruit trees need as few as 100 chill hours, others need as […] More
Spring is the time for planting fruit trees, bushes, brambles, and other soft fruits. The best location for fruit is a place in full sun, with deep, well-drained, humus-rich soil. Grow fruits away from frequent breezes or winds and away from low spots where cold air and frost can settle. Bare-root and balled-and-burlapped fruits will […] More
April is a month of quick transition in the kitchen garden. Frost and cold will persist in northern gardens. Spring will arrive in most southern and coastal gardens. When the crocus and narcissus bloom, the soil is growing warm enough to begin working in the kitchen garden. A sure sign that winter in your area […] More
April is a time of transition in the vegetable garden. Weather extremes from snow flurries to hot weather can occur in the Northern Hemisphere. In cold-winter regions, spring weather may be weeks away. In warm-winter regions, the last frost may already have passed. April is named for Aprilis, the Latin word meaning to open. This […] More
Tomatoes are a tender, warm-weather crop. Start tomatoes indoors 10 to 8 weeks before the last expected frost in spring. Set tomato seedlings into the garden after all danger of frost is past. Plant tomato seedlings in the garden 4 weeks after the last frost. The garden soil temperature for setting out transplants should be […] More
March is a month of great transition in the vegetable garden. Spring in the northern hemisphere will arrive on March 20. In the warmest regions–United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness Zones 9 through 11–warming temperatures have arrived. Planting can go forward this month. In USDA Zones 7 and 8, preparation for spring planting […] More
Strawberry plants are perennials. A strawberry plant will bear fruit for 2 to 3 years. A single plant will send you several runners towards the end of each season; these runners easily establish themselves as new, independent plants. There are many varieties of strawberry. Some can be started from seed but most are started from […] More
Stephen Albert