Gardening Tips
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in Gardening Tips, Plant, Seed Starting, Tips
Vegetable Planting and Soil Temperature
Vegetable seeds and seedlings require minimum soil temperatures to germinate and grow. Seeds and seedlings require optimal soil temperatures to thrive. Soil temperature triggers not only seed germination but is an important factor in soil chemistry. Soil chemistry includes the release (dissolution) of mineral nutrients in soil moisture. Mineral nutrients are essential for vegetable plant […] More
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10 Things to Know About Vegetable Garden Planning
Growing a vegetable garden is not difficult. If you haven’t grown a vegetable garden before here are ten things you should know as you prepare for the growing season. If you are an experienced gardener, review these tips then pass them along to a neighbor or friend. You can grow vegetables year round no matter […] More
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Nature Planting Signals for Vegetables: Phenology
The flowering of trees, shrubs, and perennial plants is determined by day length and temperature (this also applies to the lifecycle of insects and animals. You can use the bloom time of shrubs and trees to tell you when it is safe to plant vegetables in the garden. Look at blooming trees and shrubs in […] More
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How to Prepare an Established Planting Bed for the New Season
Newly established planting beds and planting beds that have been used in past seasons must be readied for the coming growing season. To prepare an established planting bed for the growing season you must decide what is going to be planted in the bed. While most planting beds are basically prepared in the same way, […] More
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How to Grow Onion Sets
Grow your own onion sets from seed. It is not difficult, does not require much time, and can put you ahead in both time and money. Onion sets are small, dry onion bulbs grown the previous season but not allowed to mature. Planted the second season they produce an early crop of bulb onions in […] More
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Growing Bulb Onions: Pick the Right Variety for Your Garden
Bulb onions are particular about where you live. Onion bulb formation is triggered by the number of summer daylight hours. Bulb-forming onions can be divided into three types: Long-day onions which require about 15 hours of summer daylight. Short-day onions which require about 12 hours of summer daylight. Day-neutral (also called intermediate day) onions which […] More
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Growing Leeks Year-Round in Tubes
Leeks are nearly a year-round garden grower. Start leeks indoors in winter for planting out in very early spring for an early summer harvest. Set out leeks transplants in late summer for a fall and all-winter harvest. Leeks are a cool-season crop and produce best if the days remain below 75°F. Sow leek seeds indoors […] More
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Planting Leeks and Shallots Autumn and Spring
Leeks and shallots are easy to grow. They are the subtle, refined-flavor alternatives to bulb onions and garlic. In mild winter regions, plant leeks and shallots in late autumn or winter. In cool–but not cold–winter regions plant leeks and shallots in late summer and autumn for spring harvest. Plant them again in spring for fall […] More
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Cover Crops and Green Manure for the Vegetable Garden
Cover crop, green manure crop, and catch crop are three interchangeable terms to describe crops that feed, build, and protect the soil and attract and feed beneficial insects and soil microorganisms. Cover crops are planted to cover planting beds and enrich the soil. When a cover crop is turned under to decay and to feed […] More
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in Gardening Tips, Tips
Corn, Beans, and Squash: The Three Sisters
Sometimes one vegetable crop can help another vegetable crop grow better just by being nearby. For example lettuce and spinach often grow better in the shade of a taller plant. Growing two or more crops in close proximity for a shared benefit is called companion planting. A classic planting of three garden companions is corn, […] More
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Lettuce Bolting
Lettuce—a cool season crop—naturally bolts in warm weather. When temperatures rise much above 70°F/21°C, lettuce—an annual—will send up stalks, flower, and set seed, nature’s way of ensuring a next generation. This process is called bolting. When lettuce and other leafy crops bolt natural sugars depart the leaves for the flowers and seed. When lettuce bolts […] More
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in Gardening Tips, Tips, Tomatoes
Self-Pollinating Vegetables
Some vegetables are self-pollinating meaning they do not need the assistance of bees or other insects or the wind for pollination and the production of fruit. Self-pollinating vegetables include tomatoes, green peppers, and chili peppers, eggplants, green beans, lima beans, sweet peas, and peanuts. Pollen is required for a flower to produce fruit. Self-pollinating vegetables […] More
Steve Albert