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    How Vegetables Are Pollinated

    Pollination honey bee1

    Vegetables are pollinated in two ways: self-pollination and cross-pollination. Self-pollinators are plants that produce flowers that are usually fertilized by their own pollen, commonly when the male and female flower parts are contained within the same flower. Cross pollinators are plants with flowers that require pollen from another flower (a male flower on the same […] More

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    Small Vegetable Garden Space Savers

    Beans Growing on Strings1

    Space must be conserved in every possible way in a small vegetable garden. Here are five tips for getting the most out of a small garden: Vertical growing Garden vertically as much as you can. Use the up-and-down space in your garden and conserve your ground space. Use a single square foot of your garden […] More

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    How to Ripen Tomatoes

    Standard-sized tomatoes take 20 to 30 days from blossom set to reach full size–commonly called “mature green”; they take another 20 to 30 days to ripen, that is begin to change color. A tomato can be picked when it begins to change color–from green to red, pink, yellow, or orange depending upon the cultivar. The […] More

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    Summer Vegetable Harvest Tips

    peppers at harvest

    Pick summer vegetables when they are young and tender—bigger is not tastier. Check crops daily. Whenever possible eat summer vegetables the day you pick them. Vegetables ready for picking commonly have a shiny, healthy look. Pick most vegetables when they reach usable size. Don’t delay the harvest simply to grow bigger crops — flavor will […] More

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    Planting Bare-Root Fruit Trees and Vines

    Bare root trees and vines are field grown, then dug during the winter when they are dormant. They are stored and shipped with all the soil removed from the roots–bare root. Bare root trees and vines are usually less expensive than those sold in containers. Young trees and vines without soil weigh less and are […] More

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    Vegetable Garden Planning

    Garden bed planning1

    Experienced gardener or new gardener your gardening success will be greatly helped by planning the garden before you begin the growing season. The purpose of a garden plan is to make your work less and your returns more. A garden plan and a couple of supporting lists can guide you through this growing season and […] More

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    Vegetable Garden Mulching

    Mulching tomatoes

    Mulching can benefit your vegetable garden. Mulch is any material laid on the surface of the soil. Mulch protects the soil surface and allows air and water through. It can be organic, such as compost, shredded leaves, or lawn clipping, or inorganic or synthetic, such as coarse sand, gravel, or plastic. Mulch reduces evaporation from […] More

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    Vegetable Garden Soil pH

    Cool weather crops

    Soil pH is a scale used to measure the soil’s acidity or alkalinity. Alkaline soil is called “sweet” by gardeners and farmers; acidic soil is called “sour.” Soil pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Acidic soil measures below 7; alkaline soil measures greater than 7. Soil pH […] More

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    Soil and Air Temperatures for Growing Vegetables

    Spring vegetable garden

    The most useful measure of the vegetable garden growing season is soil and air temperature averages. Warming soil temperatures activate root growth and the uptake of moisture and nutrients. Soil temperature is very closely affected by the air temperature. As days lengthen in spring and the air temperature warms toward summer, the soil temperature follows. […] More