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  • in Gardening Tips, Guides

    Vegetable Crop Planting and Phenology

    Lilacs

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    Events in the natural calendar can be used to guide planting times in the vegetable garden. The study and observation of seasonal events and their correlation to plant, insect, and animal life is called phenology. The study of regular events in the lives of plants, animals, and insects is called phenology (from Greek words meaning […] More

  • in Guides, Tools

    Lights to Grow Plants – Choose The Right Light

    LED lighting for vegetables

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    To grow vegetables and herbs indoors you will almost certainly need artificial light. Natural light preferably from a south-facing window will always benefit plants growing indoors, but sufficient natural light is not always available indoors. That’s when your plants will need the right artificial light. Plants use light to grow. They convert light into food […] More

  • in Guides, Tomatoes

    Tomato Flavor Explained

    Tomato Cherokee Purple

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    Flavor is probably the best reason for selecting a tomato for kitchen garden growing. Once you have identified your favorite tomato (or tomatoes), the memory of that fruit’s flavor will easily get you started in spring and keep you going until harvest year after year. Getting to know new tomatoes and their tastes will bring […] More

  • in Gardening Tips, Guides

    No-Dig and Light-Dig Garden Preparation

    Compost aged and added to beds

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    The no-dig or light-dig garden preparation method calls for spreading soil amendments across planting beds and allowing rain, wind, and soil organisms to till or work the amendments and their nutrients into the soil. You do not have to dig or use a rototiller in your garden every year. Lightly turning planting beds with a […] More

  • in Guides, Leaf Vegetables

    Asian Greens for Cool-Weather Harvest

    Pac Choi3

    by

    Crispy, succulent, and sweet-flavored Asian greens are easy to grow and demand little space. Like other greens such as lettuce and spinach, they are cool-season crops and prefer to reach maturity in cool air temperatures. They are quick growing and well suited for sowing in spring for late spring harvest or late summer for autumn […] More

  • in Gardening Tips, Guides

    Asparagus Year-Round Care Calendar

    Asparagus spears in spring2

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    Asparagus is among the earliest and tastiest crops each year. Perennial asparagus beds can produce spears for decades and decades with proper care throughout the years. Plant asparagus where there is plenty of sun in the spring and the soil is rich in organic matter and well-drained. As a guide, you will need about 20 […] More

  • in Best Bet Varieties, How to Grow

    Chinese Vegetables: Warm-Season Varieties

    Bitter melon1

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    Many Chinese vegetables–also known as Oriental vegetables– are well suited for warm-season growing. Grow these crops from spring through the end of summer. These crops are favored in Chinese and Asian cooking, and they are easy to grow. Most are fast-growing and suitable for small gardens and containers. Chinese vegetables can generally be broken into […] More