Join our gardening family to receive the latest tips. JOIN ON SUBSTACK
Asparagus is a hardy perennial, but even the healthiest patch can face challenges from pests and diseases. Over more than 30 years of growing asparagus in my California garden, I’ve seen firsthand how timely care and preventive action keep plants productive for decades. Below are the most common problems, how to identify them early, and…
The common asparagus beetle adult is a shiny, elongated blue-black beetle with a reddish-brown thorax and four cream-colored spots surrounded by a red border on the wing covers. The adult asparagus beetle is ¼-inch long. The larva is a greenish-gray, wrinkled, humpbacked grub with a dark head about ⅓-inch long. Common asparagus beetle adults and…
Potato growing success can be had with well-drained, deep, sandy loam containing plenty of humus paired with cool, moist conditions. Plant potatoes in early spring after the danger of frost has passed. Use disease-free seed potatoes; cut each potato so that two eyes are on each piece. Even under these ideal growing conditions, potatoes are…
Radishes are a cool weather crop that will tolerate some heat. Sow radishes in the garden as soon as the soil can be worked in spring and plant succession crops every 10 days until the end of spring. Lifting radishes as soon as they are large enough to eat is important. Radishes that stay too…
Grow broccoli as you would cabbage. Grow broccoli as rapidly as possible. Give broccoli plenty of moisture and be sure to feed it through the season–a planting bed amended with aged compost is an important start. While broccoli is hardy at maturity, young plants should not be subjected to frost. Here are common broccoli-growing problems…
Spinach growing problems are often related to growing spinach in the wrong season. Grow spinach in cool weather. Sow spinach in the garden as early as the ground can be worked in spring. Make succession sowings every 10 days for a continuous harvest of young tasty leaves. Continue sowing spinach until just a few weeks…
Subscribe today to get our weekly recipe newsletter! You don’t want to miss out!
