Growing backyard grapes is not difficult, but success depends upon choosing the right variety for your climate, training the vine, and pruning regularly. Grapes require a cold spell during the winter (but not a killing freeze), warmth in spring for flowering and fruit set, and heat and sunshine in summer to ripen the fruit. Dessert […] More
You can grow borage in minutes. Borage is a decorative herb festooned in summer with clusters of intensely blue star-shaped flowers. The leaves and flowers of borage taste like cucumbers. The flowers can be floated in summer drinks and candied for decoration. The leaves can be used in salads, sandwiches, and desserts or sautéed like […] More
Common fennel–also called sweet fennel–can be grown for its leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds. Common fennel is grown as an herb. Its leaves and seeds are used in cooking and baking. Florence fennel—which has a bulbous stem and is a variety of common fennel– is grown for its stem which is eaten as a vegetable. […] More
Belgian endive and chicory, both belonging to the chicory family (Cichorium intybus), are well-loved for their distinctive flavors and the versatility they bring to culinary creations. Belgian endive, known for its compact, pale, torpedo-shaped heads, is cultivated through a unique forcing process in darkness that yields its mild bitterness and crisp texture, perfect for salads […] More
Vegetable amaranth–often called tampala or Chinese spinach–is a quick-growing annual that produces an abundance of edible leaves. The leaves can be harvested cut-and-come-again over several weeks. Vegetable amaranth is a tropical plant that grows best in warm weather where the average low temperature is 68°F (20°C) through the growing season. It is a warm-weather, summer […] More
Good King Henry is a perennial green sometimes called “wild spinach” or “poor man’s asparagus.” It is grown for its juicy and flavorful arrow-shaped leaves which can be cooked and eaten like spinach and for its young shoots which can be blanched and eaten like asparagus. Good King Henry has been grown in kitchen gardens […] More
The mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) is a small citrus tree that resembles an orange. The name tangerine and mandarin are often used interchangeably for a group of small orange-like fruits that have an easy-to-peel rind. The mandarin orange is not one citrus fruit but many. Some mandarin oranges are called mandarins, some are called tangerines, and some […] More
Direct sow beans in the garden 1 to 2 weeks after the last expected frost when the soil has warmed to at least 60°F (16°C). Start beans indoors 3 to 2 weeks before transplanting to the garden. • Bush beans are usually determinate with one week or two week period of harvest; bush beans are […] More
Tomatillos are a tender, warm-weather crop. Start tomatillos indoors 8 to 6 weeks before the average last frost date. Transplant seedlings into the garden two weeks after the last frost just as you would peppers and tomatoes. Tomatillos can be grown much like tomatoes, but they are more sensitive to cold and chilly temperatures much […] More
Lentils are a cool-season legume. Sow lentils in spring as early as 2 weeks before the average last frost date. Lentils can be started indoors before transplanting to the garden; lentil seeds will germinate in 10 days at 68°F. Lentils require 80 to 110 days to come to harvest. Description. Lentils are a hardy annual; […] More
Stephen Albert