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
Mid to late summer is the time to plan and plant the fall vegetable garden. The key to planting vegetables in mid- to late- summer is timing. Plant the late summer and autumn vegetable garden so that the crops reach maturity and harvest before or on about the average date of the first frost in […] More
Spring is coming soon! Here are some early spring tips for your garden. Warm Your Garden Before Planting Pre-warm cold soil before sowing or transplanting warm-weather crops into the garden. Black or clear plastic sheeting is a simple and inexpensive way to warm the soil and get a jump on the growing season. Continue […] More
A hoop tunnel can create instant shade to protect leafy greens and other cool-season vegetables from the intense summer sun. Cover half hoops made of PVC pipe, stiff wire, or construction- or chicken wire with shade cloth or light horticultural cloth to keep leafy crops from sun-burning. Good Products for Season Extension at Amazon: For […] More
Some vegetables and fruits you grow in your garden are higher in nutritional value and are better at improving your health than others—these have been dubbed superfoods. Superfoods are easy to grow. Any beginning gardener can grow superfoods. These crops are high in nutritional value and provide important chemical compounds—called phytochemicals—that can help ward off […] More
Vertical garden supports and frames can save a tremendous amount of ground space in the vegetable garden. Beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, squash and pumpkins—nearly all vining and rambling crops—can be grown on vertical supports. Some studies say that the yield per square foot for vine crops can be doubled by growing them vertically. Location. Place […] More
Starting a vegetable garden can be fun and an inexpensive way to bring healthy food to your kitchen table. But it can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. The secret to getting started vegetable gardening is to take a little time to make a plan. Take a look at your yard or […] More
Vertical gardening is growing plants on a support such as a stake, trellis, cage, or fence. Pole beans, peas and tomatoes are commonly grown this way. But other vining crops such as cucumbers, squashes—both summer and winter, and melons can also be grown vertically. Many vining crops will climb vertically by themselves using twisting tendrils […] More
Beginning vegetable gardeners can be easily intimidated by the scores and scores of vegetable seed varieties available from even the smallest seed retailer. There are hundreds of vegetable varieties available in garden centers and online each year. What to plant? Taste, quality, speed to harvest, total yield, ease of harvest, plant habit, disease, and pest […] More
Intensive vegetable gardening is the name given to a way of using garden space and soil nutrients to produce high yields of flavorful crops. The intensive planting method of vegetable gardening is perhaps the most efficient and effective of all growing methods. It is both resource-conserving and sustainable. The origins of this method can be […] More
Autumn and winter crops replace summer crops as days shorten and temperatures begin to drop. Root crops do best in cool weather as do most leafy crops. As warm-weather fruiting vegetables—tomatoes, peppers, and squashes—finish their run for the year remove them and prepare planting beds for autumn and winter crops–beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, kale, spinach, […] More
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. Here’s a quick guide for picking summer vegetables at the peak of flavor: • Green beans. Pick green beans as soon as immature seeds begin to fill the pod but […] More
Stephen Albert