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Knowing when your onions are ready for harvest and how to prepare them for storage are important steps toward having a successful crop. A common practice passed down among generations of gardeners is that bending over the onion leaves, while they are still green and growing, will prevent the leaves from growing so much... Continue Reading →
If you’ve never tasted horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), then think wasabi (Wasabia japonica). These two foods have a nearly identical flavor, often described as peppery, spicy and pungent, however, the sharp taste of horseradish only lasts a short time and doesn’t sear your mouth like hot peppers do. Horseradish foliage. Image from Pixabay.com. Both the... Continue Reading →
If you’re short on space, try your hand at creating a patio or container garden. Containers fit well on an apartment patio or balcony, as well as in larger landscapes. The key to being successful involves using large containers, a good growing media, and selecting vegetables and flowering plants sized right for growing in containers. Patio Choice Yellow, All-America Selection 2017... Continue Reading →
A couple weeks ago we discussed this year’s All-America Selections (AAS) flower winners. This week we’ll take a look at the seven vegetable award winners – six national winners and one regional winner. To see pictures of these and other great plants visit the All-America Selection website. National Winners Eggplant ‘Icicle’ features pure white, cylindrical fruits which are each about 7-inches long. Fruits maintain their... Continue Reading →
Potatoes are one of our favorite vegetables. The Northern Plains Potato Growers Association says each person in the United States eats 110 pounds of potatoes each year! Fortunately potatoes are not very difficult to grow in the home garden. And once you have your crop in the ground, it’s important to know when and... Continue Reading →
Summer is in full swing and so is harvest in the vegetable garden with the first summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers. In many small towns, soon you won’t be able to leave your car parked with the windows rolled down or you might come back to find the front seat full of zucchini or cucumbers! ... Continue Reading →
For 2021, All-America Selections (AAS) announces three vegetable award winners – ‘Crème Brulee’ echalion, ‘Pot-apeno’ pepper and ‘Goldilocks’ squash. To see pictures of these and other great plants visit the All-American Selection website. Eschalion 'Creme Brulee', image from All-America Selections. Echalion ‘Crème Brulee’. An echalion, also called a banana shallot, differs from standard shallots by having an elongated 4-5” bulb, which is easy to peel and cut. ‘Crème Brulee’... Continue Reading →
There are many species of beans in cultivation around the world, yet it is the common garden bean, Phaseolus vulgaris that takes on celebrity status as National Garden Bureau’s vegetable focus for 2021. One of the earliest cultivated plants, garden beans can trace their beginnings to Central and South America. Vining or climbing beans were an original... Continue Reading →
This is a great time of year for gardeners – the mailbox is full of seed and plant catalogs, and we get the joy of considering hundreds of new plants we could try in our gardens this year. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you peruse your catalogs and decide which plants... Continue Reading →
A major challenge for good growth of houseplants indoors, particularly in winter, is poor light. Most homes are just too dark for plants to grow well in winter, especially those plants requiring high light. Signs your plants are not getting enough light are small leaves, long thin stems, failure of blooming plants to flower... Continue Reading →
Holiday cooking, and it's wonderful aromas, are one of the best parts of the holiday for me. Culinary herbs such as cinnamon, rosemary, oregano and sage, are major players in holiday cooking. Cinnamon comes from tropical or subtropical plants, which are not winter hard in Nebraska, but have been grown and harvested in east Asian... Continue Reading →
Yam or Sweet Potato? Sweet potato, botanically named Ipomoeas batatas, is a member of the morning glory family and native to Central and South America. In the United States, the terms yam and sweet potato are often used interchangeably but true yams are a completely different plant. True yams are in the Dioscorea genus and native to West Africa and Asia. Their... Continue Reading →
Acreage Life - Nebraska 