Transplants are the way to go with tomatoes, peppers and dozens of other vegetables, as well as many of the annual flowers common in Nebraska gardens. Transplants give long-season crops a head start before being put out in the garden and a chance to produce before fall frost. Annual flowers grown from transplants begin blooming... Continue Reading →
Creating a Patio Garden
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 →
2022 All-America Selection Vegetable Winners
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 →
Onions – Long Day, Short Day or Neutral?
Onions are a cooking staple and not difficult to grow in the home garden. So why not grow your own this summer? But which to choose? There are many options in the garden catalogs. Day Length RequirementsThe first option to consider is whether to choose short day, day neutral or long day onions. Onion... Continue Reading →
Pushing the Season – Winter Vegetable Production
Winter greenhouse production is nothing new, but rising concerns about heating with fossil fuels and their impact on climate change, have some growers looking for new ways to grow winter crops with less damage to the environment. Let’s take a look at three techniques, both new and old, that can be used to make winter... Continue Reading →
National Garden Bureau Announces Its 2022 “Year of” Plants
This week let’s look at the National Garden Bureau’s three additional featured plants for the year - Gladiola, lilac and salad greens. Deluxe Gladiolus from Jung Seeds Year of Gladiola - Bulb0K, for all those experienced gardeners out there, no - gladiola isn’t a true bulb. It’s a corm, but it is included in this... Continue Reading →
Master Gardener Volunteers
2022 Master Gardener Program Now Accepting Applications Winter is a time many people prefer to stay indoors, enjoy a good book, a crackling fire in the fireplace and a hot cup of cocoa, giving little thought to the outdoors or their landscape. But gardeners know winter is a time to dream and plan for next summer’s gardens. For Nebraska Extension Master Gardener (EMG) volunteers, winter is... Continue Reading →
Grow Your Own Carrot Cake
Many desserts will grace our holiday tables this week and for many carrot cake is a favorite - although pumpkin, sweet potato and pecan pie all get more attention during Thanksgiving. Carrots make a great side dish, too, as in honey glazed carrots, maple dill carrots or refreshing carrot cranberry salad. Wouldn’t it be cool... Continue Reading →
Growing Edible Sprouts At Home
What vegetable crop can you grow all year round and harvest in as little as three days? Give up? It’s sprouts. Seeds for Sprouts Though people usually think of bean sprouts – grown from soy and mung beans – you can also use a number of other seeds to grow sprouts, including alfalfa, broccoli, Brussels... Continue Reading →
Potatoes: Harvesting & Storage
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 →
Bitterness in Cucumbers & Zucchini
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 →
Let’s Not Share Our Corn with an Earworm!
Sweet corn season is here, and there's nothing like eating freshly harvested ears – unless you find a worm when peeling back the husks! That unwanted intruder is usually the corn earworm. IdentificationThese caterpillars vary widely in color and may be green, brown, pink, black or various shades between these colors, with light and dark... Continue Reading →