Care for New Bedding Plants 

Home gardeners are itching to get outside and will soon be buying bedding plants – both annual flowers and vegetables - from local garden centers and greenhouses. Selecting strong, healthy plants, along with proper care and planting, will help insure a successful start to the gardening season.  Select short stocky plants with dark green foliage.... Continue Reading →

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

Is this the year you want to plant a home vegetable garden? If so, it's time to get your plan together for this summer's garden.  Home vegetable gardening is a popular hobby for a number of reasons. Some people garden for exercise and some for the enjoyment of harvesting flavorful produce that can be eaten... Continue Reading →

The Year of Broccoli 

Broccoli hails from the Mediterranean region and has been enjoyed there since Roman times. Other European regions eventually caught on and broccoli was popularized in France as “Italian Asparagus” in about 1650. The English adopted it about 70 years later.  We have been broccoli fans across the US since the 1920s when ice-packed broccoli heads... Continue Reading →

2023 All-America Selection Vegetable Winners  

Aside from this year’s four national flower winners, All-America Selections (AAS) has chosen three vegetable award winners – two national winners and one heartland regional winner. National awards are given to plants with consistently great performance across the United States. Regional winners showed outstanding performance within a specific section of the county.   All-America Selections... Continue Reading →

Choose, Store And Decorate Pumpkins And Gourds

Colorful pumpkins and gourds are popular fall decorations, and their appearing for sale in many locations now. But no matter if you're growing or purchasing pumpkins or gourds for display, decoration, cooking or storage, choosing the best specimens and storing them properly is key. Select Healthy, Mature Pumpkins & GourdsIt's important for good storage and longer-life... Continue Reading →

Harvesting and Curing Onions

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 →

Horseradish  

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 →

Weird Squash – Pollination Gone Wrong?

The growing season is in full swing and gardening questions abound! Including questions about pollination and its effects in the vegetable garden, so here is a quick look at pollination and how it will - or won’t - affect the plants in your garden.    Can pumpkins be planted near cucumbers, or will they cross pollinate... 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 →

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