Best Seasoning

Fertilize your plants with an organic liquid or granular fertilizer throughout the growing season to keep the plants happy, healthy and growing strong. They'll sprout a short time later and, hopefully, provide you with a hearty crop of chokes.

Essentially, a foot-deep planting trench is dug in the garden and radish seeds are sown in the bottom of the trench. Eating fresh from the farm is especially cherished during the holidays, when we can share the flavors and health benefits of our homegrown...

This prevents the arches from folding in windy weather. For my 4-by-8-foot bed, there was no cutting required. With season extenders in place, even northern gardeners can harvest kale, lettuce, chard and root crops well into the winter.

Step 4 Using wood or PVC piping, construct a central roof-line support across the middle of the block frame so that it sits just on top of the cement blocks. It should slightly slant down to the edge from the center support.

Clear out your existing annuals and compost them to improve next year's soil fertility. Your next best option is to put down a layer of leaves and straw to help protect the top layer of soil.

Where did summer go? Summer flowers have faded, but fall has a certain beauty of its own.For one thing, the sky is full of glorious sunsets now that the earth's position relative to the sun is different.

A late crop of cukes might be better pollinated. A fall crop of cukes can be planted where earlier crops were removed. Cucumbers also work great after early plantings of carrots, beets and other root crops have been harvested.

With the assistance of a helper, set the storm door (J) in place. Most storm doors are made to fit 32-by-80-inch or 36-by-80-inch entry doors. He lives in Stillwater, Minn. Step 2 Cut the lower side pieces (B) to length.

Look for keywords like “slow to bolt” or “long season” or “heat tolerant” or “delayed bolting” on the seed packet's description to help you discover which varieties have an inbred resistance to bolting.

Unfortunately, as soon as the New Year arrives, most of them make their way to the garbage dump or compost pile. Place your poinsettia in a room with a daytime temperature between 65 and 75 degrees F.

For weeks after the warm-season crops have been killed by frost, these second cold-tolerant crops will continue producing. I make use of every bit of space in order to maximize my harvest and keep the ground from sitting fallow.

You can hold the leaf in place by pinning it to the soil with a few pieces of wire bended to make a hairpin shape (stick it right down through the leaf), or by tucking the entire margin of the leaf down into the soil just a little bit.

Cover the soil inside the hoop house with plastic, and close up the structure for four to eight weeks during the hottest weather. This story originally appeared in the July/August issue of Hobby Farms magazine.

Using the ladder for a plant stand can be as simple as setting small pots on the wooden steps. Give it new life as a trellis or planter in the garden. Fasten them on the top with twine or zip ties.

Cold frames warm the soil and air by 7 to 10 degrees, meaning you can start spring vegetables about four weeks earlier. Don't allow it to get too dry. Direct sow cold-hardy vegetable seeds four weeks earlier than their anticipated date inside the cold...

The slate blue rind has deep ribs and a smooth texture. In a cool location, Musque de Provence can store for up to a year. Musque de Provence Also known as Cinderella pumpkins , these round, flattened pumpkins look a lot like a wheel of cheese.

If anything, the closed-in space makes rotation that much more important. Tags hoop houses , Lists “All varieties are indeterminate so that they can produce over a long harvest season.” Instead, Try: Snyder says the most widely used variety in the...

Crops and harvest dates all depend on the specific climate region. It is crucial to the lifespan of your fruits and vegetables that your soil is ready for planting. However, it may take another month before plants can be transplanted outdoors and proper...

This piece should be long enough to extend down the full length of the bed from the half-hoop at one end down to the half-hoop at the other. Harvests occur by simply removing a few of the bricks and lifting up the cover.

(The part of the stalk that grows above ground will turn green.) You can harvest leeks when the base of the stalk reaches 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Frail stems are susceptible to the cold.

Researchers are experimenting with different plastics to find one that will provide a better temperature in the high tunnel. At the turn of the century, growers have begun to notice the benefits of growing brambles in high tunnels.

A hoop house provides a comfortable place to work in cold temperatures or rain. I love these red re-pins. Simple is often best, and in my experience, that's the case with row cover supports.

Some people growing on a larger scale might implement high tunnels , a season extender that falls on the scale somewhere between row covers and green houses. While high tunnels are great for season extension and disease prevention, think twice about how...

Use "green onion" thinnings as scallions in that spring salad. Most asparagus sold in grocery stores is grown outside the U.S. Spinach is a consistent performer in the cold weather vegetable garden fall through early summer in the south, and performs...

As you rake up and collect autumn leaves and plant trimmings this fall, instead of tossing them onto your existing compost pile, create a new, movable compost ring right on top of your root crops.

“Today it's 45 degrees F,” he says. “It's a new open-pollinated variety. “It's really the highest sugar content of any we grow.” The vigorous plants produce a multitude of 2-pound fruits.

Mums are known as November's flower and they can provide beautiful color until the first hard frost (in most cases).Beyond our own gardens, the source for all inspiration -- nature itself -- has many wonderful gifts to bestow upon us.