Measuring a slope's rise and run is a first step in creating a hillside garden Don't take on too much at first, because most terraced vegetable gardens are tended by hand, which requires slogging up and down a slope in addition to the usual stooping,...
By the time planting day comes, the soil will be as crumbly as chocolate cake. Worth going for, don't you think? A small wire bin collects the mess, and gives me a place to put the remains of seed-bearing herbs and flowers that reseed with a little help.
Warmth loving crops can stall at lower temperatures, spluttering to a halt before they've crossed the finishing line. What tricks do you use? Like many flowering plants, the most effective way to speed up ripening is to simply remove ripe fruits as they...
Top Up Mulches for A Nutrient Boost Mulches of organic material applied earlier in the season may now be looking a little scant. It's naturally full of potassium, which fruit and pod-bearing plants love.
Make sure your garden provides year-round shelter for allies such as frogs, toads, insect-eating birds and beneficial insects such as ladybugs and hoverflies. Compost any remaining plant debris from the beds once the crop is cleared to prevent pests hiding...
Firm your cabbages into the ground well, then water generously to settle the soil around the roots. When you sow depends on what type of cabbage you're growing. In very cold regions, growing cabbages in a greenhouse or cold frame is a great way to guarantee...
Hang them around outdoor eating areas to extend your enjoyment of the garden long after the sun has dipped beneath the horizon. Bamboo contributes a welcome rustle if you haven't got many trees or shrubs nearby to sway and shuffle in the breeze.
The leaves are thin, smooth and hairless compared to other radishes, with attractive red stems. To prolong storage life, it's also important to trim off the leaves as the radishes are harvested.
For example, peas and zucchini sliced into 1cm (0.5in)-thick rounds need just one minute. Ideally chutneys should be left to mature for at least four months before serving – just long enough to make a batch in summer for giving at Christmas.
Rutabaga sprouts are loaded with antioxidants. Spacing is important, too, because crowded rutabagas will grow huge tops with skinny roots. Supplemental boron is easily supplied with a light sprinkling of household borax into the planting row, or you can...
So here's how to do it... Store them somewhere cool, dry and dark until you're ready to sow in spring. As with any vegetable, it's important to choose the very best plants to collect seed from.
Once that's done, step back again and look over your tree. These branches begin to droop when they're heavy with fruit, and are liable to break. But remember, plums fruit on young wood.
Drying is an excellent way of preserving chilies. These ones won't hang around for long – I've a cheek-flushing chili bean recipe I've been itching to try out! Nevertheless, with lots more fruits on the way, there will definitely be enough for drying...
Once you're done sowing, cover the seeds back over but don't water again until after germination. Now sink your pots into the water and simply walk away, leaving them to soak up the liquid for an hour or more.
If you've grown them in the ground, use a border fork to carefully dig the plants up, starting some way from the plant to avoid accidentally spearing your hard-won tubers. They are grown in exactly the same way as spring-planted potatoes with two important...
But thinning further can help trees to stay in good shape and produce a more useful crop. This usually includes the odd-shaped ‘king' fruit at the center of the cluster. Plums are notorious for over-producing – with often-disastrous results.
Yes, it's all very unpleasant stuff. Greenhouse (or glasshouse) whitefly are closely related to aphids but a touch smaller, at around 1-2mm (a twelfth of an inch) long. Bugs, Beneficial Insects and Plant Diseases Greenhouse Whitefly Guide < All Guides
Troubleshooting Onion root maggots can cause plants to collapse. Remove infested plants. Crop Rotation Group Allium (Onion family) ● Soil Fertile, well drained soil with compost dug in.
Tips: Most conventionally grown cucumbers and melons are grown with dangerous systemic pesticides, so organic pest control is worth the time and effort. You can also try growing varieties like ‘Little Leaf' and slicing cucumbers, which lack the bitter...
Harvesting Cut back borage plants by half their size in midsummer to encourage reblooming. Position A sunny spot where bumblebees and other large pollinators are desired. Troubleshooting Beware of sleepy bees when pruning or otherwise working with mature...
Often planted with low, mound-forming herbs and flowers. After two years, valerian will grow into a 18" (45 cm) wide clump. Valerian can stand 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall when it is in full bloom.
Gather stems for drying or steeping into tinctures in early summer, just before the plants bloom. Troubleshooting Control lemon balm's spread by cutting back flowering stems in late summer.
Notes Tulips will return for several years where winters are cold, but may rot when grown in warm, moist climates. Planting tulips behind daylilies or other summer-blooming perennials hides the fading foliage from view.
Companions Thyme and Osteospermum. Spacing Single Plants: 7" (20cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 7" (20cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Sow tiny ageratum seeds atop moist seed starting mix and gently press them into the surface.
Harvesting Use a digging fork to loosen soil along outside of the planting before pulling roots. Feeding Not required. Spacing Single Plants: 7" (20cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 7" (20cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Sow direct into...
