What Is Valerian Root Extract

It can also be sliced and fried to make oca chips, boiled and mashed, or roasted in the oven. Keep the plants well watered throughout the growing season, and give them plenty of room to roam—each plant can grow 3 feet wide.

Curing reduces shrinkage, prolongs storage and results in a sweeter flavor due to the conversion of starches to sugars. If you'd like, you can mulch newly planted slips with straw, untreated grass clippings or shredded leaves, but if you're using the...

The radishes provide an early harvest, and they help with spacing out the carrot seeds more evenly. Sometimes breaking the rules turns out OK. This should prevent any breakage, but don't be too afraid to break the rules!

Aside from eliminating the need for careful seed-bed preparation, there are many other reasons to grow carrots in containers. If the roots hit even a tiny pebble, they'll fork or grow into a twisted, gnarled form.

If kept just above freezing, the roots will last for months. Beet roots grow best in loose, friable soil. Beets prefer a soil pH between 6.0 and 6.8, so be sure to get a soil test every few years and adjust the pH as necessary.

Leave the rest of the bulbs in place for later harvest. Shallot sets are far larger than even the plumpest onion set. To harvest the bulbs, dig up the entire clump and carefully crack the bulbs apart.

I love the flavor and texture of roasted beets. And, don't plant the seeds too deeply; 1/4 inch below the soil surface is the perfect depth. The queen of the spring garden, radishes thrive in cold temperatures.

Yams and sweet potatoes are not synonymous. Root-knot nematodes cause deformed roots and tubers. Overall, the nutritional value of sweet potatoes, the relative ease of culture, and the strong storage and shipping capacity of the crop are factors that...

Sow seeds directly into the garden 1 inch apart and 1/4 inch deep during the summer for a fall harvest. Whether shaved into a salad in the early summer or roasted with rosemary in the fall, fennel is a versatile and attractive vegetable to grow—especially...

The skins of new potatoes are paper thin and easily bruised, so we cook and eat them immediately. I discovered that if one “bad” potato is put in the same storage box as unblemished tubers, the resulting rot can ruin the entire batch.

You might take a tablespoon of horseradish before eating to encourage the gallbladder to digest the fats in your meal more efficiently. They thrive on being managed. I invariably pick a day that is too cold to grind the roots outside.

Where to plant: Garden; containers When to harvest: 30 to 40 days after seeding, when leaves are 1 to 2 inches in length (baby spinach); 40 to 50 days after seeding (full-sized) Produce storage: Store, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Thankfully, they are easily—and organically—prevented and treated by applying beneficial nematodes to the soil around your carrot crop. If the pH comes back too high (alkaline), you'll need to apply the suggested amount of elemental sulfur to drop...

These lightweight, white fabric covers rest on the plant tops and create a physical barrier to all kinds of pests. I still don't like those radishes very much, but I can say without a second thought that homegrown radishes have become a favorite in my...

We have accidentally planted them around the farm a few times by moving dirt in the spring. You might have seen them at the farmers' market , but if you didn't know to look you could easily have missed them.

Raised beds are an option for growers in areas with clay or other hard soils. Repeat the thinning in three to four weeks,” he says. If members of the Apiaceae (carrot) family are your horticultural Achilles' heel, don't lose hope.

Produce storage: Store roots unwashed just above freezing at a high humidity (a root cellar is ideal) for several months. Roasted turnips are delicious, as are braised turnip greens with a touch of garlic and olive oil.

Plant squash immediately, as the cucurbit family hates to have their roots messed with—another reason people fail. This prolific little pest will sneak in and rapidly decimate plants.

Remember that one bad apple, er turnip, spoils the whole bunch, so regularly cull any rutabagas that rot throughout the winter. If these are seen, remove the infected plants from the garden and preferably from the farm.

Next I found all the sturdy roots fanning out from the trunk had been chopped off at five inches. And if there's a guarantee available, keep that receipt, tags, or whatever is needed, because the demise of this plant may not be due to your care but to...

Many of the nutrients contained in radishes are found in the colorful skin. Wireworms are the larvae of several species of click beetles, while root maggots are larval flies. Testing your soil's pH and nutrient content every few years is an absolute necessity.

White vegetables may appear to be lacking pigment and nutrition, but just the opposite is true. This creamy white carrot is mild-flavored and tender. Easy to grow in containers or in the garden, Japanese White is a great choice for growers looking for...

Although solanine is found in many different members of the tomato family, green potatoes have enough to make you sick, so avoid eating any potatoes with green patches. In the South, spuds are planted in late winter for a spring harvest, or in late-summer...

You'll extend your homegrown harvest and expand your culinary options. Tags The Dirt on Gardening My favorite way to use homegrown rutabagas is as a mash. Mix the boiled roots with buttermilk and butter and mash as you would potatoes.

Add 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the mushrooms are fully cooked through. Season with sea salt and black pepper.2. Trim celery leaves from two bunch of celery.

It was time to harvest the winter squash and pull out the tomato vines. The one plant that continues to grow strong is my artichoke . It's likely that the plant will completely die back to the ground, but its roots should remain alive and readily sprout...

Beneath its gnarled and knobby skin, the flesh of celeriac is pure white, meaty, and oh so delicious. This surprisingly tasty bulbous root can be eaten fresh in salads or cooked and used in soups and stews.