Herb Gardening – Harvest, Design, Storing Herbs

The form and size of interest determine the herb garden these plants hold for the individual. It can be a tiny border of commonly used culinary herbs such as mint, parsley, sage, and thyme or an elaborate garden designed to house a wide collection of herbs. Many plants could legitimately be included in one of these large gardens so that […]

How to grow Onions

Onions When the seeds are to be sown directly in the soil where the plants are to grow, the bed should be well prepared. Digging and manuring will have been carried out during the late autumn or winter and the soil needs raking before sowing so that the bed is level, even and free of large clods and stones. Sow […]

Growing and planting Marigolds: African and French Marigolds

Useful and Easily Grown Flowers for Garden and Greenhouse Tagetes (Tage’tes) are annuals of great decorative value during the summer and autumn months. They are natives of Mexico and South America and belong to the Daisy family, Compositae. The name is said to have been derived from a mythological deity, Tages. These Marigolds are quite distinct from the Pot Marigold […]

Growing and planting tips for tomato and peppers

TOMATOES All gardeners take pride in vine-ripened tomatoes. In addition to traditional red tomatoes, you can grow tomatoes that ripen to yellow, orange, and even purple. Small cherry tomatoes are ideal for salads and fleshy paste tomatoes cook into a rich, thick sauce. Tomatoes are not difficult to grow, provided they get plenty of sun and warmth. PEPPERS Peppers are […]

How to grow Radish from seed

Radishes Seeds of this quick-growing vegetable may be sown for salads at intervals from early March to October. It is generally treated as a catch crop, being sown on a piece of ground which is intended for cabbages or some other crop to be planted subsequently. A rich, moist soil and cool conditions yield the most succulent radishes. Slow growth […]

Common Problems with Vegetables

Divided the vegetable crops grown in gardens into the following headings for ease of reference them in this order: Root crops Legumes (peas and beans) Brassica crops (cabbage and related crops) Potatoes Salad crops Other crops General problems—planning (a) ROOT CROPS Beet Q. A lot of my beet roots ‘bolt’, i.e. run to seed before the roots are properly developed. […]

Growing tips for leafy green vegetables

LEAFY GREENS Lettuce leads the way among garden-grown greens and few vegetables are as easy to grow in the cool weather of spring and fall. Instead of trying to grow hard-headed iceberg types, fill your garden with the unusual colors and leaf textures found in loose-head selections, often called leaf lettuce. Stiff-ribbed Romaine lettuces are not difficult to grow either, […]

Planting the vegetable seed

Planting the vegetable seed There is no part of the garden work which calls for such nice judgment and careful attention as the sowing of seed. Most of the failures originate right here, and a large share of the blame devoted to the seeds and seedsman, if traced back to its original source, would be found to rest on the […]

Growing carrots and parsnips root crops

ROOT CROPS Crisp, sweet carrots are just the beginning of delicious roots from the vegetable garden. Parsnips are back in style, possibly because of their sweet nutty flavor when lightly grilled. The new appreciation for vegetarian cuisine has also caused a surge of interest in turnips and rutabagas , two root crops long known only as stock-up foods for hard […]

Planting tips for vegetables

Vegetables To enjoy vegetables at their peak of freshness, grow your own. Even if you have only a small space, or a container garden, there are many selections available that yield bountiful harvests from dwarf, compact plants. Most vegetables are fast-growing annual plants that will be ready to harvest in 1 to 3 months after planting. Some vegetables, such as […]