Your Backyard Garden Information Source
Welcome to the original pumpkin record page. This is the official page identifying the heaviest pumpkins in the world per country. This is the current 2022 list of the Top 10 largest pumpkins grown to date. The majority of these pumpkins were grown in Europe and the UK, but only 4 of the pumpkins were grown in the USA. Europe […]
Knowing when to harvest vegetables is just as important as knowing how to grow them. Some have a long time over which you can harvest, others must be harvested at just the proper stage of ripening. Harvest at the wrong time, and your vegetables may not ripen properly if too young, or be tough and bitter if too old. You […]
The form and size of a herb garden is determined by the interest 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 […]
I have just finished reading The Lost Gardens of Heligan, a wonderful book by [fill in name] Smits. The story, which is true down to the last botanical name, is about the rediscovery and renovation of Heligan, a 19th-century estate in Cornwall. Like many other landed estates at the time, Heligan was almost completely self-sufficient, with the various gardens and […]
As one who was raised in the cold climate of western New York State, I still find it incredible that December can arrive complete with green grass and a few surviving perennial blossoms. Shorter days always make me a little tired, and I see now that there is a real danger that I will go dormant before some of the […]
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 times. […]
Carrot Cultivation Carrots do best in deep, well-cultivated sandy loam, preferably well-manured for the previous crop. Fresh manure causes forking and excessive top growth. Apply a good compound fertilizer 7-10 days prior to sowing. This may be fish meal or 3 parts of superphosphate, 2 parts of sulfate of potash and 1 part of sulfate of ammonia, applied at 85g […]
Growing Carrots Carrots are generally bright orange-red in color, and there are a number of different types and shapes. New varieties have been introduced over recent years to remove the woody yellow cores from carrot roots and this explains the terms ‘red cored’ and ‘red cored improved’ attached to some varietal names. About this Plant… Family: -Umbelliferae Genus, species: -Daucus carota […]
There is a rarity about blue flowers that appeal to most gardeners. Many flowers are called blue, but comparatively few are a pure blue. Catalogs in general make little distinction between blue and tones of purple. And in association with other colors, blue is scarcely less valuable than white. It conflicts with none, it softens most, and it heightens many. […]
Many people have a garden shed or a summer house but they do very little with them. With attention only being paid to them in the warmer months, these structures can often become pretty dilapidated and unloved. Now is the perfect time to pimp up your garden shed to make it a space the entire family can use, whether you […]