While most of the country is in the middle of a heat wave and the mercury is creeping past 100F on many thermometers, lets do a little exercise to help you feel cool as a cucumber (though not straight out of the garden, those cucumbers would likely be hot). I want you to think about a crisp September morning. You’re out walking through your vegetable garden and you stop to appreciate a big, emerald green head of broccoli. … Continue reading this article “Falling forward: Time to plan and plant the fall veggie garden”
Tag: vegetable
Ripe for the picking: Which fruits keep ripening after harvest?
“Will my peppers continue to ripen? How about my eggplants?” It is common knowledge to most gardeners (and home cooks) that tomatoes will ripen on the kitchen counter, as will bananas and several other fruits. You know that one day your bananas look perfectly ripe and the next they’re a brown mush But does this work for all fruits? We often get questions about whether specific fruits will continue to ripen after picking. And the answer is…..… Continue reading this article “Ripe for the picking: Which fruits keep ripening after harvest?”
Plant Control to Major Tom(ato): The Art of Spacing Out Your Plants
“Why don’t you just plant it up against the house,” piped my mother-in-law. She was talking about a run-of-the-mill “old fashioned lilac” that we had received in the mail for our donation to Arbor Day. While I don’t necessarily think of the organized tn as a source of high-quality or novel plants, I felt beholden to make a donation since it was founded and is still located in Nebraska (and we have visited the Arbor Lodge, home to founder J.… Continue reading this article “Plant Control to Major Tom(ato): The Art of Spacing Out Your Plants”
The Scoop on Poop: Manure in the Vegetable Garden (and potential food safety risks)
“Can I use manure to fertilize my garden?” That’s a common question we get in Extension and on the Garden Professors page. The answer is absolutely, but there’s a “but” that should follow that answer that not everyone shares. And that is…but for fruits and vegetable gardens the manure you apply could be a potential source of human pathogens that could make you or your family sick. There are procedures and waiting periods you should follow to reduce the potential risk to human health from pathogens in manure and other animal products.”… Continue reading this article “The Scoop on Poop: Manure in the Vegetable Garden (and potential food safety risks)”
Grow Garlic – Keep the Neighborhood Vampires at Bay
While most of those gardening tasks are coming to an end, in most parts of the US it’s time to think about planting a few things in the veggie garden to bring a flavorful bounty next year – garlic (and a few related alliums).
I often reference Halloween and vampires when I talk about garlic, not just because traditional lore says that garlic repels vampires, but because it is a good reminder of when to plant garlic in the garden.… Continue reading this article “Grow Garlic – Keep the Neighborhood Vampires at Bay”