Cultivating curiosity and confidence
Want gourmet lettuce straight from your garden? Plant Buttercrunch, a high-quality butterhead variety with crisp, sweet leaves and buttery heads. It’s easy to grow, quick to mature, and the flavor and texture can’t be beat! In this article you’ll learn all about how to plant, grow, and harvest Buttercrunch lettuce in garden beds as well as containers. And I’ve even included tips on when and how to save lettuce seeds.
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When fall’s first frost is on the horizon—or the garden simply gives you more bell peppers than you can use at the moment—freezing them is one of the easiest ways to save bell peppers for later use. Frozen peppers are convenient, colorful, and ready for soups, stir-fries, casseroles, fajitas, sauces, omelets, and skillet meals. The process is simple: wash, seed, cut, freeze, and store. With a little preparation, your homegrown peppers can stay useful long after the plants stop producing. In this article, you’ll learn how to freeze bell peppers from the garden and get plenty of tips for success.
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I will admit, I was skeptical about learning how to freeze butternut squash. As a winter squash, butternut is a good storage vegetable. When harvested, cured, and stored properly, it will keep in a pantry or dry area for months. So why should I bother to learn how to freeze butternut squash if it stores on the shelf for so long? Well, since I’ve started preserving this vegetable in this way, I’m a frozen-squash convert. In this article, I’ll explain why you too might want to freeze your butternut squash and how to harvest and prepare the squash, and I’ll offer a step-by-step guide to freezing squash cubes. If you’re interested in freezing mashed squash, I’ll cover that, too, along with a few other tips to help you learn how to freeze butternut squash with success.
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By the end of the summer, my ornamental containers are often starting to look a little worse for wear. I’ll usually start to think about fall planter ideas around the end of August or early September as potted mums and other autumn plants start to appear in stores. Some years I’m literally plunking a potted mum into my urn and calling it a day. Others I like to get creative and include a medley of annuals, perennials, or both into my outdoor display.
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The first time I saw a harlequin cabbage bug in my vegetable garden, I nearly admired it before I realized what it was doing to my kale and cauliflower plants. While this pest is common in the southern U.S., it’s a relative newcomer here in Pennsylvania. It was a pest I had never encountered until about 5 years ago. In this article, I’ll share information about identifying the harlequin cabbage bug (also called the harlequin bug) and fill you in on some organic control measures I’ve found to be effective.
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Vegetable garden clean up advice has varied widely from decade to decade. There was a time when gardening resources routinely suggested clearing away every last speck of garden debris at the end of the season. But things have changed, and these days, the guidance around vegetable garden clean up is a little more nuanced. In some instances you should remove all dead plants from certain areas. But, in other spots, fall cleanup should be minimal. Taking care of your garden tools and adding organic matter to the soil are also important aspects of vegetable garden clean up that can help to make next year’s crops even better. In this article you’ll discover 12 tasks to do in your vegetable garden before winter arrives.
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