The Cucurbit cousins – squash, cucumbers, melons, gourds, and pumpkins – have a reputation for poor pollination. You may find that your plants are covered with flowers, yet you get few fruits. Why? There are a number of factors that can contribute to pollination problems, but first, it helps to understand a little bit more about the Curcubit’s.
Red lettuce varieties; a comparison
I’m a salad girl, growing dozens of types of salad crops; quinoa, amaranth, kale, spinach, orach, mache, Asian greens, and of course, lettuce. I love all types of lettuce, but I’ve got a particular fondness for red lettuce varieties, which offer bold colour to the garden and the salad bowl. I’ve grown dozens of varieties of lettuce in my garden, but these three are among my favourites.
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5 Surprising Facts About Ladybugs You Don’t Know
In the world of garden friendly bugs, ladybugs have become the polka-dotted poster children. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know how good ladybugs are for the garden, and you may think you already know everything there is to know about them. But you’d be wrong.
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Get to know Vietnamese coriander
Cilantro is a ‘love it’ or ‘hate it’ type of herb. And, for those who love it, like me, it can be challenging to grow. It prefers the cool weather of spring and autumn, and a steady supply of moisture. Should the weather turn hot for a few days, you neglect to water, or – Heaven forbid – you look at the plants the wrong way, they’ll quit producing foliage and jump straight to flowering. This is where Vietnamese coriander comes in handy – it shares a similar flavour to cilantro, but it’s incredibly easy to grow!
Update: Niki’s new raised beds
When Savvy Gardening’s Tara Nolan launched her first book, Raised Bed Revolution, the timing was perfect for me. With photography for my book, Veggie Garden Remix scheduled for spring/summer/fall, I had already decided to completely renovate my own vegetable garden. I knew I wanted raised beds and was able to adopt many of Tara’s ideas and suggestions into my brand new kitchen garden.
Five reasons to plant new-to-you vegetables in your garden
I have my standard list of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that I plant in my gardens every year: heirloom tomatoes, lettuces, peas, basil, parsley, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, etc. However one thing I would recommend, that I enjoy doing each year, is to leave space for a couple of new-to-you vegetables. They don’t necessarily have to be new to market, just something that you yourself haven’t tried growing before.
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