If you’ve strolled out to your vegetable garden and discovered your cucumbers curling into strange shapes—c-shapes, s-shapes, or even resembling a tightly wound spiral—you’re not alone. Many gardeners have scratched their heads over curly cucumber fruit. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll dig into a number of reasons for cucumbers curling, how to recognize the symptoms, and what you can do to ensure your cucumber fruits are straight, healthy, and delicious.
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The best tomatoes for canning: 10 delicious and high-yielding options
Canned tomatoes are a delicious and convenient ingredient in tomato sauces, pasta sauces, stews, salsas, and even soups. And for the highest quality canned tomatoes you need to select the right tomato varieties to grow. The best tomatoes for canning are plum types, which have a dense texture, fewer seeds, and a rich flavor. In this article I’ll share my go-to tomato varieties for canning and offer tips on maximizing the harvest.
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Evergreen groundcover plants: 20 choices for year-round interest
Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many different purposes in the landscape. They limit weed growth, stabilize slopes, and add interest and texture to your yard. Plus, unlike lawn, groundcover plants don’t have to be mowed. However, in colder climates, many groundcovers die back and go dormant during the winter months. This leaves the ground bare and exposed, opening it up to potential weed issues and soil erosion. If you’d like to provide year-round cover for a particular garden area, turn to evergreen groundcover varieties for the job. These beautiful, hard-working plants have so much to offer.
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Harvesting coriander: Save your cilantro seeds for your spice rack or to plant
It’s so satisfying to pull out my mortar and pestle and grind seeds I saved because I thought ahead about harvesting coriander. I love fresh cilantro and use a great deal of it in my cooking when it’s in season. Coriander seeds can be used both fresh and dried (the latter often being ground into powder). In this article I’ll explain how easy it is to save cilantro/coriander seeds, how to store them for your spice rack or to replant, and how to use them in your cooking.
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Basil leaves curling? 8 possible causes and solutions
If you’ve ever grown basil, you’ve probably seen your basil leaves curling downwards and wilting or basil leaves curling upwards and folding in on themselves. Sometimes you may even see basil leaves curling and also looking yellowed or otherwise discolored. Often, these symptoms are just your plants’ reactions to environmental stress such as extreme heat, cold, or high winds. But sometimes basil leaves curling indicates a need for significant intervention on your part. Fortunately, once you’re familiar with the telltale signs, you’ll know what your sweet basil is trying to tell you and you can act accordingly to fix the trouble.
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How often should you water new shrubs? Tips to care for a new planting
Just how often should you water new shrubs—particularly during their first year in your landscape—so that you can be sure they’ll thrive? From the variety and size of the new plant in question, to your specific climate and soil type, there are a few different factors to consider. Even the hardiest of shrubs need a little TLC when they’re first planted! This article will provide guidelines on how much water your new shrub will require. The steps you take now will help it to hold its own during dry periods and put down strong roots to survive the winter.
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