Savvy Gardening

Growing bok choy: Tips for starting seeds indoors and for direct sowing

If I were to list my favorite greens in the garden for stir fries, growing bok choy would be at the top of my list. One of those shoulder season crops that are easy to grow, I sow bok choy seeds in the spring for an early-season harvest, and in the late summer for a fall crop. In this article, I’ll share tips on growing bok choy from seed, as well as how to prevent pests from destroying those luscious leaves.

When to start vegetable seeds indoors: How to get the timing right

Written by Niki Jabbour

Knowing when to start vegetable seeds indoors is an important step in growing a healthy and productive food garden. This is because proper timing helps ensure your seedlings have reached the ideal growth stage for transplanting outdoors. Seedlings that are too immature or overmature can struggle, so getting a handle on when to sow seeds indoors is crucial. In this article you’ll learn which types of vegetable seeds are started indoors and how to calculate the best timing for seed sowing.

The best spacing between strawberry plants

Written by Jessica Walliser

Discovering the ideal spacing between strawberry plants translates to higher yields and a bigger harvest. Crowded plants are prone to disease, but if you plant these sweet treasures too far apart, you’re wasting precious garden space. In this article I’ll share information about how far apart to plant strawberries based on whether you’re growing them in the ground, in raised beds, or in containers.
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Growing edamame in a vegetable garden: From seed to harvest

Written by Niki Jabbour

Buttery and delicious, edamame beans are an easy-to-grow crop in a home vegetable garden. Also known as soybeans, the compact plants of edamame produce a generous harvest of bright green pods filled with two to three nutritious beans. Bags of frozen edamame are available in supermarkets, but the flavor of fresh picked homegrown edamame just can’t be beat. In this article you’ll learn everything you need to know about growing edamame in your vegetable garden.

Beets from seed: Two easy techniques for growing beets

Written by Niki Jabbour

Growing beets from seed isn’t difficult and is the best way to ensure a bumper crop of this popular root vegetable. Beets offer a double harvest of sweet earthy roots and nutritious greens, which are ready to eat just two months from seeding. And you’ve got several options when it comes to planting as there are two ways for gardeners to plant beet seeds. The first is to direct sow the seeds in the garden and the second is to start the seeds indoors. There are benefits and drawbacks to each technique and below you’ll learn everything you need to know about growing beets from seed.

The longest flowering perennials: 10 long blooming options

Written by Niki Jabbour

A well-designed garden provides interest from early spring through late autumn, and beyond if you also select plants for winter structure. But, for the main growing season, much of that interest comes from flowering and foliage plants. Gardeners who want a lower maintenance landscape would be wise to look for perennial plants that are both easy-to-grow and offer a long blooming period. Most perennial plants flower for two to four weeks, but the longest flowering perennials, like coneflowers and catmint, measure their flowering period in months, not weeks. Below you’ll discover ten outstanding options for long-blooming perennials.