Savvy Gardening

How to grow chickpeas: From seed to harvest

Hummus lovers rejoice: You can learn how to grow chickpeas in your vegetable garden. Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, cecci beans, and Egyptian peas, are a staple in diets across their indigenous Mediterranean region. And like other legumes, they’re easy to grow and the plants improve the soil. Plus you can enjoy chickpeas fresh from the garden, much like shell peas, or harvest them at the end of the growing season for drying. In this ultimate guide for how to grow chickpeas, you’ll learn all about growing chickpeas on a small scale. Read on for tips on sowing, caring for, harvesting, and enjoying these tasty and nutritious beans.

Little Lime hydrangea: A care guide

Written by Jessica Walliser

Perfect for landscapes with smaller footprints, Little Lime hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Jane’) provides the look and feel of an old-fashioned hydrangea without the need for a huge parcel of land to accommodate it. While many hydrangeas can grow to be 20 feet tall or more, Little Lime hydrangea reaches a comparatively diminutive 3-5 ft. These compact shrubs are suitable for use in hedges, foundation plantings, and even in cut flower arrangements. True to its name, Little Lime hydrangea initially produces lime-colored blooms on strong stems. Over the growing season, the flower color changes to white and, eventually, to a stately burgundy.
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Growing fruit trees in containers

Written by Jessica Walliser

Big rewards come in small packages when growing fruit trees in containers. If you don’t have an abundance of outdoor space, you may think of fruit trees as being out of reach—something only for the orchardists and large-scale landowners. This is not true! Thanks to dwarf varieties and dwarf rootstocks, growing fruit trees in containers isn’t as hard as you might think.

How to divide irises

Written by Tara Nolan

The front garden of my first home featured huge, gorgeous, tall bearded irises that framed both sides of the front door. The massive blooms were a deep purple hue, and you had to be careful not to brush them with your clothes as you went into the house. Sadly, that house and garden were torn down after we sold, but luckily, I had divided some irises and gifted them to my mom, who in turn gifted some to me once I moved into my current house. These beauties live on in my front garden. Every few years, they need some TLC. This article will explain how to divide irises and replant them in the garden.

How long does it take for potatoes to grow?

Written by Niki Jabbour

If you’re like me as soon as you plant your seed potatoes you’re already anticipating the harvest of tender tubers. However, potatoes are a long season crop and you’ll have to practice patience. So how long does it take for potatoes to grow? Generally the potato growing season is three to four months, but there are a few strategies you can do to encourage an early harvest. In this article you’ll learn about the different types of potatoes, which ones grow the fastest, and discover six ways to speed up the homegrown harvest.

Cucumber plant spacing for high yields in gardens and pots

Written by Jessica Walliser

Cucumbers are among the most popular crops for home gardeners. They’re easy to grow and just a handful of vines can provide enough cucumbers for fresh eating from mid-summer through late fall. But proper cucumber plant spacing can mean the difference between healthy, productive plants and disease ridden, low yielding ones. Let’s take a look at how far apart to plant cucumbers based on your growing technique and the method you use to plant them.
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