When creating a garden bed, my goal is to create a space that provides color and interest all year long. In spring and summer there’s plenty of bold and bright flowers and foliage but by late summer many plants have begun to wind down for the season. Yet, that doesn’t have to be the case as there is no shortage of striking late-season shrubs that add long-lasting beauty and appeal to the garden. In fact, by August, the five plants below are just getting started. Today I’d like to introduce you to some of my favorite shrubs for late summer and autumn. These plants are featured on Savvy Gardening thanks to the sponsorship of Bloomin’ Easy Plants, the grower and supplier of these autumn blooming beauties.
When to harvest beets from a home garden
Learning the best time to harvest beets plays an important role in the flavor and texture of your harvest, just like carrots, Swiss chard, turnips, spinach, and other crops. I’ll admit it. I’m a reformed “beet hater.” When I was a kid, I thought I didn’t like beets because the only ones I’d ever eaten had come from a can and tasted like dirt. But when I grew up and had my first oven-roasted beet from a friend’s garden, I had my own personal beet epiphany and went from being a beet hater to a beet lover. Now, beets are an essential crop in my garden every season. In this article, I’ll share some important details regarding when to harvest beets for peak nutrition, taste, texture, and storage life.
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An herb spiral: A beautiful and productive bed for growing garden herbs
An herb spiral is a raised garden bed that is both beautiful and functional. It’s perfect for small space food gardens, but can also be tucked into ornamental landscapes to supply fresh herbs for the kitchen. Like other types of raised beds, spiral gardens are low-care spaces and their unique shape allows the gardener to plant both sun and shade-loving herbs in the same bed. Intrigued? Keep reading to learn more about building and gardening in a spiral herb garden.
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Two clever and easy DIY projects for growing food in small spaces
Would-be food gardeners who are short on garden space but want to grow vegetables and herbs can find success in container growing. You can use traditional containers, like plastic pots or you can up-cycle materials like trash cans and wood crates as demonstrated in the below DIY’s. These fun and easy projects are perfect for growing a bumper crop of potatoes and culinary herbs and use inexpensive and easy-to-source materials. We have excerpted the following DIY’s from GrowVeg: The Beginner’s Guide to Easy Vegetable Gardening by Benedict Vanheems and used with permission from Storey Publishing. The book is packed with dozens of clever ideas for growing tasty and attractive edibles when your ambition is bigger than the space you have to grow. Keep reading to learn more about growing potatoes in trash cans and kitchen herbs in recycled wood crates.
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When to harvest carrots for fresh eating or storage
This article will teach you when to harvest carrots based on both how you plan to use them and when they were planted. While carrots are certainly not the most expensive veggie at the grocery store, most families eat a lot of them. In fact, carrots are among the most popular vegetables in the world. They are also a staple crop for many home gardeners. With the right varieties and growing techniques, you can harvest baskets full of these tasty roots every year, but knowing when to harvest carrots is just as important as knowing when and how to plant them. Let’s dig in.
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How to propagate sedum: Make new plants from division and cuttings, and by layering
A few years ago, I brought home a gorgeous maroon sedum from a plant sale. I planted it in my front yard garden, only to come out one day and discover the plant gone and a sad-looking, leftover sprig lying abandoned on top of the soil. That was my first effort in figuring out how to propagate sedum—and how easy it is. I have an area in a raised bed that I use as a nurse garden or holding area for plants I don’t know what to do with. So I dug that sad piece of sedum into the soil to see what it would do.
