Brussels sprouts grow in a wonderfully odd fashion, with little cabbage-like buds tucked into the leaf axils along a tall central stalk. The lower sprouts mature first while newer ones develop higher up, which makes leaf removal more nuanced than grabbing pruning shears and giving the plant a haircut. A few well-timed cuts can make…
vegetable gardening
What Can You Do With Empty Grow Bags After Summer Crops Finish?
When summer tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and potatoes finish their garden careers, those floppy grow bags often end up looking like sad little gardening pancakes. Before tossing them into the trash, take a closer look because a quality grow bag can serve the garden for several more seasons, provided you clean it, inspect it, and store…
Should You Cover Freshly Sown Seeds With Burlap?
Freshly sown seeds have a surprisingly difficult job. They need moisture, good contact with the soil, and protection from the kind of downpour that can turn a carefully prepared seedbed into a tiny muddy landslide. A loose piece of burlap can help with all three, making it a useful trick when the weather, soil, or…
5 Garden Crops That Can Double as Attractive Border Plants
A garden border does not have to choose between looking good and putting food on the table. Several edible crops bring enough color, texture, shape, or sheer personality to work beautifully along paths, flower beds, patios, and other highly visible spots. That makes edible landscaping a particularly clever trick for gardeners who want every inch…
Could a Cold Frame Be Useful Before Cold Weather Arrives?
A cold frame might look like a glorified box with a window slapped on top, but before cold weather arrives, that humble little structure can become one of the garden’s most useful pieces of equipment. It can protect cool-season vegetables, give seedlings a sheltered transition outdoors, and help keep fresh greens coming after summer starts…
What Causes Hollow Spots Inside Otherwise Healthy Potatoes?
A potato can look flawless on the outside, only to reveal a strange empty pocket when the knife reaches the middle. Gardeners call this condition hollow heart, and it can turn a perfectly ordinary spud into a potato with what looks suspiciously like a tiny underground cave. The good news is that the hollow spot…
What Is the Right Time to Stop Watering Winter Squash?
Winter squash has a funny way of making gardeners second-guess themselves. One week the vines look like they could drink an entire bathtub, and the next week the leaves start yellowing while those hefty squash sit there looking suspiciously finished. The right time to stop watering winter squash generally comes when the fruit approaches full…
Can You Use a Laundry Basket to Cure Onions and Garlic?
A laundry basket can help cure onions and garlic, and it can work surprisingly well. The trick has nothing to do with laundry and everything to do with airflow, because freshly harvested bulbs need a dry, airy place where moisture can escape instead of getting trapped around the skins and necks. That makes a laundry…
6 Ways to Keep Raccoons Away From Sweet Corn Without Traps
Sweet corn and raccoons have an unfortunate relationship: the corn ripens, the raccoons notice, and suddenly somebody has a midnight dinner reservation in the garden. Raccoons especially love corn, and their calling card often includes partially eaten ears, pulled-back husks, and broken stalks. A gardener does not need to turn the backyard into a raccoon…
5 Ways to Stabilize Pepper Plants Loaded With Fruit
Pepper plants love to surprise gardeners. One week they look compact and tidy, and the next they carry so many glossy peppers that branches lean, bend, and sometimes snap right in the middle of the season. A plant that looked perfectly balanced in June can suddenly resemble a gymnast attempting an impossible pose by August….