Recent Post
When to Harvest Vegetables: Ready Signs for 39 Crops
Vegetables tell you they are ready by size, color, feel and what the plant is doing, not by the calendar. A harvest chart with ready signs, planner days to maturity, how to pick and the next step for 39 crops, sourced from university extension.
Why Garlic Did Not Form Bulbs (Single Rounds and Small Heads)
Garlic that grows a single round or a small head usually got too little winter cold, too little growing time or too small a clove. Match what you see to the cause, fix it at planting next fall, and replant the rounds for a full head.
How Many Seeds per Cell? Chart by Crop
One fresh seed per cell for most transplants, two or more for older seed, then snip to the strongest. A crop-by-crop chart with the exceptions: big seeds, onions and scallions sown as clumps, and beets.
Seeds That Need Light to Germinate (and Seeds That Need Dark)
Lettuce, celery, dill and oregano need light to germinate, so sow them on the surface. A sourced light vs dark chart for vegetables, herbs and flowers, with how to sow each kind.
Why Your Cucumber Plant Has Only Male Flowers
Standard cucumbers open male flowers first and female flowers about a week later. How to tell them apart, what holds the females back, gynoecious and parthenocarpic varieties, and how to hand pollinate.
How to Overwinter Strawberries: Mulch, Pots and Raised Beds
Cover strawberries with 4 to 6 inches of clean straw once a few frosts have hardened them off, and before lows drop below 20°F. Move pots into an unheated garage, and rake the straw off in spring when new growth starts.