The cultivars of this species all tend to have fairly mild, sweet flavors, and textures that vary from crisp and succulent to delicate and tender. Lettuce comes in a range of varieties – with flavors from buttery and mild to nutty and even slightly bitter; textures from delicate to crunchy; and colors from pale to dark green and burgundy. With all these choices, even the most ardent veggie-phobes or demanding foodies will find a lettuce to love....

1. DIY Mini Copper Planters Replace ordinary miniature pots with these shiny copper planters. For the tutorial, check out the link here! 2. DIY Succulent Wine Cork Planters If you love wine, incorporate your love for wine and plants by creating these succulent wine cork planters. Check out the DIY here! 3. DIY Toy Elephant Succulent Planter Turn any old toy into these cute little toy succulent planters. DIY for this project is here!...

by Erin Marissa Russell Grew a lot of turnips this season and looking for ideas on how to use them all? If you’re a gardener who loves the nutty, crisp texture and peppery flavor of turnips, you probably know one of the best ways to enjoy them is straight out of the ground. While many of us have gone out to the garden to “turn up a turnip,” brushed it off, and eaten it right there, we must recommend that you wash your turnips before consuming them....

Anyone who has a fireplace or wood stove knows the difficulty of preparing their firewood for winter use. But there’s a wealth of options out there for turning stumps into logs or kindling. I’ll delve into the details of log splitters and see what option may be the best for your home! Table of Contents Best Slide-Hammer Splitter: Woodeze 5MH-S-SplitterBest Manual Splitter: Sun Joe LJ10MBest Electric Splitter: Boss Industrial ES7T20Best Gas-Powered Splitter: Boss Industrial GD16T21Best Large Hydraulic Splitter: Swisher LSRB87528 How To Choose The Best Log Splitter There are two different types of force that are used for splitting logs....

Colorful text boxes scattered throughout the book offer insights into different pairings and answer frequently asked questions such as, “How close do companion partners need to be?” For those seeking to cultivate a resilient, healthy organic garden, Jessica Walliser’s book “Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden” should be one of your essential reference books. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

by Matt Gibson Shopping for a gardener friend can be fun and fulfilling, especially if you know that you are getting them something that they will put to use on a regular basis. The following lists are chock full of thoughtful gifts that every gardener will love and use on a regular basis. Even the thriftiest gardener doesn’t have everything, and these lists have lots of items that your gardening pals surely haven’t yet added to their toolkits....

Apples are subject to a variety of diseases that can cause minor cosmetic damage or more significant damage, such as reduced yields and even tree death. The good news is home growers can avoid most diseases by planting disease resistant varieties. Below are a few of the most common apple diseases: Apple Scab Apple scab is one of the most common diseases that afflict apple trees and can also be on of the most serious....

Introduction Composting is not difficult and is probably the best way to provide nutrients to your plants. You can start composting even in a small compost bin if you’re a container gardener. A great source of organic fertilizer for your edibles. Preparing garden compost is also simple as it only needs a few ingredients. These include nitrogen, carbon, air, and water. To get these ingredients, collect kitchen and yard waste, but remember that full decomposition is a lengthy period that may take months....

Have you been seeing huge orange or tan bugs on your grapes or fruit trees? Those are probably grapevine beetles! But don’t worry, though they look big and scary, they don’t do much damage. While not a major pest for commercial crops or home growers, these large tan beetles can be intimidating, and cause alarm for new gardeners. In this guide, I’ll go through how to identify grapevine beetles in your garden, and determine whether you need to get rid of them or not....

Everyone knows the olive, a staple of cocktails and great in salads. But have you ever considered growing olives yourself? Perhaps more importantly, is an olive a fruit or a vegetable? Table of Contents Most people seem to consider them to be vegetables. But those black olives on tree branches are most definitely a fruit. They develop in a range of colors: purple, green, dark brown, black, and even pink! Both dwarf olive trees and regular ones originated from western Asia and spread down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea....

You can buy fresh sweet corn in season at a farm stand or supermarket. So if you have a small garden, you may want to skip a corn crop and grow vegetables that take up less space. That would be the practical thing to do, but you would be missing out on an incomparable culinary delight. As a veteran gardener put it, “Fresh corn on the cob picked from your own garden and steamed right away for four minutes is delicious like nothing else....

Growing tea at home can be rewarding and fun. The best part is, you can also grow it in your balcony or patio! There’s nothing like watching a tea plant grow and sipping a piping hot tea made from the homegrown, organic tea leaves! Here’s everything about Growing Tea Leaves at Home! Botanical Name: Camellia Sinensis USDA Zone: 6-10 Check out our article on growing Coffee at home here What are Tea Leaves?...

Houseplants Did you recently welcome a new monstera plant into your indoor garden, but aren't sure how much water they need, or how often to water them? Underwatering and overwatering are both common monstera problems, so it's important to get it right. In this article, gardening expert and houseplant enthusiast Madison Moulton explains the proper amount of moisture your monstera plants need. By Madison Moulton Last updated: January 10, 2023 | 7 min read Watering is one of the most vital aspects of houseplant care....

Many garden chores revolve around elimination – mowing the lawn removes the tops of grass blades, pulling weeds does away with plants out of place, deadheading scraps spent blooms, and so on. Want to keep your bird of paradise plants healthy while gaining a few more, without shelling out any moolah? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

If you love chives as much as I do, then you’ll want to savor that fresh flavor all year long – and freezing them is the best way to do it! Freezing chives is super easy, and a great way to enjoy them all year round. They hold their flavor and texture very well when frozen, and you can use them in your recipes any time you need them. There are a couple of different methods you can use to freeze chives....

What are spider mites? Although they damage plants like many insect pests do, spider mites aren’t bugs. They’re actually a type of arachnid, related to larger spiders and ticks. They’re so small that you need a strong magnifying glass or macro lens to be able to make them out, and, even then, they just look like oval-shaped dots. Like their larger cousins, spider mites do make webs, but they don’t use them to catch prey....

In this article, you will learn all you need to know to grow and care for anise hyssop. Agastache foeniculum Anise hyssop, Agastache foeniculum, is a short-lived, edible herbaceous perennial in the Lamiaceae, or mint family. It’s a native plant suited to gardens in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9. Long used in culinary and medicinal applications, its erect stature and spikes of lavender blossoms make a striking statement in the garden....

What many people don’t realize, though, is that there are multiple types of boxwood you can grow – many of which are cold-hardy and can be cultivated by northern gardeners, too. Buxus spp. If you’re looking for a plant that’s terrific for topiaries, great for hedges, and even attractive when left untrimmed, the boxwood shrub is perfect for you. A long-time favorite of Southern gardeners, boxwoods have been grown in the States for centuries....

For example, the flesh inside the fruits can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the air surrounding them, according to a document published by the University of Massachusetts Extension Nutrition Education Program. Cucumis sativus There are so many common expressions that don’t really hold up to scrutiny. Pretty as a picture? Not some I’ve seen. Sleep like a baby? If you mean fitfully… Work like a dog? Sometimes, but my sweet Huggy is asleep on the porch more often than not....

Love geraniums? That’s good! Now you might be asking– Is it possible to grow geraniums indoors? Definitely yes, although growing geranium indoors is not as easy as other houseplants. There are some basic key requirements and geranium care information you need to know. As you know geraniums (Pelargonium) are not winter hardy in cold climate, the best way to grow them year-round is to grow them indoors. Choosing a type of geranium you want to grow Choose healthy geranium plants from a nearby nursery....