Napa cabbage is an excellent spring vegetable for gardeners because it is easy to grow and provides a large harvest of heads. It grows similarly to other brassica family plants, and it will be familiar to gardeners who have grown bok choy before. If you’re interested in learning how to grow Napa cabbage in your garden this spring, we can help! Table of Contents This type of cabbage is commonly used in Asian cuisine, especially kimchi and stir-fry....

by Jennifer Poindexter Have you ever had the pleasure of cooking with saffron? If you’re familiar with the spice at all, you know it’s a special treat because of its expense. However, did you know you can grow your own saffron crocus bulbs? This is where the spice comes from. If you’re interested in having this spice at your convenience, consider adding it to your herb garden. It isn’t as common as some herbs, but it’s easy enough to grow....

Whether these succulents hold a place in your cultural heritage or not, their paddles have been used as a food source and as medicine by indigenous peoples and others throughout the Americas for a long, long time. They’re more than just a trendy food. Are you planning to harvest some nutritious, tasty pads from a prickly pear, also known as nopal cactus? Or are you debating whether it’s worth it to buy and contend with such a pokey plant for the potential of a future harvest?...

Don’t panic. Yes they are a challenge to combat, but we’ll help you figure out whether or not you’re facing a cutworm infestation, what the heck that actually means, and how to deal with it. Have you ever headed out into your garden and found damage that looks like someone took a teeny-tiny scythe and lopped the stems of your seedlings off at the ground? Okay, that actually sounds kind of cute, but it’s a sign that you have cutworms, not an itty-bitty reaper in your garden....

You can check out the basics of growing big, healthy, and beautiful petunias in our growing guide. Petunias are vibrant annuals with soft, delicate flowers. They smell heavenly, and we’re not the only ones who think so. Animals and insects consider these plants to be a tasty delicacy. Insects might also try and use your petunias as a new home to lay eggs. So how do you prevent an infestation and protect your beautiful flowers?...

In many areas, they don’t even need supplemental irrigation. As for fertilizing and pruning? Typically, these are rare tasks. Juniperus spp. Chances are you’ve seen juniper shrubs growing all over the place, from the carefully sculpted topiaries flanking the doorway of a home, to the wild plants thriving in the unlikeliest of places. Junipers grow in a massive range of environmental conditions, and they’ve been cultivated by numerous cultures throughout history as medicine, food, and for their ornamental value....

Don’t let aches and pains keep you from cultivating the garden of your dreams. Anyone doing yard work or gardening has probably experienced back or knee pain before. Thankfully, the aches and pains of gardening don’t have to outweigh the joy! With proper care and planning, you can reduce or eliminate your knee or back pain while gardening. To ease the pain and improve the joy, we’ll cover the best ways to set yourself up for success:...

Birds can become a serious annual problem once they know where accessible fruit is, and can cause significant yield losses. You’ve waited all season to stain your fingers purple with delicious homegrown blueberry juice. A flock of hungry birds descends, and before you can get your hands on just one of those hard earned, mouth watering berries, your bushes are stripped clean. You can’t blame them for loving the fruit, but you don’t have to share your blueberries....

But there are a few steps that will keep your harvest from rotting before you can carve or cook with them. Most people who are worried about “storing pumpkin” are looking only for ways to store the portion of puree that’s left in a can of pie filling after doing their baking for Thanksgiving. But when you grow your own Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maximum, being able to save the bounty to use at Halloween or throughout the winter is a luxury....

Determinate vs indeterminate tomatoes… what the heck is the difference? In this post, I’ll explain what those terms mean, and how to tell the difference between the two types of tomato plants. Then I’ll discuss the pros and cons of each, and show you how to decide which type to grow. How can you tell the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes? This is a very common question that most new gardeners have when they first start growing them....

Involving kids to gardening and nature can have many benefits that you may not recognize initially. It is not difficult too if you learn and apply some of these clever tips given here. The importance of outdoor play is something parents are very familiar with. It does not only improve a kid’s physical abilities and motor skills but also his social and emotional abilities. Aside from playing outdoors, the benefits of nature and green living cannot be discounted....

Navel oranges have become severely underrated as the popularity of mandarins has skyrocketed. Growing a navel orange tree will provide delicious, sweet fruit during the winter when most gardens slow down or go completely dormant. A navel orange tree can be grown as a dwarf or standard tree in the ground or a container making it feasible for just about any gardener to grow. They can be grown as a patio tree in almost any growing zone as long as they can be brought inside during harsh winters....

We’ve teamed up with the good folks at Bloomin’ Easy® to introduce you to three drop-dead gorgeous cultivars of Hydrangea paniculata that will have you falling in love with hydrangeas in a whole new way. What’s so special about Hydrangea paniculata? Commonly called panicle hydrangeas, there’s a lot to love about Hydrangea paniculata. Here are just a few of the things that make this species so darn perfect. • Unlike varieties such as the mophead hydrangeas, Hydrangea paniculata (and its close cousin Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora – the peegee hydrangeas) produces flower buds in early spring on new growth and new wood, not on the woody stems formed during the previous gardening season....

Plumerias are so exotic that it seems like they would be difficult to care for. But they’re actually quite easy to grow once you learn how. In this post, I’ll tell you all you need to know in order to be successful. When I think back to my trips to Hawaii, one thing that I remember the most was all of the gorgeous plumerias growing and blooming everywhere. So of course, I absolutely had to bring one home with me when I went back to Minnesota....

Although relatively new, the hybrid Lemon Boy is a big hit amongst both home and commercial growers. It’s one of the more popular yellow tomato varieties today. The medium-sized fruits grow to 7 or 8 ounces and have a distinct, beautiful bright yellow color. The lemon boy hybrid is very disease-resistant. It grows at an average speed, producing fruit in about 72 days. The prized Lemon Boys are sugary sweet, high yielding, and can be harvested throughout the growing season if kept well....

The radicchio plant is part of a much larger chicory family, known for its crunchy leaves in recipes like a salad with blue cheese, or even roasted with olive oil and salt. Its family is also known for its famous roasted and dried roots that can be made into a coffee alternative. But these jolly little heads of somewhat bitter leaves are marvelous crops to have in the garden. Able to keep in storage longer than many other lettuce plants, this addition to the garden rotation would be well worth it!...

Our guide to cover cropping discusses how to use the technique in the home garden. Cover crops are fast-growing plants that we sow densely to cover fallow soil. Cover cropping is a common farming practice, with applications for smaller scale plots and raised beds where flowers, fruits, herbs, and vegetables grow as well. 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 Rose bushes are quite hardy and relatively easy to grow, though there are some varieties that are more demanding than others. Newer rose cultivars are ideal for beginners, as they are bred to resist common diseases and to require less care. Old rose cultivars are stunning but typically more demanding when it comes to care requirements. As breeders continue to create new hybrids, there is a growing number of varieties that are incredibly easy to cultivate and enjoy in your garden....

by Matt Gibson About Septoria Leaf Spot Septoria leaf spot, also known as septoria blight is a common disease of the tomato plant, which also affects other members of the plant family Solanaceae, namely potatoes and eggplant. The disease is caused by the fungus Septoria lycopersici, and is known to affect crops in different regions all around the world. The disease won’t always kill your tomato plants, but it can do some pretty severe damage to the crops, defoliating them, weakening them, and if not treated, Septoria leaf spot will take over the entire plant, keeping them from being able to produce mature fruit....

by Matt Gibson When you’re considering groundcovers for your yard, is it walkable? Add some color and character to your yard that’s sure to turn heads. Instead of grass, try out the following walkable groundcovers in your lawn or garden beds. Having a nice, well-cut and meticulously maintained lawn without a ton of weeds is fine. A maintained lawn that is obviously cared for with great attention to detail is quite rare these days....