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Coconut coir is the waste product of the coconut industry. Thanks to its physical and chemical properties, it can serve as a great alternative to peat moss and also as a growing medium that could enhance the growth of some crops. So, can it be used for tomatoes too? Let’s find out what this Chinese study has to say about Coco Peat For Bumper Tomato Harvest! Check out our article on tips for growing tomatoes here Benefits of Using Coco Peat A natural fibrous material, coco peat offers various benefits...

Angel wing begonias are beautiful and surprisingly easy to care for. In this complete growing guide, I’ll show you all you need to know to be successful and keep yours thriving for many years to come. Colorful flowers and striking foliage make the angel wing begonia a popular choice for growing both indoors and in outdoor gardens. But being able to enjoy the blooms every year depends on understanding how to take care of them properly....

With such a wide array of options to choose from, and only small differences in how they look, it’s tempting to just purchase the cheapest garden hose you can find. Table of Contents However, garden hoses have many small differences that have a huge impact on how easy the hose will be to use and how long it is going to last. The best garden hoses on the market will last for five to 10 years....

There’s something about seeing those wee little buds appear at the end of the “leaves” that fills me with hope and excitement. Sometimes it’s probably because I feel so amazed that a plant that’s been rather neglected manages to bloom. (My green thumb is more in its element outdoors.) For indoor plants, I’m starting to catch on to achieving that delicate balance between overwatering and underwatering, while paying close attention to the plant’s environment (light, air, etc....

A deciduous tree native to the fertile and well-drained Mississippi floodplains of North America, the pecan (Carya illinoinensis) belongs to the same family of fruit trees as hickory and walnuts. Pecans are large trees that often grow taller than 70 feet, and have a trunk diameter of a minimum of 6 feet. They can grow in plant hardiness zones 5 through 10. If you happen to be in an area south of zone 7, you can safely place your bets on healthy pecan production....

Growing up to 20-30 feet in height, banana creates quite an appealing visual in the garden. But Do Bananas Grow on Trees or Bushes? On what exactly these popular fruits grow? Find out! Find out if the banana is a herb or fruit here. Do Bananas Grow on Trees? Banana grows on the largest herbaceous flowering plants in the world, hence it doesn’t grow on trees. Actually, banana trees are plants because when you’ll look closely at the trunk, you can see they do not contain any woody tissues....

Growing a Culinary Herb Garden: The Basics Before you break ground on a culinary herb garden, start with a little planning. What herbs do you use the most? Do you want to grow enough to dry or freeze for winter use? If you’re new to gardening, start small and plan to grow a handful of your favorite kitchen herbs in window-boxes or fabric containers. Once you’ve had success with container gardening, you may wish to plant a garden dedicated to culinary herbs, or add herbs to existing vegetable or flower beds....

Parsley is one of the most popular fresh herbs in the culinary world, and at the same time, it’s underutilized by many home cooks. To me, growing parsley in the culinary garden is an absolute necessity, as it can be used in almost everything! Table of Contents It has a unique flavor profile that can be described as mildly bitter with an earthy flavor and is often used to balance savory dishes and brighten the flavors....

Growing swiss chard is a delicious and healthy way to cultivate a member of the Amaranthaceae family. It is known as s nutritional powerhouse and is loaded with nutrients and vitamins, especially A, C, K, and the vitamin B group. Even better, this leafy vegetable has an extremely low-calorie count. One cup of chopped Swiss chard contains only 35 calories. Growing Swiss chard can be a great thing for your health!...

QUESTION: How often should I water a vegetable garden? I’m planting one this year and need to know. — Alfred D. ANSWER: Because your water will get some of its sustenance from rainfall, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to your question. However, between rainfall and the water you provide, you should provide your garden with at least one inch of water per week. Some vegetables do best with two inches of water per week....

QUESTION: I’m setting up my first raised bed garden, and I need to know how to orient the beds. Should they run east-west or north-south? ANSWER: There are a few rules of thumb you can refer to when you’re plotting out a raised bed garden. However, the very best way to determine how your raised beds should be oriented is to monitor how much sun each part of the garden will get, and then plant your crops accordingly....

Pothos plants have a special place in my heart, because I grew up surrounded by them. My mother loves indoor plants, and this has always been one of her favorites. In fact, my very first houseplant was a pothos. I don’t remember it, but my mom likes to tell the story about how I brought a few rooted cuttings home from nursery school one day. Those small cuttings flourished under her loving care and, over the years, have turned into dozens of new plants (which she keeps trying to pawn off on me, haha!...

Figuring out how to get rid of indoor plant bugs is extremely frustrating, and it can be very difficult to control houseplant pests. In this post, I’ll show you how to identify the most common pests. Then you’ll learn how to get rid of bugs on houseplants naturally, and get tons of tips for how to keep bugs off indoor plants, for good. One of the biggest frustrations an indoor gardener can face is finding bugs on a beloved houseplant....

The vulgare species is the sole member of the Foeniculum genus. Foeniculum vulgare Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is an aromatic Mediterranean herb in the Apiaceae (Umbellifer) family that includes carrots, celery, dill, and parsley. The edible yellow blossoms, seeds, feathery leaves, pollen, roots, and stems have long been prized for their robust, anise-like fragrance and flavor, and their usefulness as ingredients in cooking, magical potions, and traditional medicine. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

Before we dive in, however, a note of caution: it’s vital to understand how toxic these shrubs are. If you love the bright splash of color that azaleas can bring to your yard, but don’t have much room in your garden, why not grow them in containers instead? Since these shrubs thrive in a partially shady environment, they make ideal patio or porch plants and can liven up apartment balconies too....

by Matt Gibson If you would like to attract a continuous visitation from various butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden (who wouldn’t?), consider adding butterfly weed to your flower garden beds this season. The one and a half to two and a half foot-tall perennial thrives in dry, sunny sites all across USDA hardiness zones three through nine. When mature, the butterfly weed boasts two to five inch clusters of yellow-orange to bright orange flowers....

And they make gorgeous cut flowers as well, with many folks growing them for the sole purpose of cutting. The bright, showy booms have fantastic forms and fascinating geometry, adding long-lasting allure to floral arrangements. Dahlia spp. When the late season garden starts to fade from summer’s heat, dahlias are one of the best choices to add delightful months-long displays of brilliantly colored blooms. The timing of these flowers is perfect!...

I grow zinnias in my garden every year, and absolutely love them! Every time I look out my window, they are one of the first things that catch my eye. In my opinion, these beautiful and resilient flowers are a must for every garden! If you’ve never grown zinnias before, you should definitely add them to your list. They are an old fashioned garden staple, and their popularity is understandable. These days, you can find them in all shapes, sizes, and colors....

I’m talking about cultivars like ‘Ruby Streaks,’ which can grow as a microgreen in 10 to 15 days. I’m also referring to broadleaf varieties such as ‘Red Giant,’ that can grow 16 inches tall and fully mature 40 days after sowing. A lot of the vegetables you can grow in your garden require the utmost patience before you can pick. But mustard greens require a different skill set ahead of the harvest....

He gave me an onion from his garden and told me this plant could take care of itself, and it’s true. Allium x proliferum I was introduced to Egyptian walking onions about 12 years ago by an older man named Terry. He was a kind person who seemed more at ease with the plants in his garden than the people around him so, naturally, we got along famously. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....