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Coco coir is an increasingly popular type of hydroponic growing medium — and for good reason. There are a whole host of benefits to growing with coconut coir that you can and should take advantage of if you’re new to hydroponics. Table of Contents There isn’t a good, comprehensive guide to coconut coir out there… until now. In this guide, you’ll get just about everything you need to know about coco coir: what it is, its pros and cons, and the best brands to use....

Fennel is quite popular for its sweet, aromatic dill-like leaves, seeds, and bulbs. This flavorful herb can be paired with a variety of dishes and herbal teas, making it one of the most used culinary herbs! If you too want to enjoy it fresh, then keep reading this article on Growing Fennel in Container! Botanical Name: Foeniculum vulgare USDA Zones: 5-10 Check out our article on growing sage in containers here!...

Beautiful and seemingly delicate, the poppies are the plants not particularly very easy to grow, but the beauty of the flowering plant makes it a popular classic. Those who want to enjoy the intense blooms in their container gardens must grow poppies in pots. Best Poppy Varieties There are some of the varieties of poppies that are popular and can grow well in a pot: Oriental poppy Most of the oriental poppy cultivars have large strikingly beautiful flowers that usually appears in late spring to early summer in bright colors like orange and red....

Question: How do you prune an artichoke? Does it make for a healthier plant? -Oscar T. Answer: Pruning back artichoke plants, which produce giant thistles, is a bit different from trimming back your standard plant or bush. Artichoke plant’s pinecone-shaped buds grow on the plant’s extended stems and lateral branches. They are ready for harvesting when the top bud reaches about two to four inches in diameter. To harvest, use a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears to cut the bud off of the stem, leaving about 1....

How far apart to plant tomatoes: Why tomato spacing is important There are four main reasons to aim for well-spaced tomato plants: Disease prevention. Tomato plants are susceptible to many diseases and if spaced too closely, insufficient air circulation can elevate the risk of disease. Adequate light. Heat-loving tomato plants need plenty of sunlight for healthy growth. If you crowd seedlings, the plants will cast shade on their neighbours as they grow....

To make things worse, there are many different strains of Botrytis, and most of them are resistant to at least one fungicide, if not more. Botrytis cinerea Gray mold, also known as Botrytis fruit rot or Botrytis flower rot, is one of the most difficult strawberry pathogens to control if the environmental conditions are right for infection. Unfortunately, the fungus that causes this disease, Botrytis cinerea, is very common in strawberries throughout the world....

But even those with little admiration for Mother Nature would find yews quite fascinating. Taxus spp. The thing about plant geeks is that they can find the most seemingly insignificant bit of greenery to be cool. The flora that fascinates us would make a layman’s eyes glaze over, while also putting them in a near-fugue state. Exhibit A: me nerding out over a fern’s life cycle at last year’s Super Bowl party....

by Jennifer Poindexter Have you considered growing caraway in your garden? Are you familiar with caraway seeds? They are a spice used in a variety of culinary recipes and are produced by the herb caraway. The plant can be used fresh by enjoying the foliage. However, you can allow the herb to go to seed and enjoy another one of its products. Having herbs around your home, with a variety of uses, is a wonderful resource....

Maybe that’s why you’ll sometimes see chervil referred to as “gourmet parsley” – it’s appreciated by foodies and passionate gardeners who want something a little more sophisticated in flavor than your typical parsley. Anthriscus cerefolium Chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium, is a tasty annual herb that thrives in those cool, shady areas where other plants fail to thrive. It has a unique, peppery, sweet flavor that tastes a bit like parsley, fennel, and licorice combined....

Flowers Are you thinking of growing delphiniums in containers this season but aren't quite sure where to start? Container grown delphiniums are a great option for gardeners that have limited space. In this article, certified master gardener Laura Elsner walks through eight simple steps to grow beautiful delphiniums in pots or containers this season! By Laura Elsner Last updated: November 11, 2022 | 6 min read Delphiniums are one of my all-time favorite garden flowers....

Beyond the tasty berries, which are delicious cooked into jam or pie filling, or made into wine, the flowers are also edible and smell delightful, which makes this an attractive plant to have around in the garden or on the patio. The only thing more marvelous than enjoying a homegrown harvest of berries picked at their peak ripeness is when those berries are of a variety that’s difficult to find in the store....

Vegetables Basil is a popular herb in many gardens due to its many different uses. They are also quite popular in the gardens of beginning gardeners, amateurs, and experts alike. In this article, organic gardening expert Logan Hailey walks through every step you'll need to follow in order to successfully plant, grow, and care for Basil in your garden. By Logan Hailey Last updated: October 28, 2022 | 21 min read No summer meal is complete without the fragrant delight of basil....

Vegetables Swiss chard is often a favorite crop to grow for many gardeners, due to its ease of care, and many different uses. But to grow it successfully, you'll need to make sure that you meet the growth needs for this useful plant. In this article, gardening expert Logan Hailey examines how to plant, grow, and care for Swiss Chard, also known as Rainbow Chard. By Logan Hailey Last updated: April 14, 2022 | 12 min read Whether spring or fall, it’s never a bad time to plant vigorous, low-maintenance rainbow vegetables in the garden!...

On top of all that, working with soil and plants is an excellent stress buster. It’s one of the easiest activities to practice mindfulness, and working with the earth is a natural antidote to anxiety and worry. So, you’ve decided to plant a vegetable garden. Congratulations! You’ve made an excellent choice with far-reaching benefits. Not only will you have a source of inexpensive, fresh vegetables, you’ll also be in complete control of how your crops are grown – so they can be as organic and natural as you like....

So what can you do? Just give up on growing the various Rosa species and turn to something else like peonies? Don’t abandon your rose garden dream. There is lots you can do to manage and prevent this increasingly common problem. Mention rose rosette disease or that your prize specimen has an unusual witches’-broom growing on it to another rose lover, and you’ll likely see a look of horror. Just the mere mention of this disease or its common symptoms is enough to send terror coursing through a rose grower’s heart....

Spreading mulch is an easy garden maintenance task that comes with a lot of benefits. Understanding when, how, and what kind to spread can feel complicated to beginners though, and there is a wrong way to do it. In this guide you’ll find all the information you need to choose the right mulch material for each of your gardens, plus how and when to spread it correctly. Below I’ll show you my simple 4 step process, and essential tool list, so you can easily spread mulch in your garden the right way....

You might have noticed winding white trails of the leaf miner on some of your favorite plants. Maybe they suffered as a result of the loss of leaf tissue, or maybe they recovered. But letting leaf miners have their way in your garden comes with risks. Table of Contents What makes these trails in leaves is the leaf miner larva, which not only removes plant matter as it feeds, but has the potential to spread diseases in the process....

QUESTION: What is a prayer garden? I saw a sign for one at the hospital the other day but didn’t have time to go visit it to see. – Elise M ANSWER: A prayer garden is a beautiful space created with the purpose of peace. It’s an area that you fill with plants that you love or find peaceful. In return, this space becomes an area that you can go to when you want to pray, meditate, find peace, or simply relax....

50 F (10 C) – 80 F (27C) is optimum temperature for strawberry. The best time to grow it is to plant it when the temperature of your region becomes stable under this optimum range. Temperature above 85F and below 30F inflict damage on strawberry plant. There are three types of strawberry varieties: Summer fruiting, ever-bearing and day neutral. Summer fruiting strawberries bear fruit once in a year around June. Ever-bearing verities fruit little more till late July or August....

If you’re looking for the best of the best but you’re not sure which to pick, peruse this carefully curated roundup of 15 of our favorite zinnia cultivars to grow in the home garden. Zinnias are a popular mainstay of the annual flower garden, grown from seed to fill the flowerbeds with vibrant color. Blooms sit atop tall stalks perfect for cutting, or dwarf plants are suited to growing in containers....