Crop rotation is the practice of changing or alternating the crops in a given area of the garden. Rotating crops will stem the depletion of soil nutrients and prevent or reduce the build-up of pest and disease problems. Crops that are heavy feeders and require more soil nutrients can be rotated with light feeders and
The cubanelle sweet pepper is tasty lightly roasted and served on a summer sandwich or green salad. Core and seed three or four of the long tapered cubanelles and place them on the grill or about five inches below the oven broiler element and cook until the skins blister and char on each side, about
Spotted cucumber beetle Cucumber beetles—spotted and striped—eat a variety of crops, not just cucumbers. Cucumbers, corn, lima and snap beans, melons, peas, pumpkins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, eggplant, tomatoes, summer and winter squash—cucumber beetles feed on more than 280 plants. They feed on leaves and flowers and tunnel into fruit; early in the season they
Cucumbers–natives of India–love warm weather. Wait until soil and air temperatures averages 70°F each day before sowing or transplanting cumbers to the garden. While warm temperatures are required for growing, cucumbers require a relatively short season–55 to 60 days from sowing to harvest. In long-season regions, you can plant successive crops. In cool or short-season
Oyster mushroom When it comes to cookery, the term mushroom refers generally to cultivated mushrooms. Almost all of the mushrooms that you will take home from the market for use in the kitchen have been cultivated indoors under controlled conditions. The mushroom is a fungus and to keep the strain pure, mushroom growers work hard
Daikon and green salad Daikon is a long white radish sweet-mild to peppery in flavor and juicy crisp. Daikon–which means “long root” in Japanese–is most commonly eaten raw or stir-fried. It is a staple in nearly all meals in Japan, Korea, and China. Daikon is often shredded and served as an accompaniment to Japanese raw
Salad with dandelion leaves boiled chicken eggs and onion Dandelion greens can be added to a lettuce salad to add some tang. Young bright green dandelion greens can be served raw in salads. Mature dandelions are better cooked. Spring is a prime time for tender, free-range dandelion greens. How to Choose Dandelions The leaves of
Partnering dill with fish and seafood got its start a few thousand years ago in the Nordic countries of northern Europe. Dill—which has a flavor somewhere between celery and parsley with the peppery undertones of anise and the feint aroma of lemon—brings lingering warmth to cured and marinated salmon and herring as well as fried
The donut peach is juicy and sweet—many say the best tasting of all peaches. It has a creamy texture with a pit that does not cling. It is a peach wrapped in a nearly fuzzless skin. I want that peach! The donut peach The modern-day donut peach is the most ancient Chinese pan tao peach.
If you live where water is scarce, choose vegetables that do not demand a lot of water. Here are drought tolerant vegetable varieties that are very good performers. One note, even plants that do not require a lot of water, do require water to germinate and begin growing. Once these plants are well established, they
