Succession planting in the home vegetable garden will supply the table not only through the summer months, but also for late fall and winter. Plan and plant in late spring and early summer succession crops for harvest from fall through early spring. Succession planting is the planting of one crop immediately after the harvest of
Succession planting will allow you to plant several times throughout the growing season for a continuous supply of fresh vegetables. To plan succession crops you must know two things: • The number of weeks of growing season in your garden. The length of the growing season is the number weeks between the last frost in
Look around and you will find a dozen or so ways to make “authentic” succotash. The bottom line on succotash is that this cooked dish always includes lima beans and corn kernels—unless it doesn’t. You see, sometimes “real” succotash doesn’t include lima beans but green shell beans instead (just ask Fannie Farmer). So, at least
Basil with tomato, basil with garlic, basil with onion, basil with olives. The sweet, clovelike aroma and warm and peppery yet minty flavor of basil can liven up mixed green salads, vegetables and vegetable soups, pasta and pizza, eggs dishes and eggplant salad, fish and seafood, veal, lamb, pork, and chicken. Basil—which is native to
Sweet potatoes in 100 days! Sweet potatoes started from slips–rooted sprouts–purchased at the garden center or from a seed catalog can be harvested in about 100 days, even less. Short-season sweet potato varieties include ‘Beauregard’, ‘Centennial’, and ‘Georgia Jet.’ These three planted from slips will be ready for harvest in 80 to 90 days. Varieties
Praying Mantid The Praying Mantid is a beneficial insect sometimes known as the “destroyer of other insects.” Praying mantises eat an array of pest insects—up to 21 different species including aphids, leafhoppers, mosquitoes, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, moths, and grasshoppers. Mantises do not distinguish between pest insects, neutral insects, and other beneficial insects; mantises are prey
Pre-sprouting vegetable seed will help you avoid over-sowing in the greenhouse or garden. Pre-sprouting also answers the question: Is this seed still viable? To pre-sprout seeds place the seeds on a damp paper towel. Make sure that the seeds are well spaced and not touching one another. Fold the towel in half. Alternatively, place the
The olive is an evergreen plant that can grow as a shrub, hedge, or tree. Olive trees can grow as tall as 30 feet. Olives bear small pitted fruits that can be cured for table consumption or pressed for oil. Some olives are grown for ornamental use, often as shrubs or hedges–the olive’s narrow gray-green
Jack-o’-lantern or pie? That could be the question you ask when faced with a pumpkin in late autumn. The answer is simple. It’s in the size of the pumpkin before you. Pumpkin size: cooking and carving Small pumpkins are best for cooking. They will be sweet and delicious, perfect for pie fillings, breads, muffins and
Raspberries are the most intensely flavored and delicate of berries. The peak season for red raspberries in the Northern Hemisphere is June through September; for the golden or yellow raspberry June through October, and for the black raspberry during July. To best experience the luscious raspberry—many consider it a finer fruit that the strawberry–be sure
