Seed vitality or shelf life is an important concept. If you saved seed from last season or the season before or if you’ve been given seed and are not sure how long it’s been around, you might want to perform a seed vitality test a couple of weeks before you plan to sow. Seeds more
Save seed only from open-pollinated plants. Plants that pollinate naturally without special manipulation are called open pollinated. Open-pollinated plants produce true-to-type seed–meaning their seedlings are like their parents. Open pollinated varieties are the result of the repeated natural selection of superior plants from the same strain or variety. Open-pollinated plants are essentially identical genetically through
Is the seed you have on hand still viable–will it germinate? A seed contains an embryo–a partly developed root and stem, a supply of stored food, and a protective coating. Seeds sprout through a process called germination. Germination–depending upon the type of seed–requires just the right conditions for growth–usually an abundant supply of water, an
September brings in spring and ends winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The first day of spring in the southern part of the world this year is September 22. On this day, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. The time between sunrise and sunset is exactly 12 hours. March
September is the ninth month of the year these days, but under the old Roman calendar, September was the seventh month. The Latin word for “seven” is septem. The autumnal equinox will arrive on September 22 this year in the northern half of the world, summer will end and autumn will begin. September is one
Pea Picking: The best way to tell when peas are ready is to pick and taste each day until they are just right. The best tasting peas are young, sweet, and tender. The best way to tell when peas are ready is to pick and taste each day until they are just right. Then harvest.
When the soil in your garden warms to 45ºF (7ºC), you can plant peas—snap, snow, and shell. Peas are tasty shelled from the pods and used raw in salads. You can steam peas as a vegetable, or cook them in soups and stews. Peas prefer cool weather. They mature in about 60 days. So time
There are more than 2,000 varieties of peaches. That’s a lot to choose from. There is no better way to pick a peach (and spend a day) than taste testing peaches at your local farmers market. There is a favorite peach taste for everybody. To find the best peach, first take a whiff: a ripe
Half a peach poached in syrup served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with raspberry purée: peach Melba. Barely chilled peach slices served with sugar and cream: peach Mom. Auguste Escoffier—the most famous chef of his time–created peach Melba in 1892 in honor of the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba. Peach Mom has
Peppers–sweet and hot–are native to the tropics. They require much the same cultural treatment as tomatoes, except that peppers are perhaps a bit more tender. The easiest way to start peppers is to buy transplants at the garden center. If you start peppers from seed outdoors, sow seeds in pots in mid-spring for transplant in
