Earthworms can eat their weight in organic matter and soil each day to create nutrient rich castings. Earthworms help create humus—a dark brown-black type of soil which holds important nutrients in place for plant growth and use. Earthworms also help create good soil structure; their burrows open up the soil and create aeration and drainage
Berries taste their absolute best when left to ripen on the plant, then picked and eaten immediately. Sweetness, aroma, and flavor determine ripeness; berries can reach their peak in a day or two once they begin to mature. Visit plants every day once fruit begins to deepen in color. Taste and smell to decide when
Many useful culinary herbs grow well in containers. Basil, chives, cilantro, dill, common and Florence fennel, garlic, lemon balm, mint, oregano and marjoram, parsley, rosemary, sage, French tarragon, and thyme are excellent choices for container growing. Grow these culinary herbs in pots near the kitchen door or on a windowsill so they are readily at
Big Boy is meaty and flavorful; two pounds is not uncommon. A very large tomato can also be among the tastiest you grow. Abraham Lincoln and Beefesteak are two old-time favorites with old-time tomato flavor; both can tip nearly 3-pounds at harvest though 1 to 2 pounds is more likely—still very big. A downside to
A cold frame can help you extend your growing season by capturing the warming rays of the winter sun and holding them. Even the simplest cold frame can lengthen your growing season by several weeks. To get the most out of your cold frame give some forethought to the site where it will best perform.
Fresh peas in July! About two weeks after peas blossom, their pods become full. In the next two weeks, the harvest is on. If the sun has been strong in your area the past week or two, the best peas of the season will be at the farm market this week. Peas will be sweet
Mid- to late July is prime time for green beans. They are young, thin and tender. Ah, well! Baby carrots and baby summer squash and some early potatoes are among the other youngsters you will find at the mid-July harvest market.Take pleasure this week in all that’s fresh from the farm. Here’s a partial list
If you are headed out to the farm market this weekend, here’s this week’s update on the fresh vegetables and fruits your growers are likely to have on hand: First-of-season: Apricots, cucumbers, snow peas, shelling peas, yellow waxed beans, green beans, melons, squash, red onions, sweet yellow onions, garlic, radishes summer squash and zucchini. Peak-of-season:
Your growing season is the number of frost-free days where you live. Growing seasons vary from one region to the next and sometimes from one part of town to the next. Frost dates There are two important dates that you must consider before selecting your crops and deciding when to plant: (1) you must know
Vegetable crops and other plants need light, water, air, nutrients, and the proper temperature to grow. Light for photosynthesis Plants use light to make food (carbohydrates—sugars and starches) in their leaves. This process is called photosynthesis; it is the transformation of light energy into chemical energy. Here’s how photosynthesis works: the green pigment in plant
