Eggplants were once considered a Sexy Fruit. They were called “apples of love” by the Portuguese and Spanish . Medieval Europeans believed that eggplant was an aphrodisiac. Botanists once classified them as ” Mala insana,” -“mad apple,”- there was a belief that consuming Eggplant would cause insanity. In modern times they serve as an excellent … Read more Eggplant Planting Guide
Recommended Asparagus Varieties for Home Growers Asparagus plants are either male or female. The female plants bear seeds, and sprout new seedlings which takes considerable energy from the plant and causes overcrowding in the bed. Male plants obviously do not. They put no energy into seeds and produce larger spears because of this. Male plants … Read more Asparagus Varieties
Canning Drying Freezing Tomatoes Tomatoes can be preserved by canning, drying, freezing, or pickling. They can also be used in creating fruit spreads like jams, jellies and marmalade’s. Raw tomatoes or raw tomato products can be kept refrigerated (below 40 degrees Fahrenheit), but will spoil over time due to bacteria, yeasts, and molds. Preserving tomatoes … Read more Tomatoes Methods of Canning and Preserving Tomatoes
There are several methods of freezing Tomatoes. Some people believe you have to remove the skins before freezing . You can remove the skins if you’d like, but it’s not really necessary. The easy way or lazy way, and everybody gets lazy sometimes, is to just freeze them whole. If you have the time and … Read more Freezing Tomatoes – Methods to Freeze and Store Tomatoes
Carrots Love Tomatoes was a book written in the 1970s that validated what many old school gardeners knew all along, it introduced a generation of growers to the reality of companion planting. The claim of the first book ‘Carrots Love Tomatoes’ is worthy of investigation. Do Carrots really love tomatoes and if so do the … Read more Do Carrots Really Love Tomatoes ?
Planting Carrots in Fall for a Spring Harvest – Over Wintering Carrots Carrots grown in cool weather are much sweeter than those grown in the summer heat, they are also a deeper orange. If you get an early enough start you can direct seed in August to harvest around the winter holidays in northern latitudes, … Read more Winter Carrots – Growing Carrots in the Winter
There are a number of fruits and vegetables that can be replanted from kitchen scraps Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Cabbage, Bok Choy are all relatively easy to grow from scraps. Instead of throwing out leftover lettuce, simply place them in a bowl with a small amount of water, so long as the crown of the plant remains intact, … Read more Regrow Vegetables from Kitchen Scraps
Tomatoes are actually fruits and not vegetables, like all fruits they produce abundant sugars. For the first 4 – 6 weeks of a Tomato plants life, all of the sugar it produces is directed towards new leaf growth. During this stage, tomato plants grow extremely rapidly doubling in size about every 2 weeks. When the … Read more Pruning Tomato Plants
Organic Heirloom Non GMO Cucumber Annual / Heirloom Full Sun Outdoor sowing 12 – 14 days after Final Frost date Germination 7 to 10 days. Maturity 60 -65 days Soil Temperature should be over 60o F for best results Optimal Temperature post germination 65 – 85o F. Color Pale Green to Yellowish matures to Orange-Red Trellising or … Read more Red Hmong Cucumbers
There are many – many types of berries, they come in a multitude of shapes, sizes, flavors and various cultivars can be grown anywhere from the arctic circle such as cloud berries, well into the tropics. From a botanical point of view many of the fruits we commonly eat and would never cognizantly equate with … Read more Gardening Resources. Vegetable and Edible Gardens