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But there are a few steps that will keep your harvest from rotting before you can carve or cook with them. Most people who are worried about “storing pumpkin” are looking only for ways to store the portion of puree that’s left in a can of pie filling after doing their baking for Thanksgiving. But when you grow your own Cucurbita pepo, C. moschata, or C. maximum, being able to save the bounty to use at Halloween or throughout the winter is a luxury....

Today we’re looking at a LED grow light company out of California, aptly named California Lightworks. I’ll be looking at their product line, examining their technology and company policy, and actually growing in one of their new flagship products: SolarXtreme 500. Table of Contents Let’s get into it – but before we do, here’s a deep dive into their factory based in California. I found this video fascinating, because unlike many other LED companies I’ve reviewed, they’ve given people a look behind the curtain and actually shown their entire factory:...

To grow violets and other members of the Viola genus indoors, you’ll want to plant them in containers – our guide to growing violets in pots provides detailed how-to instructions to get them going in planters. If you want to start your spring garden early, or you simply desire some cheerful, indoor blooms, why not try growing violets indoors? These charming members of the Viola genus possess one quality that I just adore in plants: forgiveness....

Read on for a health-focused look at why you should love tomatoes, and add more to your diet. Tomatoes are a versatile ingredient, and when they’re perfectly ripe, they are exceptionally delicious. If I close my eyes, I can almost taste a sun-ripened tomato freshly picked from my parents’ garden. Whether you enjoy them juicy and fresh, or prefer them in the form of ketchup or homemade sauce, I think we can all agree that they’re superb....

Table of Contents One of the more common questions I’m asked on the blog is about plastic use, specifically, “What plastics are safe for use in the garden?” Since a lot of Epic Gardening readers are into hydroponics and aquaponics over soil gardening, there are a lot of people with a lot of plastic in their setup that are curious about their safety and place in the garden. Well, I was curious too, so I decided to go deep into the world of plastics and figure it all out for you all!...

However, you might still find yourself with a few questions: As any new cat owner quickly finds out, some felines like to nibble on houseplants. If your home is full of – pardon the pun – unvetted plants, the situation may land you at the emergency animal hospital with a very sick pet. Luckily, Chlorophytum comosum, commonly known as “spider plant” or “spider ivy,” is not harmful to your feline friend....

I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture, though – in some cases, a plant that starts drooping already has a serious condition known as root rot, and you may not be able to bring it back to life. When it’s been growing vigorously and then begins to wilt, your Anthurium houseplant is trying to tell you something. Whether you’re tending an A. andraeanum or A. scherzerianum with its colorful, heart-shaped spathes, or a species like A....

Euphorbia myrsinites is known for its spirals of blue-green leaves and gorgeous chartreuse or bright yellow bracts that are surrounded by bright yellow bracts, which grow on sprawling stems. The flowers of this plant bloom mostly in early spring. This plant is native to Asia Minor and Southeastern Europe. Two common names of this plant are Myrtle Spurge and Donkey Tail. Euphorbia myrsinites is a perennial succulent species belonging to the plant family Euphorbiaceae....

1. Upside-Down Planter Cut the bottom part of a soda bottle, punch holes on either side and insert a herb plant gently. Check out the post on The Instructables for the help. 2. DIY Hanging Herb Planter Create these hanging herbs planters for your indoor garden. Cut half the bottles to remove the bottom part, fill it with adequate soil and slide the herbs gently after that. Once done, hang them by means of twine as shown in the picture....

Let’s take a look at what they have to offer: The cooler months just scream root vegetables to me. Maybe it’s because I’m a dietitian, but I look forward to it every year. One root veggie that I get particularly excited for is the parsnip. These paler carrot lookalikes are packed with nutrition and health benefits. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

This fungus can inhibit a who’s who of fungal soil-borne pathogens, including Fusarium (wilts), Rhizoctonia (root rot), Sclerotinia (blight), and Pythium and Phytophthora (damping off). Trichoderma is a genus of soil-dwelling fungi found all over the world that are highly effective at colonizing many kinds of plant roots, and inhibiting fungi that cause many types of diseases. It was one of the first types of biofungicides commercially available. One strain in particular, T....

C. majalis is a vigorous grower that spreads via runner roots and self-sowing. It has invasive tendencies and often jumps garden borders as it readily naturalizes in partly to fully shaded locations. Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, is an herbaceous flowering perennial in the asparagus family. It grows from a rhizome and thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 9. Native to Europe and Asia, its dainty bell-shaped pink or white blossoms are a fragrant delight in the spring garden....

The indoor trees in this list can make your home or office lively and dramatic with their stature and grandeur. No other expensive accent pieces can match them! Check out our article on the best plants to grow indoors here Trees You Can Grow Indoors 1. Giant Bird of Paradise Botanical Name: Strelitzia nicolai Growing up to 6-8 feet tall indoors, this can bring the tropics indoors with its large banana-like leaves and crane-shaped flowers in magnificent orange hues!...

When first getting into hydroponics and urban gardening, I had no clue where to start. There wasn’t a really great source of information online…at least not one I could find. That’s part of the reason I created Epic Gardening in the first place. Table of Contents I turned to books to learn the bulk of my knowledge – and quickly found out that there are a ton of really great beginner resources for hydroponics…if you’re willing to go old school and flip through some pages....

Water is everywhere, so it all must be the same, right? Table of Contents Wrong. You might be using tap water for your garden and wondering if there’s a better option, or already using some other type of water (distilled, reverse osmosis, etc). Regardless, as a gardener you can know a lot about plants, nutrients, and growth cycles and miss out on one of the most important ingredients… The water you are using to nurture your plants....

Mushrooms grow in all sorts of places associated with waste: fungi can grow on paper, on cardboard, sawdust everywhere. Their coincident growth is rather a different thing, but the fact is that growing mushrooms is difficult. You can’t grow them in ordinary garden soil. Organic materials on which mushrooms grow are called mushroom substrates and used coffee grounds work well for this purpose because they are cohesive and already been sterilized during the brewing process....

Pruning removes old and dead wood and produces new shoots for vibrant, youthful plants with full foliage, abundant clouds of flowers, and a manageable size. Beautiful flowering shrubs, spirea are enthusiastic growers with woody or cane-like stems that benefit from an annual pruning. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. It thins the plant’s mass and reduces the existing canopy, which improves air circulation and allows sunlight to reach the understory, resulting in dense mounds of growth....

Last May, I purchased six slips, popped them in a raised bed, and admittedly paid little attention to them. Ipomoea batatas It seems like my family nearly lives off of sweet potatoes. In a clean eating household these root tubers are like dessert, even without the added brown sugar. And if we go more than a few days without including them in a meal, we notice. So, if you’re looking for a garden crop that’s nutritious and indulgent, sweet potatoes are the answer....

One of the most widely used herbs, parsley is a bright green biennial plant with feather-like leaves. Native to the Mediterranean region, it prefers temperate climates but thrives in a range of climatic conditions. There are two primary varieties of parsley: flat-leaf parsley and curly parsley. Table of Contents While curly leaf parsley is the more popular of the two, both varieties are used for culinary purposes. The curly leaf variety is generally used as a garnish....

Black and shiny, they are often confused with beetles from the Eleodes genus in the Tenebrionidae family, such as the malodorous-when-threatened desert stink beetle. Moneilema spp. Cactus longhorn beetles, Moneilema spp., account for 20 of the 35,000 species in the large Cerambycidae or longhorn beetle family. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. However, unlike these desert counterparts, cactus longhorns cannot fly and do not feed on grasses or burrow into farmers’ crops....