Posts

There are several perks to this product in comparison to other wooden ones that you simply can’t overlook. Are you looking for a top-notch wooden raised bed kit? If so, I highly recommend the fine products made by Infinite Cedar. Infinite Cedar’s American-made kits top all others, thanks to premium materials, ease of assembly, durability, and rustic charm. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

There is no good cure for Armillaria root rot, but keeping your plants healthy and free of stressors can help prevent infection. Armillaria mellea The fungus Armillaria can attack all fruit trees, including apricots. Although soil fumigation is sometimes recommended, it typically doesn’t work. This fungus is unusually resistant to fungicides. Plus, the organism often lurks in the soil in pieces of old infected trees, or in roots in the soil where fungicides can’t contact it....

Compost or fertilizer — which one is best for your garden? If you are new to gardening, you may not realize that there are some significant differences between the two when it comes to creating a healthy environment for your plants. Table of Contents Read on to learn which side of the fence you stand on in the compost vs. fertilizer battle.​ Definition of Compost Compost is the result of various decaying organic substances — think manure and dead leaves —being mixed together....

Feather meal is a fantastic organic fertilizer high in nitrogen that can take the place of many synthetic liquid fertilizers in your garden. If you’re wondering, “What is feather meal made of?”, the answer is as simple as it seems: feathers from poultry animals that have been harvested for meat. They’re collected and subjected to high temperatures and pressure, then further ground up to form a fine powder. After they’re dried, they’re then packaged up for use in fertilizer mixes, animal food, and more....

This botanical configuration lends itself well to successful division – or the dividing of one plant into multiple plants. The hardy hellebore, Helleborus spp., aka Christmas, Lenten, or Winter rose, is noteworthy because it blooms in mid- to late winter in an array of colors including white, yellow, green, pink, and deep shades of purple bordering on black. The most common types available to the home gardener are of the Helleborus orientalis species, aka Lenten rose, as well as hybrids of this species and a few other distinct species....

Gardeners, if you have not learned to compost for fertilization, fall is a perfect time to start. Why? To take advantage of all those fallen leaves, of course! Why Compost? Composting is an economical and environmentally-sound way to fertilize your soil. It makes for the richest growing soil available, as it is high in potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. You are basically duplicating Mother Nature’s plan for the lushest forests and natural gardens....

Leeks can grow so large that leek-growing competitions are all the buzz in Europe. But, what if we were to turn leek growing upside down and aim for the opposite: leek microgreens! Instead of a 3-foot tall monstrosity that takes months to grow, you can cultivate inches-long leek microgreens in just 10 days. Plus, you’ll get up to 3 harvests from each crop. Table of Contents If you’re not familiar with leeks (Allium ampeloprasum), they’re part of the onion family and in the same genus as shallots, green onions, and chives....

If you’re like me, you probably started out in your gardening hobby by growing in soil. I started out with some pepper, rhubarb chard and herb seedlings from the local garden store, threw them in some pots and watered them every few days. Table of Contents Watching them grow over the months was an amazing introduction to the magic of growing my own veggies and herbs. Listen to this post on the Epic Gardening Podcast:...

Potatoes are a staple food in many places around the world. This starchy tuber can be fried, mashed, baked, roasted, or grilled to create various dishes. Potatoes are highly recommended if you’re growing your own food because they’re easy to grow and store over winter. Fortunately for gardeners, there are many potato companion plants that are good to grow with potatoes that will help make your experience more enjoyable. Table of Contents...

Festive and full, Christmas cactus is a pleasure to have any time of year. It’s popular for its unique stem design and brightly colored flowers. We’ve already covered that in our extensive Schlumbergera care guide in the past. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. Propagating Christmas cactus is incredibly easy to do! Propagation is my favorite way to expand my garden. It’s such a great way to learn about and observe plant growth....

We talk about root rot around here pretty often. It’s a common, but really annoying plant disease, and it can be deadly in some circumstances. To the new gardener, it can seem like it happens when you overwater… but that’s only partially true. Table of Contents It’s also a little tricky to diagnose root rot for someone inexperienced, solely because you can’t see the root system. It’s hidden in the soil, after all, and we’re certainly not advocating digging your plants up on a regular basis to check and see if the roots are intact....

Table of Contents Many gardeners hate weeds. They will curse them under their breath as they drag the roots from the soil and toss them onto the compost pile with relish. In her well-known book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee describes Miss Maudie’s reaction to a blade of nutgrass with sufficient illustration: “She swooped down upon it with a tin tub and subjected it to blasts from beneath with a poisonous substance she said was so powerful it’d kill us all if we didn’t stand out of the way....

They’re also super easy to grow, sometimes overtaking a large portion of your garden. But when is the best time to plant mint, and how do you begin if you plan to start with seeds? I bet you can’t guess how many known varieties of edible mint there are. Go ahead, count the Mentha species you know. Including apple mint, spearmint, and watermint, there are about 24 species and numerous natural and cultivated hybrids to choose from!...

The cruciferous plants may start flowering and producing seeds, in a process also known as bolting, at two different points in the growing season. It’s so convenient to have a fresh supply of homegrown bok choy available to harvest from your garden at a moment’s notice. You can put stir fries, fresh salads, or smoothies on the table just minutes past picking. But to reach that harvest-ready state, you must carefully choose when to plant bok choy, also known as pak choi, or by its botanical name: Brassica rapa subsp....

In this article, we will introduce 11 outstanding double hellebore cultivars suitable for growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9. Helleborus is a genus in the Ranunculaceae family, containing about 20 species of late-winter blooming perennials called hellebores. It includes the widely hybridized H. orientalis. Most of the hellebore varieties available to home gardeners are derived from this species, and are often referred to generically as H. x hybridus....

1. Find the Perfect Place Place your air plants near a window. Make sure that it’s not a spot that receives direct sun. Bright indirect sunlight or fluorescent home lighting is what they need. A couple of hours of cool filtered or direct morning sun is fine. Excessive light can cause the leaves to turn tan, wilted and brittle, while inadequate light causes a delay in growth and paler leaves....

This plant is referred to both as “Asian jasmine” and “Asiatic jasmine.” And in Florida, they call it “minima jasmine.” You may also see it called “dwarf jasmine.” Incidentally, Florida friends, this plant is salt tolerant. Trachelospermum asiaticum An almost-ubiquitous ground cover in much of the American South, Asiatic jasmine is actually not jasmine at all, though it is Asian, with origins in Korea and Japan. It takes the second half of its name from its fragrant flowers, which – under ideal conditions – perfume the air in springtime....

There is more to growing the aloes than just keeping them in bright light. Transplanting at the correct time is equally necessary. Aloes that get heavy on the top, produce lots of offshoots and adopt a leaning habitat are eligible for re-potting. What is the Best Time for Re-Pot? By the rule of thumb, you should wait till the ‘pups’ (offshoots) become 4-5 inches long, or at least one-fifth the main plant’s size....

Imagine this: you’re busy in the kitchen, rustling up some grub for dinner when inspiration hits. The bland boxed mac and cheese would be perfect with a bit of oregano! Instead of grabbing a dusty old shaker from the back of the pantry, you reach for your kitchen shears and head out the backdoor. Just outside, you snip a few leaves, give them a rinse, and throw them in the pot....

That means you don’t have to toss them in the trash when winter comes knocking at your door. What is summer without a patch or pot full of geraniums? They’re so bright and cheerful, not to mention pretty easy to care for. But it’s painful to toss them out at the end of the year, isn’t it? Perhaps surprisingly, these plants are actually perennials – even though many gardeners treat them as annuals....