Month: November 2016

3 things to do in the December garden. Tasks to do in the winter garden to make spring gardening easier.

3 Things to do in the December Garden

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Now is the time to prepare for the spring garden. December is upon us, all the intensive work has been done and most of the crops have stopped growing. Here are three things to do in the December garden to make the spring garden work easier. Task #1: Prepare row covers for light frosts or freezes If you are hit with an unexpected cold snap in December or January, you can merely cover the plants with a sheet or two. If you plan ahead, you can create row covers for when a frost or freeze is expected. You can easily[…]

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A Quick and Easy Guide to Growing Beans-5 tips to get you off to a great start

Beans

Who doesn’t like to eat a fresh off the vine bean? Growing your own means you can grow and taste different varieties of beans throughout the spring and summer, and even into early fall, instead of the one variety you usually find frozen or canned in the grocery store. What types of beans are there? What type of beans do you want to grow? Bush beans are compact, growing 15-20″ tall, and are suitable for container gardens or small space gardens. Pole beans require a trellis to grow on and require a longer growing and harvest season. Lima Beans, or[…]

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Tips and Action Steps to Grow Tomatoes to Beat the Band!

Tomatoes

It seems that Tomatoes are another crop everyone tries to grow. You can buy the plant from your garden store, put it in the ground, and chances are, it will grow. But will it grow big and take over, or stay bushy and small? Will it produce tomatoes or leaves? Big or small tomatoes? To get the most out of your tomato plant, you first need to know a few things about it. First things first First, you need to know what type of tomato plant you have: a determinate type is bushy, produces tomatoes all at once and has[…]

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Changing Time Means Changing Gardening Tasks

Time Change

This weekend was the time change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. That means there will be more daylight in the morning, and less in the evening. Not a good thing for gardening after work. Before the time change, the sun rose at 7:40, and set at 6:33. After the change, the sun will rise at 6:43, and set at 5:35. There will be less and less daylight until December 21, when the daylight hours will begin increasing again. For me, that means no gardening or lawn work until the weekend. I have to be driving to work before[…]

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Tips for Growing Your Best Cucumbers Ever!

Cucumbers

Planting Cucumbers Cucumbers are another typical southern garden crop. Many gardeners, myself included, grow cucumbers and each year, the crop is cut short by stems drying up. Companion plants Cucumbers are a member of the Cucurbit family, which include Cantaloupe, Pumpkin, Squash, and Watermelon. In general, each of these crops have similar growing requirements, diseases and pest enemies. Cucumber varieties for pickling recommended for my Zone 9 area are: Calypso, Carolina, County Fair 87, Homemade, Little Leaf or National. Slicing recommendations are Ashley, Burpless, Dasher II, Poinsett 76, Straight Eight, Sweet Slice or Sweet Success. You can find the varieties[…]

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