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All herbs in the Mentha genus have a culinary use and a cultural context from which they come. Whether we’re talking about spearmint, peppermint, or any of the hybrid varieties like chocolate mint or apple mint, you’ll have fresh mint year-round. But say you’re a person who lives in a home without a garden or say you experience mobility issues and gardening is difficult. There is a solution. Growing mint indoors is one way to try gardening in a more accessible way....

Have you always wanted to grow raspberries but don’t have a permanent space? Or maybe your planting area doesn’t get much sun? Perhaps your apartment didn’t come with a yard or garden, but does have a sunny balcony or deck? Table of Contents Growing raspberry plants in containers is easy and if you choose the right varieties, you could even harvest fresh raspberries several times during the season! There are also practical reasons for growing raspberries in containers:...

Cabbage is a fundamental garden vegetable, so it only makes sense for cabbage to be included in a microgreens garden. This classic cole crop is super easy to grow both ways, so it’s perfect for beginning microgreen growers. Impatient gardeners will also be pleased since these tiny plants grow wicked fast. With some basic instruction, you’ll be harvesting your very own cabbage microgreens in just two weeks! Table of Contents...

Materials Onion sets Air stone Air pump Water Net pots Growing medium Tray I picked up some red onion sets from my local Home Depot. The rest of the materials I had from other grows, but you can source most of it from Home Depot and your local hydroponics or gardening store. You can also improvise and make your own equipment – there are a lot of different ways to do it!...

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words “key lime”? We’re guessing yummy pies jumped into your head or maybe even an alcoholic drink. If you ask us though, we only have eyes for the key lime tree. After we’re done raving about it, this tree is sure to grab your attention as well. Table of Contents The key lime tree is a vigorous tropical plant that produces all year long....

The firecracker vine mina lobata, also called Ipomoea lobata, is a real stunner. This charismatic vine can easily reach 4-6 feet tall. From July through the end of the summer, it erupts into brilliant sprays of flowers. Table of Contents Closely related to ipomoea tricolor, this plant gains distinction for its flowers. A winner of the RHS’s Award of Garden Merit, the racemes or sprays spark with blooms that shift from red to white....

Most of the time we talk about plants that you can grow and eat… Table of Contents But what about plants that grow by eating animals and insects?​ Enter carnivorous plants, a fascinating type of plant that gets most of its nutrition by preying on other living creatures! Here are 18+ things you didn’t know about carnivorous plants. Most of us know carnivorous plants from movies. They’ve been in a ton of movies over the years, but the most memorable is probably The Little Shop of Horrors ....

For many of us, mangos are thought to be an occasional luxury treat due to the price and availability of fruit. Luckily, growing a mango tree at home is not impossible. It is time to stop depriving yourself of this delicious tropical treat and grow your own mangos! Although they are tropical trees, mangos can be grown in the ground in zones 9-11 or in containers in zones 4-11. Table of Contents...

Beets are tasty from top to bottom, and the same is true of their microgreens. While there won’t be a bulbous and sweet root to eat, beet microgreens provide the same flavor as grown leaves, but in a form that’s easy to use to top off other dishes. They’re fantastic for salads, sandwiches, and so much more! Table of Contents Most microgreens look alike, but that’s not the case with these beauties....

If you love tropical plants, we have the perfect one for you. The taro plant, one of the many types of elephant ear plants, features gigantic leaves with a variety of unique colorings. Plus, it grows the taro root, which is actually one of the top staple foods around the world! Table of Contents Taro is an ancient plant. Originating in Southeast Asia, it’s believed to be one of the first plants ever cultivated....

Growing thyme plant is easy! It more or less looks after itself as a low maintenance, high impact herb, and is perfect for the novice gardener. Table of Contents Thyme has a long and varied history. Derived from the Greek word thymus meaning courage, spirit and sacrifice, it was worn in battle by medieval knights as a symbol of their bravery. It’s been used throughout the ages from poultices, to plague posies, to the Victorians believing that carpets of wild thyme provided midnight dance floors for garden fairies!...

We see nurturing mothers in many animal species, but what about plants? As it turns out, lots of parent plants have close relationships with their offspring, helping and encouraging them to grow up. A classic example is the hen and chicks plant. This low-lying succulent takes on a mother hen persona, keeping her chicks close until they’re mature enough to take on the world by themselves. Table of Contents Besides being a cool example of family relationships in the plant world, hens and chicks plants are fun to grow....

With the explosion of hydroponics, indoor growing, and the LED grow light industry, it’s no surprise that there are a ton of companies in the market right now. Table of Contents A few years ago, LEDs were all the rage and companies were touting incredible yields with low energy costs… It wasn’t completely false, but the marketing claims were far greater than the lights actually produced in practice. These days, the LED grow light industry has matured from both a product and marketing perspective....

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....

Mung beans may not sound familiar to you, but you’ve probably had them if you’ve ever had bean sprouts. The bean sprouts you find at salad bars and in stir fry typically come from the mung bean plant in the United States. Table of Contents Mung bean sprouts are one of the most common ways they’re eaten, but they can be utilized in other ways. They’re most popular in Asia, and they can be eaten savory or sweet, as sprouts or beans, and even as a paste....

Beautiful in wildflower gardens, gaura lindheimeri is more commonly known as Lindheimer’s beeblossom. Named after the German-born botanist Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer, gaura plant is from the family Onagraceae. Table of Contents The white flowers or pink flowers it produces look like butterflies, and it’s got a long blooming season. Drought-tolerant, this garden perennial looks best when it’s allowed to sprawl out and naturalize. It’s good for xeriscaping as well! A warm weather loving species, the butterfly plant is well worth adding to your garden beds....

There are many types of vegetables to grow at home, and there’s one in particular that we think you should consider adding to your garden. The jicama plant has many positive characteristics that make it fun to grow and eat. Table of Contents Jicama is pronounced “hi-kuh-muh”, and in Mexico, they recognize it as an earth element for the Day of the Dead celebration. This root vegetable has a history dating back to 3000 BC in Peru!...

When it comes to organic fertilizers for garden soil, there are many options. Since they’re typically slow-release fertilizers, you’re not at risk of over-doing it. Blood meal and bone meal for plants are two effective fertilizers that are incredibly high in essential nutrients and proteins. Table of Contents However, blood meal is a unique mix for the soil that offers high amounts of nitrogen. Let’s explore what it is, and how it differs from bone meal for gardening....

We have great news for your sweet tooth: you can grow marshmallows in your backyard! Well, it won’t exactly be Candyland, but you’ll be able to make an old-fashioned type of candy with your very own marshmallow plant. Plus, each flower is as pretty as the confection is sweet! Table of Contents Marshmallow plants are very old. The ancient Egyptians would mix the plant’s mucilaginous sap with honey and nuts to make a sweet confection....

Ice cream banana? It sounds almost too good to be true. But the blue java banana, also called ice cream bananas, is an incredible fruit. An ice cream banana is initially blue while on the plant, but ripens into a creamy yellow color. And did I mention that it tastes like vanilla ice cream? Table of Contents Slightly gooey in comparison to other banana types, these are rapidly gaining popularity around the world....