A pink lemonade tree is a perfect addition to the edible landscape. The variegated foliage makes them a beautiful ornamental plant with the bonus of a unique pink flesh lemon with a striped peel. The peel is striped green and yellow and changes to pink and yellow as it fully ripens. Table of Contents The pink lemonade tree is a Eureka-type lemon, so the taste is similar to the standard Eureka lemons found at the store....
We love composting here at Epic Gardening, and we’re huge fans of the worm bin called the Urban Worm Bag. Composting worms are great for turning your kitchen scraps and other food waste into glorious worm castings. But many people are interested in another method: a worm tower. Table of Contents Worm towers are in-ground permanent solutions for processing food scraps and other food waste, leftover paper and cardboard. But while most would assume that they would work nearly identically to other types of worm bins, particularly the type often referred to as a stacking system, they’re a bit different....
Is a hugelkultur raised bed for you? If done right, it absolutely should be. Using this method of filling your raised beds can be a major benefit, particularly if you want to focus your finances on the highest quality growing medium to top them with. Table of Contents But what exactly is hugelkultur, and why is it a benefit to raised garden beds? Is this technique more valuable in its original hill-mound form, or does it perform better when enclosed in a raised garden?...
It’s the tail end of winter and the beginning of spring, and in most areas, people are preparing their gardens for spring planting. But what is necessary to prepare your spring garden? Are there specific steps you really should take every year? Table of Contents No matter if you’re a beginner or an old hand, you’ll probably find something on this list that makes you go “oh, yeah, I need to do that”....
Spruce budworms are some of the most geographically spread and destructive insects in North America. Multiple species of conifers are susceptible to moderate to severe defoliation by them. If you have hiked or driven through forests that have large patches of brown evergreen trees, you probably have seen their impact. However, because spruce budworms are native insects, they also play an important role in the ecosystem. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, dead white spruce and fir trees, which the worms leave behind, are particularly suitable habitats for cavity-nesting birds, rabbits, weasels and other wildlife....
Companion planting is an age-old agricultural practice that makes a garden thrive when it’s used correctly. By incorporating companion plants into a garden, you provide a well-rounded system of plant life to boost the growth of the space overall. Some of the most interesting examples of these are sweet potato companion plants! Table of Contents A sweet potato plant is prolific, fun, and easy to grow. You may be thrilled to know there are plenty of companion plants for sweet potatoes....
We love eggplants here, but not everyone agrees with us. It’s a tricky plant to grow and can be intimidating to cook. Once you learn a bit about it though, you’ll find that eggplant makes a delicious dish and adds unique character to your garden. And, after learning about the plant’s needs, growing eggplant is a breeze! Table of Contents You can cook so many different things with eggplant, from salad to ratatouille....
Amaranth Microgreens Quick Info Flavor: Quite mild and earthy. Soak – No Rinse / Drain – No Germination – 2-3 days Ideal Harvest – 10 days I’ve filmed a complete grow-along that you can watch below, or you can follow the step-by-step guide. Let’s get growing! Materials You don’t need much to start growing amaranth micros. Aside from the seeds, you can probably find everything you need laying around your house....
Nothing is quite as satisfying as a freshly tilled garden. Unless, of course, your garden tiller isn’t cut out for the job. Tilling with the wrong type of garden tiller can be more than a hassle – it can be a nightmare. The first time I tilled my garden was a sweaty, frustrating, and time-consuming disaster. Table of Contents It doesn’t have to be that way. Tilling your garden can be a rewarding and straightforward task, provided you have the best garden tiller for your needs....
Stepping out to your garden beds to harvest bell peppers for salsa, or padrón peppers to grill, will make all the garden labor worth it! Packed with antioxidants and other health benefits, this favorite summer plant adds color and spice to homemade meals. Peppers like full sun, but in cooler climates, peppers can be planted in pots in a greenhouse or placed indoors near a sunny window. Growing peppers in pots is a great option if you don’t have the conditions to grow a full crop of peppers outdoors....
The sansevieria genus has tons of different succulent plants. Today we’ll be examining sansevieria ehrenbergii. Sometimes called blue sansevieria or sword sanseveria, it has long, blade-like leaves. A dwarf cultivar also exists, popularized as dwarf samurai. Table of Contents The shape of this plant is unusual, with layers of leaves stacked one upon the next. It makes a beautiful centerpiece of a succulent garden. But don’t forget that it can be grown indoors as well....
Gardening can be a slow, patient process. It’s usually best not to hurry it along. For those of us who can get a little impatient at times, there are some vegetables that grow quickly. These veggies are great for children, who tend to have lower attention spans than the rest of us – but if you’re an impatient gardener (like me), then these will be great for you to add to your garden as well....
Hollyhocks, scientifically known as Alcea rosea, are gorgeous, eye-catching plants that will draw in pollinators of all kinds. Many people are discouraged from growing hollyhock flowers because they’re biennial and won’t grow flowers the first year. If you don’t mind waiting, they’re pretty easy to grow! The key is knowing when to plant hollyhock seeds. Table of Contents Growing hollyhocks is well worth the wait since they develop beautiful flower stalks that will likely tower over you....
Whether you’re planning for spring or just getting a head start on your gardening tasks in general, starting seeds can be one of the trickiest parts of being a gardener. If you’re used to buying seedlings from your local nursery and haven’t started seeds before, it can be daunting to figure out exactly what type of seed starting mix is best. In this article, I’ll get into exactly what you need to know when choosing the best seed starting mix for your garden and seedlings....
A southern California staple, the Hass avocado tree is known far and wide for its fruit. And why wouldn’t it be? Flavorful and rich, these fruit trees produce fruit which is rich and flavorful, filled with healthy oils. It’s served sliced atop toast, rolled into sushi, and mashed to create guacamole for our Mexican fare. Table of Contents But how did postman Rudolph Hass stumble across this gloriously-creamy, rich and decadent variety?...
You’ve raised your tomato plants right: provided them with good-quality potting mix, fertilized them with care, faithfully pinched off sucker shoots, or trimmed back low-hanging branches. So why do tomatoes split, even when we’ve spent so much time and effort on making sure everything goes perfectly? Tomato cracking and splitting can appear in two forms. In one, concentric rings of cracks can appear around the top of the fruit. In the other, lengthwise splits happen down the sides of the fruit, either along the indents in heirlooms or along the surface of smooth varieties....
The amount of water a plant receives is often hard to control in a regular garden. Some plants require lots of water to grow healthy and strong, while others require very little water. Many plants are susceptible to root rot if they’re left standing in water for too long. Too much water is one of the main causes of dead plants. There is an easy way to test your soil to see how well it drains....
You’ve sweated and toiled all summer caring for your sweet potatoes in the garden, or maybe you’ve grown sweet potatoes indoors. You’ve lovingly protected your plants from powdery mildew, stem rot, and sweet potato weevils. You were careful to harvest sweet potatoes gently, so they didn’t have any cuts or bruises, and now, it’s time to eat… almost. You could certainly eat them right after picking if you really wanted to....
It’s never too early to think about upcoming needs, and for many of us, a heated bird bath is on that list. Some are stylish and have tons of visual appeal. Others are a bit more sedate and merely do exactly as advertised: they keep the water from freezing. Table of Contents Let’s explore all of the important details of bird bath heaters, and go over everything you could ever need to know before buying one....
Pumpkins are one of the most colorful and diverse plants in the Cucurbitaceae family, also known as the gourd family. And learning how to grow pumpkins will fill your autumn with smooth or bumpy produce in a rainbow of fall colors! Table of Contents Along with corn, it is one of the oldest known crops in the Western Hemisphere dating back 7000 years. Originally from the Americas, it was a favorite of colonists who baked it with milk, honey, and spices, creating the precursor to the pumpkin pie as we know it today....
