By Connie Whiting
Believed to have originated in Africa, watermelons are a delicious fruit perfect for a summer day but also good any time of year. The best watermelons are those that are homegrown. Fresh, full of flavor and juicy, nothing beats a homegrown melon compared to the store bought ones. By following some basic but important steps you can have your own bumper watermelon crop in just a few months time....
By CrunchingLeaves
There is nothing quite so tasty as fresh homegrown vegetables that you have raised in your own backyard. Vegetables that are bought in grocery stores have lost many vitamins and other nutrients because they have been sitting in trucks and on shelves for many days or weeks. If you have a vegetable garden, you can have the freshest, most nutritious vegetables possible. Vegetable gardening can save...
By Nannette Richford
Most commercial peaches are the result of hybrid varieties that have been grafted to a stock plant. Seeds will not reproduce true to the mother tree. However, you may produce some interesting varieties by starting peach seeds at home. Although it takes 5 years or more for the plant to reach fruiting stage, staring a peach pit and growing a young tree provides an attractive plant that can be...
By Cindy Ausbrooks
Geraniums are easy and versatile plants to grow. The plant can thrive in flowerbeds, containers or even indoors. A geranium makes a wonderful "first-time" plant for new gardeners due to its ease of growth and care. This hardy flower can grow 12 to 24 inches tall with bright flowers produced from mid-summer until the first frost. Use this easy method to grow a geranium that will thrive...
By Cindy Ausbrooks
Carnation flowers are popular in many floral arrangements, including bouquets and corsages. The large blooms are long-lasting and grow on long, straight stems. This makes them perfect for use as cut flowers. Carnation flowers are easy to grow in flowerbeds, gardens or even containers. They grow from 16 to 18 inches in height, and blooms are commonly colored red, pink or white. Use this easy...
By Lesley Barker
Growing your own vegetables saves on groceries, provides fresh nutritious food for your table and connects you to nature on a regular basis. It takes a plan, a few tools, seeds, mulch and several hours each week to grow a vegetable garden. Next, you'll probably need to learn how to can and make pickles, jams and jellies so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor all year long. Locate the ...
By Stephanie Powers
The difference between potted vegetables and other plants is creating an environment that will result in a plentiful and healthy harvest. To ensure success, choose the right container and the right plant, and give it the best start possible. Be creative when choosing a container. If you've ever bought potatoes or onions that end up rooting in their bag, you know that some root vegetables...
By Giselle Diamond
Cover the planted seedling with loose soil and use the palm of your hands to compact (flatten) the soil firmly. Water your lavender plants regularly (once a day), for the first twelve months. Once they take root, watering, may be done occasionally as Lavender plants are hardy and can withstand dry weather, except in the case of drought or abnormally, hot climatic conditions. Add a fine layer ...
By Rose Kivi
Fill a seedling tray with potting soil. Seedling trays have individual sections for planting multiple seeds.They generally have 18 or more sections. If you are planting less seeds than the available growing sections, you can ignore the extra sections. Poke your index finger 1/2 an inch deep in the soil to make a hole in the center of each growing section of the seedling tray that ...
By Debra Turner
"Clay" actually refers to the size of the particles of soil. Clay particles are very tiny and tightly-packed not allowing much air or nutrients to penetrate and reach developing seeds. The seedlings that do survive have a tough time pushing through the sticky clay to access air and nutrition. That's why red clay soil is such a challenge to those who desire lush, beautiful lawns....