Have tasted homegrown garlic? Unless you have your own garden, you probably do not realize how exceptional it is. Besides quality, there is also flavor. Almost 600 varieties of garlic exist world-wide. Probably you have experienced 2 or 3. Each variety has its own bit of flavor uniqueness. Your best bet to experience any of…
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At the risk of being overly obvious, this tip may save your summer fruit if you have strange spring temperatures. Once your fruit trees have blossomed, snow fall is just about the kiss of death for your summer crop. Your yield will be reduced by half or more, that is if your trees make it….
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Why would you bother growing onions at all? Onions are available year-round and their price is not exorbitant. There are a few excellent reasons to consider growing your very own onions. You can grow them organically, under the very best conditions, and be assured of high quality onions. Onions are a fine source of antioxidants….
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Find a list of super foods and you will see kale. If you want kale in your diet to be a super, super food, then grow your own. The kale you purchase in the grocery is loaded with nutrients, but it could be loaded with residues of undesirable substances as well. Grow your own kale…
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One of the most compelling reasons for growing your own fruit and vegetables is that you can use open-pollinated seed. An open pollinated seed can be saved from the new plant and used in the next season. Whether it is an heirloom variety (a subgroup of open-pollinated) or not is inconsequential. Open-pollinated seed has not…
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In days long past, the produce available was local and seasonal. There were no refrigerated trucks to haul spinach from California to a New York grocery. There were no shipping networks for bringing grapes from Chili into the United States in the dead of our North American winter. Everyone knew when to expect ripe tomatoes,…
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Mulch is any organic or inorganic material used to cover the soil of a garden bed or garden pathway. Mulching does take a little time and effort, so its wise to be sold on the purpose of this practice. Mulch provides a number of benefits for the home gardener: Mulch is your best friend when…
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If you want glorious plants and abundant crops, then you want compost. If you want to turn unworkable hard pan into the Garden of Eden, then you need compost. If you have kitchen scraps like vegetable peelings and egg shells, garden refuse like leaves or grass clippings, then you have the makings for compost. Get…
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A lush summer garden and an abundant harvest begins with soil building that occurs in the winter or in the early spring. Without healthy soil, your yields will be lackluster, as will be the flavor and nutrition of your food. If you have a number of garden beds, as we do, it makes sense to…
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Food can be grown on fire escapes, roof tops, driveways, in trash cans, old pickup beds and wine barrels. If you’ve got the soil and the sun, you can grow vegetables in a million different venues. What if you want to grow your veggies in the more conventional, earth-bound garden plot? Great! But first check…
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