Root vegetables are sweetest and juiciest when harvested in cool weather. Many root vegetables are considered “cool weather” crops—they grow lush and juicy when daytime temperatures are in the seventies, but barely muddle through hot weather. … [Read more...]
Herbs: September Tips
• Pot up chives, parsley, and other herbs, and bring them into the house to extend the growing season. • To ensure a good crop of big bulbs next fall, plant garlic cloves this fall. Be sure to cover the garlic plot with a layer of organic … [Read more...]
An Introduction to Seed Saving for the Home Gardener
Seed saving is an ancient art that enabled humans to cease being hunter gatherers. Up until the end of World War II, home gardeners typically saved their own seeds, because high-quality seeds at affordable prices were generally not available. … [Read more...]
Planting Fall gardens: Fall Gardening Guide For Zone 7 Gardens
Summer days are waning but for gardeners in USDA zone 7 that doesn’t have to mean the last of the fresh garden produce. Okay, you may have seen the last of the garden tomatoes, but there are still plenty of veggies suited for zone 7 fall planting. … [Read more...]
Sprouting onions and scarred tomatoes: How to tell whether fading produce is still safe to eat
Fresh fruits and vegetables can do some alarming things. They can crack open and change colors, sport tiny — or really big — scars, and even start trying to make new produce, right there on your kitchen counter. “When in doubt, throw it out,” you … [Read more...]
Home Fruit Plantings: Elderberries
Because of their tartness and relative seediness, elderberries are rarely eaten fresh. However, they offer a low-cost, low-maintenance fruit crop from which a delightful jelly or pie can be produced. MORE SOURCE: … [Read more...]
Microgreens in Pots
Anyone who has picked up a gardening magazine lately has seen that the latest gardening rage is pollinator gardens. You probably know that you do not have to have a garden spot to help support our native pollinators and the moth and butterfly … [Read more...]
Potato Plant Vines
The client called to ask why his potatoes (Irish) planted in mid-April already had vines dying in mid-July. He felt this was too soon. He did not know the variety of potato. DIAGNOSIS / RECOMMENDATION Because most potato varieties … [Read more...]
Tomato Diseases & Disorders
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) can be grown on almost any moderately well-drained soil type. A good supply of organic matter can increase yield and reduce production problems. Tomatoes and related vegetables, such as potatoes, peppers and eggplants, … [Read more...]
Septoria Leaf Spot on Tomato
Join Virginia Tech Plant Pathologist, Mary Ann Hansen, as she discusses common plant diseases in Virginia. In this video she talks about septoria leaf spot on tomato. For more information on the Virginia Tech Plant Disease Clinic: … [Read more...]