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...]
Maximize Your Basil Harvest- 3 Mistakes to Avoid
Do you want your basil plant to be big and lush? Here's some quick tips to ensure you enjoy the largest yield from your basil plants. Check out this YouTube presentation by Stacy Murphy (Sep 14, 2016) … [Read more...]
Mulch: Using Colored Plastic Mulches in the Vegetable Garden
As you’ve been flipping through the pages of all the gardening and seed catalogs that landed on your doorstep this winter, chances are you’ve seen a page or two dedicated to plastic mulches in every color of the rainbow. Plastic mulches, particularly … [Read more...]
Automatic Watering for Raised Beds
Shame on…me. For ten frivolous years (2008-2018) I relied on an oscillating sprinkler to irrigate the 12 raised beds in my Kitchen Garden. Of course, this same sprinkler watered the paths between the beds. It watered the air, too, whenever the wind … [Read more...]