After planting your beds, adding a layer of mulch around the plants is one of the best things you can do for your plants and for your self. Mulches conserve moisture, cut down dramatically on weeding, keep the soil temperature more constant, prevent root injury from...
Squash need fertile soil with lots of organic matter and good drainage. Squash, both summer and winter types, are heat loving vegetables and do best in warm soil. To increase the warmth of your soil, put black plastic or an old tire around the plant. Squash will also...
There are many things you can do to reduce the amount of water required in your yard and garden. Of first importance in water conservation is mulching around your existing plants. Mulch will hold the moisture in the soil and dramatically reduce evaporation, keeping...
Perennials require less water than annuals because their roots are deeper. Thorough watering, and then waiting until the top two inches of soil is dry, produces perennials with deep roots, lush foliage and plentiful blossoms. Frequent, shallow watering creates a...
Add plenty of organic material, such as Nutri-Mulch, to the soil when you plant. Fertilize regularly with a high phosphate fertilizer like 16-16-16. For really spectacular tomatoes, dissolve one tablespoon of Epsom Salts in a gallon of water and pour around the plant...
Some fruit trees need a pollinator, or a companion tree, in order to produce fruit, while other fruit trees are self-fruitful and require no pollinator. The Red Delicious apple should be pollinated with a Yellow Delicious, but the Yellow Delicious itself is...
To completely clear an area of plant life, including both grass and weeds, a general weed killer, such as Round-Up or Hi-Yield KILLZALL, will help you get rid of unwanted vegetation, yet you can replant the area in as little as seven days. These products are absorbed...
How your new tree or shrub is planted may be the single most important event in its life. It not only determines how the roots are able to develop, but also determines how much water it will receive in the first few years in your yard. First, dig the hole for your new...
Natural Guard Neem Oil is an extract of neem seeds, and is a very effective natural control that is non-toxic to people and animals. Natural Guard Neem Oil controls such pests as aphids, leaf-eating caterpillars and beetles, leaf miners and white flies, and each...
Harvest beets when the roots are two to five inches across and before the first frost. Leave about one half inch of leaf stem and store in a root cellar at thirty-two to forty degrees. Cabbage is ready when the heads are well filled and hard. Early cabbage, best for...