I love to grow and sell sweet potato slips! This is one of my favorite spring time activities, even though it involves a fair amount of time and work. “Slip” is the most common term used for “cutting,” in sweet potato nomenclature. Sweet potatoes are grown from slips and the majority of those who grow sweet potatoes …
I think most gardeners try their hand at growing cornfield beans at some point. I can remember trying to grow beans on corn when I was only 10 or 11 years old. It was a miserable flop! I didn’t understand the basics and had no one to teach me. The Joy of Three Sisters Gardening …
If you do almost anything with your hands, whether it be on the farm, the garden or DIY projects in the home, you should carry a multi-tool. Almost anyone could use a multi-tool. “Multi-tool” is a term which describes a handheld, folding tool with multiple “blades,” or attachments. Some multi-tools are knives, by all rights. …
In gardening forums I often find the question about whether the ornamental varieties of sweet potatoes produce good roots for the kitchen. Some gardeners wonder if ornamental sweet potatoes are good to eat but how many have considered regular sweet potatoes for ornamental use? Many years ago, when I first saw ornamental sweet potatoes, I …
I like to do things “from scratch.” At least I want to know how to do and make things from the most basic steps onward. A lot of times knowing saves me time and money. For years it sometimes crossed my mind that I’d like to learn how to make cheesecake from scratch. This summer …
The topic of sweet potato diversity is pretty obscure. If they think about it at all, most folk believe that the extent of it is that there are some red colored sweet potatoes beside the regular orange ones, found in the supermarket. Don’t let the supermarket fool you. Sweet potatoes are far more diverse than …
Some years ago I think I actually coined the term, “feel good crop.” You see, here in Oklahoma we garden in an extreme environment. We hold the continental US record for the hottest 40 days and nights in a row and, I’ve seen colder winters here than we ever saw on the East Coast. We …
Let’s talk about ornamental squash and pumpkins as food. Have you ever noticed that in late summer many beautiful squash and pumpkins appear in the produce section? Not many people purchase them for food, and, judging by the price, I can understand. They’re usually quite expensive! However few realize that they can be used for food, …
Rodents can be a real problem in the garden and homestead. It seems that one day they’re not a problem and then one blinks and… they are a big problem! “Rodent” can refer to a good many different species. The term encompasses not only rats and mice, but also moles, voles, ground hogs, rabbits and squirrels, …
It’s mid August and my tomatoes haven’t done very well this year. Weeds abound and tomatoes don’t. The other night I was weeding and discovered this tomato plant, hiding in the weeds. I had planted it very late. It looks feeble. It made me think of the question of when to pull the plug on …