Gardening is a passion for me. Back to my earliest memories, even before the term was coined, I have loved seed saving. For most of my adult life I have known that I am blessed and cursed “to be a …
In the last decades the term “heirloom” has become very popular in gardening circles. I’ve even seen seed catalogs which claim only to sell “heirloom vegetable seeds.” “Heirloom,” in many quarters, has become a rather ambiguous term, which many assume …
A couple years ago a friend gave me seed for Old Israeli Melon, commenting that he usually grew some of these for their superb flavor. I tucked a few seeds into a garden and watched them grow. About 76 days …
Garden tools are extremely valuable. In gardening, I really want to use just the right tool, when possible. The right tool makes the job go quicker, and it makes it much easier. Imagine the frustration when one misplaces “just the right …
Huitlacoche (pronounced wheat-la-Koe-chey) is the Aztec/Mexican name for Corn Smut. I prefer to use huitlacoche because, whenever I’ve heard the term used, it’s been used in a positive manner, as in “Oh! Yum! Huitlacoche! I love this cooked in eggs.” …
Do you keep a garden notebook? If not, have you considered doing so? If you are like me (always pressed for time) you might think, “No! I don’t need to stop what I’m doing to take notes! I’m in this …
Sweet potatoes are probably my all time favorite garden crop. I grow a lot. We eat a lot. They’re really good for you and really delicious. More folk ought to grow sweet potatoes. It amazes me how few do. One …
The sweet potato is, perhaps, my very favorite plant in the garden. When we have a good harvest of roots, I eat at least one sweet potato a day until May or June of the following year. I never get …
I’ve found a great hot weather vegetable for our garden. It goes by various names: yard long bean, long bean or sometimes even noodle bean. The scientific name for this crop is Vigna unguiculata. It’s a subspecies of cowpea (think …
Are you on a budget? Would you like to plant some garlic, but you don’t want to spend much money to get started. Here are 4 ideas for starting out cheaply: Go to your pantry and grab a few cloves …