Gardening Notes & Tips

General Gardening Information|Flowers|Vegetables/Herbs

SEED STARTING INFORMATION

• Seed Starting Tips & Information - answers to the most commonly asked seed starting questions
• Starting Seed Indoors
• Indoor Spring Sowing Guides:
  Vegetables & Herbs (pdf)
  Flowers & Ornamentals (pdf)
• Outdoor Spring Sowing Guides:
  Vegetables & Herbs (pdf)
  Flowers & Ornamentals (pdf)
• Late Summer/Fall Sowing Guide (pdf)
• Light: Outside vs. Inside

ZONE & FROST INFORMATION

• Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (link)
• Average Last Spring Frost Date Map (pdf)
• Average First Fall Frost Date Map (pdf)
• Click here to find your local Cooperative Extension Office.
  (Their Horticulture or Home Gardening department can give you great information about gardening and lawn care in your specific climate.)

GENERAL GARDENING

• The Secret is in the Soil
• Is wood ash a beneficial amendment for my garden?
• The Feeding and Care of your Summer Garden
• How to Plan your Fall Garden
• Plan Ahead for Delicious Fall Meals Fresh from the Garden
• Can I use seeds leftover from last year?
• What's the difference between organic and untreated seed?
  

CONTAINER GARDENING

• Tips on Growing Vegetables in Containers (pdf)
• Crazy for Containers!

PEST CONTROL

• 7 Organic Pest Control Tips
• How can I keep slugs from eating my vegetables?

FLOWERS

• Edible Flowers
• Establishing a "Naturalized" Wildflower Area
• How to Air Dry Flowers
• How to Dry Flowers (Using Silica Gel)
• Making Cut Flowers Last Longer
• Staking Tall Flowers
• Why didn’t my seeds germinate?
• How to attract bees

Bring Home the Butterflies

• It's late June. Is it okay to sow the Bring Home the Butterflies mix right now or should I wait?

Cat Grass

• Cat Grass Facts

Sweet Peas

• Sweet Pea Fact Sheet
• All About Sweet Peas
• Why can't I get my Sweet Peas to grow?

Morning Glories

• My Morning Glory vines are going crazy, but are not blooming.

Nasturtiums

• Why aren't my nasturtiums germinating?
• Why aren't my nasturtiums blooming?

Nicotiana

• 2009 Year of Nicotiana

Poppies

• Poppy Fact Sheet

Rudbeckias

• Rudbeckia Fact Sheet

Sunflowers

• How can I grow the largest sunflowers?

Zinnias

• Zinnia Fact Sheet

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VEGETABLES/HERBS

• Harvest tips for cool season crops (pdf)
• Preserving Herbs
• What vegetables and herbs can I grow in areas with partial shade?
• How to attract bees
• Vegetables with shortest crop time, for gardeners with short growing seasons, at a high altitude, or getting a late start
• Easy steps for an indoor herb garden

Basil

• Basil, the King of Herbs

Beans

• Just Plain Beans – General Bean Information
• I have lots of vigorous bean vines, but no beans.
• The blossoms are dropping off my bean plants without producing.
• How are beans pollinated?
• Why are my bush beans growing tall like pole beans?
• Is it recommended to freeze bean seeds to kill weevils before saving?

Cabbage & Kale

• Cabbage & Kale Fact Sheet

Catnip

• Catnip Fact Sheet
• Why isn't my catnip germinating when I've got it in a sunny east facing window and have been watering it daily?

Chamomile

• Does chamomile require insects for pollination?

Cucumbers

• What is the difference between 'monoecious', 'gynoecious', and 'parthenocarpic' cucumbers?
• Why do my cucumbers taste bitter?

Fennel

• Why didn't my fennel produce bulbs?

Eggplant

• Eggplant Fact Sheet

Gourds (see Pumpkins/Squash/Gourds)

Melons

• Do watermelons need to be separated from other types of melons to prevent cross-pollination?

Mesclun

• Mesclun Fact Sheet

Peas

• Pea Fact Sheet

Peppers

• What are the soft white spots on my peppers?
• Why are the blossoms on my pepper plants dropping off instead of producing?
• I've had great success growing pepper plants indoors in a sunny window, but they don't always set fruit. Why is this?

Pumpkins/Squash/Gourds

• Harvesting and Storing Winter Squash
• Do I need to separate summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins, or gourds to prevent cross-pollination?
• Why are my pumpkin vines growing vigorously with lots of flowers, but no pumpkins?
• Why aren't my luffa gourds producing any fruit?
• Why aren't my squash plants producing?
• Why didn't my pumpkin plants produce any fruit?

Radicchio

• My early spring-planted radicchio plants are 6" tall, but still not showing any sign of producing heads.

Radishes

• Why aren't my radish plants developing full-sized roots?
• How can I grow radishes during the hot summer?

Spinach

• Spinach Fact Sheet

Squash (see Pumpkins/Squash/Gourds)

Sweet Corn

• Sweet Corn Fact Sheet

Tomatoes

• Tomato Fact Sheet
• Why aren't my tomato plants producing any fruit?
• Should I grow out tomato volunteers? What if they are cross-pollinated?
• Are heirloom tomatoes disease resistant?
• I'm growing tomatoes in containers and some of them have tan to brown spots on the bottom. Is this Blossom End Rot, and how can I prevent it?

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