Come to a killing frost, and most vegetable gardens are given the cold shoulder by their owners and the weather. Yet there is a long list of vegetables you can plant (from spring to fall) that beautifully grow long after heavy frosts and real freezing weather arrive. So this is something to think about. Cautions … Read more
Wherever you garden in the U.S., you are almost bound to face a summer that brings one or more dry spells. In some sections, you must garden through long-lasting droughts, summer after summer. Rainfall Map A rainfall map (see USDA Yearbook 1941, “Climate and Man”) of the eastern states shows that only a few small … Read more
Fresh, ripe strawberries are irresistible, but the varieties sold in most stores are far from the best, being firm (and consequently tart) berries to stand a long haul to market and several days on the display shelf. If you want the sweetest flavor, you should grow your own. Which ones you choose depends on whether … Read more
The family food garden is a wonderful source of essential minerals and vitamins when it includes carefully selected vegetables. The more colorful the vegetables are, the better. The rich color in leaves and roots indicates an exceptionally high vitamin content. The yellow or red plant pigment known as carotene gives vegetables like carrots and sweet … Read more
If you are the type of city gardener who likes to grow vegetables that require a minimum effort in return for a rich reward, zucchini is the dish for you. This succulent plant, a member of the squash family, is also called Italian squash. Though virtually unknown to the average gardener, it is rich in … Read more
We were lucky when we bought Spruce Acre in Ithaca, N. Y., 15 years ago. The former owner had left us a healthy asparagus bed of 100 plants. Since then, I’ve wondered why so many gardeners ignore this vegetable. Does preparing the bed sound complicated (your state agricultural college can give you advice)? Don’t you … Read more
Sweet potatoes rate the attention of home gardeners wherever they can be grown. That includes territories beyond their range as an important farm product, such as Connecticut and southern New York. During the last 25 years, we have grown them in various kinds of soil. Though the vines grow luxuriantly in the Summer rains or … Read more
We first sowed soybeans for green manure and then as bait for rabbits. The theory behind the second usage was that rabbits preferred soybeans to other beans, so if there were enough soybeans to be had, they would leave the other beans alone. The theory worked wonderfully. The rabbits had all the beans they liked … Read more
Without paper milk cartons, I wouldn’t know how to get along in my garden. They are durable enough to last a long time and easy to dispose of. We have to buy them when we buy milk; it is a waste of money to throw them away and buy something else to use for the … Read more
Gardeners have been raising and eating lettuce for at least 2,500 years. Even though the particular varieties served at the tables of Persian kings around 500 B.C. may not be offered in current catalogs, there are plenty of delectable kinds from which we may choose. In two catalogs from which I ordered vegetable seeds last … Read more