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I’ve Tested Many Tillers, and I Always Come Back to My Mantis This spring I had to replace my favorite garden implement, my Mantis 2-Cycle tiller. This is the little red tiller that you see advertised everywhere in garden magazines and on television gardening shows. If I remember those old ads in Organic Gardening magazines about 30 years ago, the Mantis tiller used to be nicknamed the “Little Wonder”. I believed it then, and I still believe it....

Okay, so it’s not exactly a secret, but even though it’s finally getting more recognition as a smart gardening practice, I’m surprised at how many people avoid it. Every time I sweep up piles of discounted plants during the autumn when nurseries are clearing out their inventory, gardeners ask me if it’s really a good time to plant. The answer is: yes! Roses are particularly well suited to fall planting....

You will know that you have Alternaria leaf spots on your turnip or rutubaga leaves when they develop yellow to black leaf spots with concentric rings like a target. This disease is mostly cosmetic and will not destroy your turnips. However, if you try to sell them, consumers and retailers will probably avoid buying from you if they have these symptoms. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. You’re probably familiar already with several Dracaena species that commonly grace our homes and yards, such as the uniquely curled lucky bamboo (D. sanderiana), the stately, wide-leaf corn plant (D. fragrans), the dramatic, bi- or tricolored dragon tree (D. marginata), and the tall, palm-like garden spikes (D....

It felt as though the winter would never end, and the dormant plants would never come back to life. If only I had learned sooner that some plants could add much needed greenery and colorful blooms through this seemingly dead season. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. The camellia is one of those plants....

You plant them before the ground freezes in the fall or winter, and then you’re rewarded in the spring with the most cheerful, nodding faces. Unless… you aren’t. Perennial daffodils (Narcissus spp.) are some of the first blooms of the spring season, opening their buds as early as January or February in warmer climes, and as late as April or May in frigid areas like Alaska, where I live. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

In our guide to growing burning bushes, we discuss the cultivation of non-native E. alatus, in areas where it is not prohibited, as well as an alternative native species, E. atropurpureus. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. The following information also applies to the native species, with the exception that its peak color is a less vibrant shade of red....

Suited to year-round cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 11, they are grown as annuals in other temperate zones. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Each has an upward-facing, funnel-shaped floral structure consisting of an artistically scrolled spathe surrounding a thick yellow spadix. A range of colors is available. In our calla lily growing guide, we discuss all you need to know to grow your own....

In companion articles, we discussed how to grow cauliflower and varieties of cauliflower to choose. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. 1. Blindness When a cauliflower fails to produce a head, the condition is sometimes referred to as “blind,” or “blind bud.” There is vegetative growth, but no reproductive growth – in other words, all foliage and no florets....

The next thing I think of is eggplant’s famous color, that deep, gorgeous, intense shade of… white? White eggplant? Let’s explore, shall we? Have you ever wondered how our deep, dark purple eggplant got its rather vivid and seemingly meaningless name? We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. So how did the word “egg” become attached to an aubergine, etymologically speaking?...

Are they safe to eat? In many cases, yes, they are perfectly edible and you need not worry. However, at other times, the answer is absolutely not. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Are Greens with Holes in Them Safe to Eat? If you pick the leafy vegetables that you so lovingly tended through the season, and you discover that something – or someone – has been enjoying their own feast before you had a chance to harvest your crops, are they safe to consume?...

Guess what? Children can enjoy the same benefits when you design a growing space that’s suited to their abilities and interests. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. In Your Go-To Guide for Gardening with Children, we offer a range of activities for family fun. Here’s the lineup: Let’s get started! Brainstorm Together As you begin to envision your child or children sowing and reaping, think about what you hope they will experience....

These shield-shaped munchers are known for the odor they produce when disturbed or squished, which is said to be similar to skunk, powerful cilantro, or coriander. Personally, I don’t find coriander to be stinky at all, but I suppose that’s a to-each-her-own kind of thing. Anyway, these greedy critters eat through a wide variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables, including cucumbers, berries, squash, tomatoes, apples, and peaches. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

That’s why I’m such a fan of a houseplant known as the flamingo lily. It’s a type of Anthurium, a genus that includes about 825 species. This particular species, A. andraeanum, has heart-shaped spathes that add vibrant color to my indoor decor without demanding a huge amount of effort on my part. I admire colorful houseplants, particularly in the dark days of winter, and these have the added advantage of retaining their color over the course of weeks, not days....

Take grape hyacinth, for example. This pretty, petite bulb is a perennial spring charmer with a carefree habit, and striking colors that look fantastic in small stands or big, bold drifts. They can be grown in beds or containers, forced indoors for winter growth, or naturalized in woodland settings. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

That was approximately 300 years ago, and I don’t think I’ve heard much about rhubarb since. I suppose smarter people than I have expounded on why this sour vegetable has fallen out of favor, but if I were to hazard a guess, I might lay the demise of its popularity at the feet of our sweet-obsessed culture. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission....

The past month or so has been all about staying on top of weeds, keeping pests away, watering your garden during dry periods, and harvesting some of your well-earned veggie bounty. But as any seasoned vegetable gardener knows, summer crops that move out of the soil and into the kitchen call for some new additions in your growing space. Before you know it, you’re weeding, prepping, and amending fresh beds to make room for yet another round of crops suitable for the autumn....

Some people grow these stunners for their ornamental value, while others make them a part of their medicinal herb garden. But what about those of us who lack the garden space for a big patch of echinacea? Or those who want to bring the beauty of the prairie to the patio? Not to worry – coneflowers grow well in containers! We link to vendors to help you find relevant products....

If you had asked how to grow mouse melon, cucamelon, or sour cucumber, you might have gotten some strange looks. So, naturally, as soon as I saw some available in a seed sharing group, I offered to trade for them. Gardeners are nothing if not adventurous. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Come and learn how to plant, grow, and care for cucamelons aka Mexican sour gherkins!...

In addition to having a very distinct flavor, which reminds me of a mild cabbage, it can be a versatile addition to almost any dish. While health food stores and fad diets want you to think that there is something mystical about the plant, it’s an approachable homegrown treat that can – and should – be added to any garden! A member of the brassica family, it is in fact related to cabbage....