Growing Turnips

Turnips? Yes! Read our plant care guide for this root crop, and browse the extensive list of varieties.

Soil Common Sense

The soul of your garden is the soil. A healthy soil translates into a healthy garden. But before you begin adding compost, manure, fertilizer, lime, and other soil amendments, you need to know what type of soil you have and its properties. Clay, silt, and sandy soils all behave differently and have different needs.

Share the Harvest

October is one of my favorite months. The temperatures begin to cool down. The rich purple flowers of fall-blooming colchicums and crocuses burst from the ground like the royal goblets of garden gnomes. Asters brighten woodlands, prairies, roadsides, and alleys with thousands of miniature stars. Maples, ashes, redbuds, and witch hazels don their brilliant autumn coats in shades of scarlet and gold. And summer vegetable plants are weighted down with their bounty.

Preventing Garden Diseases

Most garden diseases are caused by fungi -- microscopic relatives of the common garden mushroom. Mature fungi release millions of spores that are then carried on the wind or otherwise get transferred to our plants. And if the conditions suit them, the spores germinate and penetrate leaf tissue, creating spots, lesions, or other symptoms.

Growing Miniature Roses

Not so long ago, miniature roses were almost strictly the province of hobbyists, usually ones already bitten by the rose-growing bug. But now, thanks to the influence of European gardeners and nurseries, an entirely new category of miniature rose is available here. In fact, these florist or European-style minis are the type you're most likely to encounter at supermarkets, chain stores, and discount stores. While the two types look pretty much the same to casual observers, it's useful to understand how these florist minis compare to the familiar miniature garden roses.

Growing Citrus in Containers

For the most part, the areas where home gardeners plant the citrus trees are the same areas where citrus is grown commercially. But if space is limited or climate isn't suitable, it's still possible to enjoy these trees and their bounty year-round. How? By growing citrus trees in containers.