This summer has been a challenging one for many Indiana vegetable gardeners. It started with a prolonged cold, wet spring, was followed by a couple of weeks of intense heat and drought, and then followed by torrential rains! Gardens that have been in a prolonged saturated condition may present some surprising symptoms, ranging from wilting, yellowing or drooping foliage to blossom-end rot. When soil is saturated for an extended period, roots are deprived […]
Many Indiana gardeners are experiencing a new phenomenon in their potato patch. At least, it’s new to them. Potato plants appear to be producing little green fruit, about the size of a large cherry tomato. These round, green berries are actually the fruits of the potato plant. It’s not surprising that they look like tomatoes, since both plants are in the nightshade family. Most gardeners never see this fruit form on potatoes in Indiana. Cool […]
Gardeners, mark Saturday, July 19, on your calendar for Purdue University Garden Day! This annual open-house event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Purdue University Horticulture Building and Gardens on the West Lafayette campus. The festivities will include guided tours of the ornamental gardens, a gardening information booth and gardening lectures presented by Purdue experts. Morning tours of the Horticulture Greenhouses also will be available. This year’s ornamental garden features […]
Depending on your plants’ perspective, our relatively cool, rainy weather can be a good or a bad thing. Cool-season plants, such as peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes and pansies, should be jumping for joy! It’s been nearly perfect weather for plants that get stressed out in hot, dry weather. These plants produce their best growth and, in the case of the veggie crops, best flavor during such cool weather. And, of course, if you happen to […]
Many would-be gardeners would love to grow their own vegetables and flowers, but they are not able to due to health reasons. Gardening in the traditional sense requires a strong back and arms to work the soil, plant the crops and harvest the rewards. Weeding, watering and general garden care also may take quite a bit of bending and elbow grease. If your mind says “yes” but your body says “no,” don’t despair. Container gardening […]
If you’re like most overanxious gardeners, you probably started your tomato seeds too early. When tomatoes and other transplants are grown under the relatively low light conditions experienced in most homes, they tend to get long and leggy as they stretch in search of light. Even many store-bought transplants get leggy if we buy them too soon before we can plant them out, or they may be too leggy to begin with. Warm temperatures also […]
They’re back! It’s that time of year when the advertisements in the Sunday supplements promise unbelievable yields, fantastic blooms all summer and trees that grow as tall as a house in one growing season! This weekend saw the return of the old tree tomato ad, the one that resurfaces every couple of years or so. As usual, the seller promises yields up to 60 pounds per plant, and stems that grow to 8 feet tall […]
If fighting weeds in your garden has you in a pickle, you’ll be interested in a USDA research report about using acetic acid (vinegar) as an herbicide. USDA researchers confirmed that acetic acid is effective at killing some common weed species, including Canada thistle, lamb’s-quarters, giant foxtail, velvetleaf and smooth pigweed. Weeds were hand-sprayed with various solutions of vinegar, uniformly coating the leaves. The researchers found that 5- and 10-percent concentrations killed the weeds during […]
Tree topping is an all too common practice among homeowners, particularly when their trees become too tall and pose a possible threat to the house or overhead power lines. Some have the trees topped because they believe, or are led to believe, that topping is a good pruning practice. Obviously, some situations require the removal of large limbs for the sake of safety. But topping is a drastic step and ultimately endangers the tree’s life. […]
Although the vernal equinox (March 21 this year) is the official start of spring, it seems that it’s the flowers that let us know when spring really begins. Flowering is quite dependent on the weather, so the timing of blooms varies from year to year. But regardless of the weather, the sequence in which plants bloom should remain about the same. Some bulbs may show their stuff long before spring is officially proclaimed. Winter aconite […]
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