Using Salt on Asparagus Weeds One of the first spring vegetables is asparagus. The crisp spears are perfect in a variety of preparations and adapt well to a host of cuisine types. Asparagus are perennials which grow from crowns planted 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm.) beneath the soil surface. This means deep hoeing is not an option to get rid of weeds. Using salt for weed control is an old farm tradition, and while the high salinity does kill some annual weeds, persistent perennial weeds may be resistant, and the practice leaves an excess of salt in the bed which can be detrimental to the asparagus....

Can You Grow a Cherry Tree Pit? Yes indeed. Growing cherry trees from seed is not only an inexpensive way to grow a cherry tree, but it’s also lots of fun and delicious! First, can you grow a cherry tree in your region? Cherry varieties are hardy through USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 9, depending upon the type. Now comes the hard part. Eat some cherries. That’s a tough one, huh?...

Perennial Zone 5 Shade Loving Plants Planting conditions vary from garden to garden, but when you have both shade and freezing winter temperatures to contend with, your plant options begin to look a little slim. Your local extension office can be of great help in providing you with plants that are hardy in zone 5 and that thrive in shade. Remember to consider the other site conditions when choosing zone 5 shade plants, such as drainage, soil type, and average moisture as you make your selections of shade plants for zone 5....

How Long Do Apples Last? The length of time apples can be stored depends on a number of factors. First, it depends on when you picked them. If you have picked them when overripe, they tend to break down rapidly, reducing the amount of apple storage time. In order to determine when to harvest the apples, you need to look at their ground color. Ground color is the color of the apple’s skin, not including the portions that have become red....

What is a String of Beads Houseplant? Also called rosary string of beads or string of pearls plant, this creeping succulent is an odd looking plant that many people enjoy adding to their indoor gardens. Though the flowers may seem small and unattractive to some people, if they’re even lucky enough to get them, others find the faint white blooms (which smell a bit like cinnamon) quite welcome. Still, it’s the thin thread-like stems and fleshy round, bead-like leaves that make this unusual houseplant a great addition to the home....

About Alternatives to Lettuce Lettuce comes in many forms: iceberg or crisphead, bibb or butterhead, Romaine or Cos, leaf lettuce and stem lettuce. Even so, many folks find the varieties downright uninspiring. Plus, these lettuce varieties are generally one hit wonders, used solely in salads or on sandwiches. Substitutes for lettuce can often be used in salads or on sandwiches but alternative salad greens can often do so much more. Many of them can be sautéed, added to soups and entrees, or even used as wraps....

Challenges for Urban Gardening in Apartments Finesse and commitment are required for urban apartment gardening. Space is not the only issue. Lighting and ventilation pose a concern, as well as the species and varieties which will thrive in confined and restricted spaces. Over the years I gleaned some tips on how to grow a garden in an apartment. Follow along as we investigate gardening tips for apartment dwellers for a successful tiny landscape that is both beautiful and productive....

What is Causing Brown Leaves on Vegetables? The symptom is obvious; now we need to diagnose what’s causing those brown leaves on your vegetables. If the entire garden has turned brown and died back, it’s highly unlikely the issue is disease since pathogens generally attack specific plants or families and not an entire garden. Irrigation Causing Leaf Browning in Vegetable Plants Too much or too little irrigation may very well be at the root of the issue and is the simplest place to start with the easiest fix....

If you’re intrigued by this concept, read on to learn more about growing downspout vegetables. Of course, fruit, herbs and ornamental crops can be planted and watered like this. Most all crops benefit from rainwater gardening. Starting a Rainwater Vegetable Garden Collecting the runoff from the roof and directing it into your garden uses a one-time set up that distributes the water into areas where it is needed most. Plant to accommodate this managed natural watering system as an important part of the plan....

What is Dent Corn? Corn – the only important cereal grain indigenous to the Western hemisphere. There are three major types of corn cultivated in the United States: grain or field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn. Grain corn is classified into four main types: Dent corn Flint corn Flour or soft corn Waxy corn Dent corn, at maturity, has an obvious depression (or dent) at the crown of the kernels. The starches within the kernels are of two types: at the sides, a hard starch, and in the center, a soft starch....

What is a 20th Century Pear? According to 20th Century Asian pear info, this variety got its start as a happy accident. It is not known what the tree’s exact parentage was, but the seedling was discovered in 1888 by a young boy living in what was then, Yatsuhshira in Japan. The resulting fruit turned out to be larger, firmer, and more succulent than the popular varieties of the time. The plant does have an Achilles heel but, with good care, it surpasses many of the Asian pear varieties....

What is a Thalia? Sometimes called powdery alligator flag or water canna, thalia is a tall perennial which can reach heights of 6 feet (about 2 m.). These name designations come from the white powdery coating covering the entire plant and the resemblance of its leaves to those of the canna plant. Due to its exotic look, growing powdery thalia in backyard ponds adds a tropical ambiance to water features. The 18 inch (46 cm....

What is Elephant Garlic? Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) looks like a giant garlic clove but in fact, is not a true garlic; instead it is more closely related to a leek. It’s a hardy bulb with large blue-green leaves. This perennial herb boasts an outsized pink or purple flower stalk that appears in the spring or summer. Under the ground, a large bulb consisting of five to six large cloves surrounded by smaller bulblets grows....

Caterpillar Pests of Oleander Of all the pests of oleander, oleander caterpillar is the most damaging. Oleander caterpillar is the immature stage of the polka dot moth, also known as the wasp moth. The pests, which tend to feed in groups, chew small holes between the leaf veins, and, in severe cases, can completely strip the shrub, removing all of its leaves and small stems. Although the damage is unsightly, an established plant can usually survive the onslaught....

Why are My Carrot Seedlings Dying? Newly emerged seedlings are prey to many problems, from cutworms to disease. Damping off in carrots is a prevalent condition and one that can ruin your crop. Carrots with damping off fungus die as the fungus attacks stems and roots. The good news is you can minimize the chances of getting a fungal disease with good hygiene and cultural practices. Learning what causes carrot damping off and how to prevent the disease is the first step....

Reasons for Color Changing in Hibiscus If you’ve ever noticed the flowers on your hibiscus turning a different color, you’ve probably wondered what was behind the change. To understand why this happens, we need to look at what creates flower colors in the first place. Three groups of pigments create the vibrant color displays of hibiscus flowers. Anthocyanins produce blue, purple, red, and pink colors, depending on the individual pigment molecule and the pH it is exposed to....

Caring for a Browning Yucca Plant When yucca plant problems do strike, they’re usually easy to resolve, so don’t panic if you’ve got a yucca plant with brown leaves. Several minor problems can cause the browning of yuccas. The first step in caring for a sick one is to determine what, exactly, is causing the problem. While you’re doing your investigation, check for these items: Normal aging. Yucca plant leaves turning brown can be a normal part of their lifecycle, provided the browning leaves are the oldest and closest to the ground....

Cold Hardy Annuals “Annual” is a term we use a little loosely in cool climates for basically anything we grow that cannot survive outdoors in our winters. Tropical plants like cannas, elephant ear, and dahlias are often sold as annuals for zone 4, but their bulbs can be dug up in autumn to be dried and stored indoors through the winter. Plants that are perennials in warmer climates but grown as zone 4 annuals may include:...

Growing Zone 8 Tomato Plants USDA zone 8 really runs the gamut on the USDA hardiness zone map. It runs from the southeast corner of North Carolina down through the lower portions of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. It then continues to include most of Louisiana, parts of Arkansas and Florida, and a big chunk of mid-Texas. Standard zone 8 gardening advice is targeted to these areas of zone 8, but it also includes parts of New Mexico, Arizona, California, and the coastal Pacific Northwest, quite a broad swath indeed....

Information on Soybeans Soybean plants have been harvested for more than 5,000 years, but only in the last 250 years or so have Westerners become aware of their enormous nutritional benefits. Wild soybean plants can still be found in China and are beginning to find a place in gardens throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Soja max, the Latin nomenclature comes from the Chinese word ‘sou,’ which is derived from the word ‘soi‘ or soy....