What is a Portable Garden? Portable gardens are really nothing more than small container plantings that are relatively easy to relocate. They are perfect for people who are renting, in transition, have limited funds, or restricted growing space. Types of Portable Gardens The sky is the limit when it comes to the types of portable gardens you can have. Just put on your creative thinking cap, find a container of any sort, fill it with soil, and install your favorite plants....

Soil Temperature Gardening Soil temperature gardening involves the placement of thin, clear plastic over the soil, with its edges buried within an outer trench. Large rolls of plastic can be obtained at most home and garden centers. Plastic uses the sun’s heat to raise soil temperatures. In fact, when properly done, the soil can reach temperatures up to 120 F. (49 C.) or more. These high temperatures easily wipe out many soil-borne diseases and other garden pests in the soil....

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Recognizing Unsafe Plants for Turtles It is best not to feed turtles anything you aren’t certain to be safe. When planting an enclosure, or the backyard if the turtle is allowed outside, first research the toxicity of all the plants that may be purchased or grown. Also, identify all the plant species that already exist in the yard. If uncertain about specific plants, take cuttings of the leaves and flowers and take them to the local extension office or plant nursery for identification....

Using Vines for Greenhouse Shade A greenhouse is designed to be warm and sunny. It’s where you can grow plants even in the depths of winter. This means that in summer it can turn into an oven. You could buy shade cloth to put up in the warmer months, but isn’t very attractive, and it may not be adequate either, especially in very warm and sunny climates. Instead, try using vines and tall plants to provide a natural screen....

How to Stop Wallabies from Eating My Plants Wallabies are smaller relatives of kangaroos and are also marsupials. Their foraging activities often drive them into human terrain, and a clash of needs and wants ensues. The animals are only trying to keep their bellies full, but this can result in invasion of planned food crops necessary for our own survival and well-being. While their marauding can be frustrating, there are barriers and wallaby deterrents that will protect the garden and still let wild animals go about their business....

What are Serrano Peppers? Originating in the mountains of Mexico, the serrano is one of the spicy hot types of chili peppers. Their hotness ranges between 10,000 and 23,000 on the Scoville heat scale. This makes the serrano about twice as hot as the jalapeno. Although nowhere near as hot as the habanero, the serrano still packs a punch. So much so that gardeners and home cooks are advised to wear disposable gloves when picking, handling, and cutting serrano peppers....

What is Berseem Clover? There are several reasons for growing berseem clover. It is not only an excellent cover crop and forage but is also useful as a weed suppressor, produces prolific seed, can be a perfect companion crop with oats, a green manure, and a nursery plant for alfalfa. Because it cannot withstand most winter temperatures, it is often used as a winter killed crop prior to planting corn. This fast growing plant produces more biomass than comparable legume crops....

What is Bluebell Creeper? Semi-hardy warm season plants that grow rapidly and create a screen or groundcover are hard to find. Bluebell creeper is a native to parts of Australia but has become invasive in southern Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and certain other tropical to semi-tropical areas. However, it won the Royal Horticultural Series Award of Merit as an outstanding landscape specimen. Australian bluebell care is very minimal once established and it has the ability to withstand drought once mature....

What Does Cow Parsnip Look Like? Cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) is easy to confuse with several other plants in the carrot family. Some of these plants can actually be dangerous, so identification is extremely important. What is cow parsnip? It is an herbaceous, flowering wild plant that develops umbels of tiny, white flowers in a cloud atop tall stems. The plants that are similar also develop the same umbels and have similar forms....

What is Needlegrass? Needlegrass grows early in the season and retains greenery well into the cool period. It is a long lived perennial much prized to prevent erosion. It is also used to reestablish depleted green spaces. The grass provides cover for many animals and is high in protein when ingested early in the season. There are even several needlegrass plant varieties found in different genus names with exceptional ornamental attributes that can be used in the garden such as:...

Growing Patty Pan Squash Plants With a delicate, mild flavor, much akin to zucchini, the patty pan squash, also referred to as the scallop squash, is a small variety of summer squash. Lesser known than its relatives, yellow squash or zucchini, patty pans have a distinct shape which some people describe as similar to a flying saucer. The fun shape of the fruit growing on patty pan squash plants may also be an enticement to getting the kids to eat their veggies....

What is Ravenna Grass? If you want hardy elegance, combined with towering magnificence, try ravenna grass. It is a massive specimen grass that makes a perfect screen or simply a focal point in the landscape. Is ravenna grass invasive? Be aware that it is a Class A noxious weed in Washington and some other states. It is best to check with your local extension before growing ravenna grass. Ravenna grass has year-round appeal....

Types of White Potatoes There are really only two types of potatoes that are white: round white and long white. Round white are probably the most common varieties of white potato in use. They are easily identified by their smooth, thin, light tan skin, white flesh, and round shape. They are extremely versatile and can be used for baking, boiling, frying, mashing, roasting, or steaming. Long white potatoes are really more of an oval shape, again with thin, light tan skin....

Fertilizing with Raw Eggs Our grandparents didn’t have access to the modern formulations for soil amendment and instead relied upon composting to boost soil fertility and tilth. We can take a page from their book and learn how to reuse our refuse and give back to the soil naturally. A time honored tradition is to place a raw, uncracked egg in the bottom of a planting hole for tomatoes. It has its benefits and its drawbacks as we will see....

Why Do Broccoli Heads Become Loose? Broccoli that is grown in the fall produces the most tender, healthy, and sweetest broccoli that you will ever grow. In some areas of the country, spring conditions are still somewhat cool and predictable, but for many of us, spring temperatures warm too quickly, morphing into summer heat long before the calendar declares the summer solstice. When temperatures ramp up too quickly during the spring months, broccoli plants’ response is to open the flower buds prematurely, or bolt....

What is Chlorosis in Plants? Chlorosis in plants simply means that the plant doesn’t have enough chlorophyll. This can be caused by poor drainage, root problems, pH too high, not enough nutrients from the soil, or a combination of all of these. Too much water causing a gardenia bush with yellow leaves When you have a gardenia bush with yellow leaves, the first thing to do is check your soil for too much water....

Reasons for Yellow Mandevilla Leaves There are a number of causes to a mandevilla plant turning yellow. Below are some of the most common reasons for yellow mandevilla leaves: Improper Watering Improper watering can cause yellow leaves on a mandevilla. Too much or too little water can be reasons for yellow mandevilla leaves. Soil should remain moist, but not soggy. If roots are soggy, remove the plant from the container and remove as much of the soggy soil as possible....

About Zone 6 Apple Trees There are over 2,500 apple varieties grown in the United States, so there’s bound to be one for you. Choose apple varieties that you like to eat fresh or are better suited to certain uses such as those for canning, juicing, or baking. Apples that are best eaten fresh are often referred to as “dessert” apples. Assess the amount of space you have for an apple tree....

Info about Growing Asian Pear Trees Asian pears are also called more specifically Chinese, Japanese, Oriental and apple pears. Asian pears (Pyrus serotina) are sweet and juicy like a pear and crunchy much like an apple. They can be grown in USDA zones 5-9. Trees are not self-pollinating, so you will need another tree to aid in pollination. Some cultivars are cross-incompatible, meaning that they will not pollinate each other. Check to be sure the varieties that you are purchasing will cross pollinate....