While not yet well known, oca plants are slowly shooting up in home gardens in North America. The little tubers, also known as New Zealand Yams, are actually native to South America. Thousands of varieties are grown and harvested throughout the continent-some are capable of thriving in the Andes Mountains, 4,000 meters in elevation. These […]
Companion Planting: 7 Vegetable Pairs that Grow Perfectly Together
Bringing a wide variety of plants into your vegetable garden can have many benefits. Planting certain vegetables next to each other can encourage both plants to thrive. This unique process is known as companion planting. Companion plants have many potential benefits for their partner plant counterparts. They can help each other grow by attracting pollinators […]
Surprising Things You Can Compost
Composting is a great way to cut down on the waste you create and send to the landfill. It allows you to give a second life to items you would normally throw away. When composting, many people think about the more obvious items, such as food scraps and newspapers that can be composted, but there […]
How To Grow Jalapenos
In Mexico alone, more than 40,000 acres of land are used solely for the cultivation of jalapenos, which are a staple of the nation’s cuisine. And when it comes to flavor, jalapeños are one of the best options for chefs and food lovers—so it’s no wonder gardeners and commercial growers love them. Coming in at […]
How To Grow Blackberries
At only 62 calories per cup, blackberries make for a wonderfully smart and tart snack. Blackberries are not only low in calories, they are also low in sodium and come with high doses of Vitamin C and bioflavonoids. These naturally sweet, delightfully tart treats are also one of the best natural sources of antioxidants you […]
A Guide to Composting in an Apartment
Composting is the perfect solution for getting rid of food scraps while simultaneously enriching the soil of your garden. An outdoor composting setup is easy to use and even easier to maintain. Gardeners usually prefer an outdoor composting center to an indoor composting center for several reasons. In an outdoor scenario, gardeners need not worry […]
How To Fight Carrot Root Flies
The carrot root fly is the main pest that attacks carrots—and one that gardeners need to be ready to go to battle with when harvesting carrots and other members of the umbelliferae (or apiaceae) family, which includes carrots as well as celery, dill, fennel, parsley, parsnip, and celeriac. The eight-mm-long flies lay eggs in the […]
How to Fight Asparagus Beetles
If you’re growing asparagus in your home garden, the asparagus beetle is a pest you will be all too familiar. This annoying insect is about half a centimeter long and is a metallic bluish-black color with white or yellow spots on its back. Its back also has a red border. The larvae are fat, grayish-green […]
How to Fight Blister Beetles
The blister beetle belongs to a family of insects called Meloidae, which consists of over 2,500 different species. When injured or crushed, the blister beetle secretes a toxin called cantharidin, which destroys tissue so effectively that it is one of the main ingredients of common wart removal products. If swallowed, cantharidin can cause major damage […]
How to Fight Diamondback Moth Larvae
Attention maggots! We are going to fight a war against … well, some other maggots! Or, more specifically, the larval stage of some particularly persistent moths. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the fields, we shall fight in the hills—anywhere with a garden, really. Understand the Diamondback Moth If we’re going […]
How to Grow Soapwort
Soapwort is a perennial herb that gets its name from it commonly being used to make soaps. Also known as Saponaria or bouncing bet, soapwort is native to parts of Europe. It was brought to North America by European settlers. The settlers would use the herb to make a mild detergent and soap for use […]
How to Fight Squash Vine Borers
The squash vine borer is a clearwing moth that is found east of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to South America. The adult borer resembles a wasp, with an orange abdomen with black dots. They have two pairs of wings, the first being a metallic green, and the hard-to-see underwing being clear. The larvae stage […]