Why is my broccoli making flowers instead of nice round heads? Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts are all Cole crops. They perform best in the cool temperatures of early spring vs other warm-weather summer garden vegetables like tomato, pepper, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, and such. Sometimes Cole crops will bolt before we can harvest. Can we prevent bolting? Read on to learn how to prevent bolting in Cole crops. What Is Bolting? Bolting is blooming. The flowering of many winter annual and biennial Cole crops is influenced by complex interactions between temperature, day length, and stresses of various kinds. […]
Author: Jaclyn Johnsen
An Easy Guide To Fertilizing Blueberry Plants
Fertilizing is one of the requirements your blueberry plant needs to stay healthy and produce delicious fruit. However, there are some guidelines you should follow when applying fertilizers. Here are some of our top tips for fertilizing your blueberry bushes. Types of Fertilizers Proper fertilization of blueberries is just as important as providing them with the proper soil pH. Since blueberries thrive in low soil pH (4.5 – 5.5), it is recommended to choose an acidic, water-soluble fertilizer, similar to what you would feed Azaleas and Rhododendrons like Jack’s Classic® Acid Special with 17-6-6 formulation, or you can utilize Espoma® […]
Black Rot On Grapes: Prevention & Management
Black Rot, the most widespread disease of grapes, often causes grapes to turn brown and shrivel. It is extremely difficult to control and is the number one enemy of commercial growers and home gardeners alike. This article will help guide you to identifying, preventing, and management of Black Rot on grapes. What Is Black Rot? Black Rot is the most common fungal disease grapes can get. It is caused by the fungus Guignarida bidwellii. It is a cumulative disease, meaning it builds up for multiple seasons and can very often spread, undetected by many growers until it is a major […]
Easy To Grow Salsa Garden
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated in the United States and some parts of Mexico to honor the military victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Celebrating in the United States, usually involves families and friends gathering together to eat some delicious Mexican foods. What better way to celebrate than with fresh salsa grown in your very own garden. Salsa gardens are fairly easy to grow and can be an enjoyable activity for the whole family. Nothing beats fresh vegetables and herbs used to create your favorite salsa. Concerned about having room for your salsa garden? You can […]
Top Tips For Fruit Trees: Planting, Caring, & Maintenance
A home orchard is a valuable investment, but without proper care, it can be disappointing and unproductive. Our long experience has proven that success can be assured if good management practices are followed. The information provided in this guide can be applied to most fruit trees. Planting, training, pruning, fertilizing, and spraying are about the same for apples, pears, plums, and peaches. Exceptions are noted. Our fruit trees are held in a special cold storage environment to maintain dormant, live, high-quality trees. Proper care of trees before planting, attention to detail in planting, timely applications of water, and proper pruning […]
6 Gardening Activities For Earth Day
For everyone around the world, we experienced hardship and loss in 2020. On April 22, 2021, the world will come together to celebrate our resilience and strength for Earth Day. The theme this year is Restore Our Earth™. What can you do to contribute to making our Earth a greener, healthier place to live? For gardeners, it can start in our own gardens and backyards. Start A Compost Pile Composting is a great way to recycle and reuse your waste products by turning them into organic matter to be used in your garden. Your garden and environment will greatly benefit […]
4 Popular Wine Grapes For Hobby Vineyards
Creating a hobby vineyard is a valiant objective indeed. Growing grapes is not for the weak of heart when it comes to horticultural or agricultural endeavors. The cultural care and vineyard setup will generally be the same for all these types. Brianna Brianna is a medium-sized grape with a thick skin of green-colored fruits that turn to gold when fully ripe. This is becoming a popular variety for growers in the upper Midwest. Brianna berries can be made into a semi-sweet white wine that is said to possess fruity notes of pineapple, banana, and mango. They are also considered a […]
An Easy Guide To Fruit Tree Rootstocks
Fruit trees take care and patience while waiting for the tree to produce fruit. It can take years before the fruit of your loving labor will appear. The first step is choosing quality fruit tree rootstock. But what is rootstock? Read our easy guide to fruit tree rootstocks to get you started. What Are Rootstocks? Rootstocks are the base and roots of grafted fruit trees. Nearly all productive fruiting type trees are grafted, with the scion (the top fruiting portion) being different from the rootstock (trunk or root material a bud or scion is grafted onto). Although there are some […]
11 Potatoes To Plant On Good Friday
Have you heard the old wives’ tale about planting your potatoes on Good Friday? It is supposed to make your plants grow better and produce more potatoes. There is speculation as to when and where this tradition began. Some of the lore comes from Ireland during the 16th century during which they supposedly would baptize the seed potatoes before planting. The problem with following the old wives’ tale is the timing in your region may not be ready for potato planting. While potatoes can tolerate some cool temperatures, they will not grow well with prolonged freezing temperatures. It is best […]
4 Gorgeous Plants That Bloom In Winter
We don’t necessarily think of winter as the ideal season for gardening. This is particularly true if you live in a relatively cold part of the country. However, while it is true that gardening tends to be an activity reserved for the warmer months, it’s still possible to do some gardening in the winter. Many flowers and plants actually bloom during this season. The following are a few examples to keep in mind! Tip: Winter is also a good time of year to confirm you have all the lawn and garden equipment you need. Restock now to avoid realizing you’re […]