Plant-Specific Techniques

Considering growing alfalfa as garden cover crop in Arizona? Here’s what you should know: Traditionally farmers plant a cover crop between main crop cycles, leaving it between seasons. In smaller garden spaces, though, that’s often not as feasible. This is especially true in indoor environments where light and space are at a premium. What’s been […]

Take companion planting guides with a grain of salt, because truly the bro-science runs rampant within this topic. All it takes is a gardener with poor soil who can’t get radishes to grow near sunflowers – next thing they’re spreading misinformation about how the two should NEVER be planted near each other. If you’re a

When you hear the word ‘citrus’, what fruits do you immediately think of? For most people, I’d bet it’s the orange, the lemon, and the lime. Perhaps the grapefruit or clementine. Did you know that none of these citrus varieties occurred naturally, though? By that I mean they are all hybrids. Each of these common

You may have heard the term “chill hours” in the context of fruit trees and also nut trees and some other plants – but what even are chill hours? And why are they important? Let’s jump into it What Are Chill Hours? Chilling Temperature is generally: any temperature between freezing (32F / 0C) and 45F

Cowpeas are known for their tolerance of sandy soils and low rainfall – making them a perfect crop for growing in deserts and semi-arid environments. Here in Tucson (Zone 9A), we’ve got a great climate for cowpeas and I cultivate them every summer. This guide is written for Southern Arizona but can be adapted to

Curious if you can grow peppers from green bell pepper seeds? If you’ve got an organic green bell pepper from the farmer’s market or grocery, you may have wondered whether the seeds are viable for growing your own. Green bell peppers are the not-quite-fully-ripe form of red, orange, or yellow bell peppers. That may leave

Why Should You Cure Sweet Potatoes? Like most veggies, curing increases shelf-stability for long-term storage. If you have plans to store your tuber harvest for more than a few days, you’re going to want to cure them so they will keep. Additionally, curing converts starches to sugars and makes the sweet potatoes delicious. Curing also

If you’re a gardener looking to grow your own sweet potatoes from slips, you’re in the right place. We’ll talk about how to get your slips started, rooted, and growing as well as some tips and seasonal timing. Let’s jump right into how to grow sweet potato slips! The sweet potato above is sprouting new

What Is Hardneck Garlic? Hardneck garlic is the type which is typically grown in cool Northern climates, and is also the variety you’re most-likely to see on grocery store shelves. What Is Softneck Garlic? Softneck is the garlic variety typically grown in the South. It is the variety which tolerates more heat, and can grow

Let’s talk about how to prune a fruit tree the right way, and make sure you feel confident doing it. Pruning fruit trees might be a little intimidating if you’re new to it. There are a few simple guidelines you can follow, however, which will lead you in the right direction. Why Prune Fruit Trees

How does air layering work? Air layering is a plant propagation technique which works well on trees, shrubs, and woody canes. It produces a clone, which is genetically identical to the parent. In our context looking at edible produce, we’re primarily concerned with air layering for fruit trees and berry bushes. Fruit trees are often

This is a question that came up recently for me after growing out a piece of apricot root stock with a root sucker on it. If you grow an apricot from a root sucker what will it produce? Will the fruit be the same fruit as the parent tree? Also known as water suckers, root

If you’ve ever seen your zucchini and summer squash tips turn brown and leathery before they’re ripe, you may have wondered what causes blossom end rot on zucchini. It’s easy to get excited when you see those first summer squash forming on the plant, only to have your hopes dashed when the blossom end rot

If you’re wondering whether or not you can eat butternut squash that are still green, you’re in the right place. Sometimes, despite your best intentions, a butternut squash will break off of the vine, and you’ll be left wondering: can you eat green butternut squash? Other times the frost comes early and your squash don’t

Looking for info on why / how curing produce for storage works? Welcome in! When you buy produce at the grocery store, none of it is cured. The garlic, the onions, the potatoes, the winter squash, the sweet potatoes – none of it has been cured for storage Because the farmers don’t want to spend

Did you know that the leaves of the strawberry plant are even more nutrient-rich and beneficial than the berries? That’s right! And you can brew a great healthy tea with the leaves, too. Now that you’ve hopefully grown your own delicious strawberries, let’s jump into how to use the leaves for tea: What Are the

Curious what plants you can propagate in water? Look no further! We’ll listing out every dang plant you can possibly grow roots on in a cup of water on your windowsill. Rooting a cutting in water is probably the easiest way to propagate a plant, so it’s nice when this option is available for the

Ever wonder if it’s possible to grow your own chickpea plants from dried store-bought chickpeas? It absolutely is! With a few caveats… Let’s go over some instructions to prep for garbanzo season: Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans need warm weather, but are not a hot season crop. Garbanzos do best in temps between 70F and 80F,

What’s up, gardeners!? I know there are some soil lovers and regenerative gardening folk here, which is awesome to see. So let’s jump right in… Today we’re talking about the magic of garlic curing. This stuff is way cool! You don’t get cured garlic at your grocery store. We’re going to unlock the secret here

Howdy, gardeners. Today we’re talking about a personal favorite of mine – butternut squash! I really dig butternut, and always have a ton of them diced up in my freezer. I go a little crazy growing it, but it’s such a hearty and filling staple that I can never get enough of. Plus it’s got