Growing Edibles

Peaches taste of summer, sunlight and Grandma's famous peach pie. The fruit trees are very popular in home growing situations for their beauty and fruit harvest. If they're not bearing fruit, or...

A raised bed garden that is lined with hay bales has all the advantages of a raised bed while being the ultimate organic garden. By lining your raised garden with hay bales, you can produce a...

You may not think about it at first while you sit down and enjoy a piece of fruit, but you could start saving yourself some money if you preserved the seeds in that snack and planted them. Money...

Few things in life offer more surprising pleasure than the sweet-tart taste of homemade blackberry jam on pancakes or a peanut butter sandwich. Making your own blackberry jam is surprisingly easy....

Propagating citrus trees from cuttings is not as reliable as budding them, but it is still possible and one of the simpler ways to get the job done, especially for the novice. Be advised that lime...

Pomegranates are versatile fruits, which are used in a variety of juices, jellies and sauces. This juicy fruit is also a candidate for eating plain or for use in dessert flavoring or wine. If your...

Organic mulch provides an effective way to suppress weeds and nourish soil in vegetable gardens. Sooner or later, however, mold or fungi will grow in that organic matter. Some molds and fungi are...

A smaller cousin to the common edible pineapple, the miniature pineapple (Ananas nanus) grows to 18 inches tall, with spider-like, strappy leaves with small spines. In spring it will produce an...

Wheat was one of the first plants to be cultivated, dating back about 11,000 years in the Middle East. Europe, Asia and North Africa began growing the grain by about 4000 B.C. Although most wheat...

Experts do not recommend that you try to grown a fig tree from seed; it is possible to do but not without difficulty. Fig trees need to be pollinated, or fertilized to bear fruit. There is a...

Kaffir lime leaves are used in many exotic Asian cooking. The leaves are very aromatic. They're used in cooking just like bay leaves. Kaffir lime tree are not the same with the regular lime tree....

Plum trees are likely to be afflicted with a number of diseases that are common to all stone fruits. These diseases can be bacterial or fungal in nature. According to GardenGuides.com, the common...

Asian pears, sometimes called apple pears or Chinese sand pears, are members of the pear family with the taste of a pear and the texture of an apple. Their scientific name is Pyrus pyrifolia.

A warm weather crop, eggplants thrives best under at temperatures between 70F and 85F, making them ideal for the desert. Whether you choose to plant eggplant in the ground or in regular or...

The achachairu plant is of Bolivian descent from the mangosteen family. It has a pyramid-shaped canopy and can grow up to 80 feet tall. In addition, it graces gardeners' yards with an orange...

Honeydew melons are a variety of muskmelon that is commonly grown in California, Arizona, Texas and Mexico. These melons have a very sweet, bright green flesh and can be refrigerated for up to...

Dwarf fig trees are smaller version of the original trees and produce the same quality of fruit. They do quite well in containers too. In general fig trees do not require a lot of fertilizing but...

Pears are delicious and nutritious fruits that grow in a variety of soil and climate conditions. Compared to many other fruits, pears are relatively easy to grow and considered low maintenance....

Nothing says summer better than a chilled slice of garden-grown watermelon. There are seedless varieties, round "icebox" types, yellow-fleshed watermelons or the more conventional oblong-shaped...

Few things are more profoundly satisfying than picking fruit from your very own tree. Growing fruit trees is not hard, but propagating them can be. It's best to take softwood cuttings in the...

The apple pear is known by many names, including Chinese pear, Asian pear and sand pear. Its scientific name is Pyrus pyrifolia.

A well-cared-for apple tree has an average life expectancy of 20 years. If you have planted a grove of trees, you will likely notice that your apple trees begin producing less and smaller fruit at...

After a long, cold winter, most gardeners eagerly await the sight of new blooms on their fruit trees each spring. But we all know that Mother Nature has a mind of her own. A late spring freeze can...

Watermelons are synonymous with summer, and having the melons in the garden ready to eat at the right time is key. Watermelons come in all different sizes, and the size of the melon will determine...

Japanese plums are one of four varieties of plums, and are a relatively hardy breed. Plums are a healthy fruit that among other benefits, naturally stimulates bowel movement. California is famous...

Oranges and mangos are both semi-tropical fruits that require many of the same conditions for successful growing. Home growers in the Sunbelt can grow both kinds of trees in their region....

Limes are a popular citrus fruit for home growers. Their foliage is a deep, glossy green, and the fruit is both visually appealing and useful. On top of that, their bright white blossoms bring a...

The peach tree borer has a short, year-long lifespan. In the larva stage, these insects cause the most damage to fruit trees. People have trouble removing them because they reside inside the...

Orange trees can be used in home growing situations as both fruit and landscaping trees. The trees, with their glossy green leaves and fragrant white blossoms, are a treasured addition to many...

The Relianace peach tree is a hybrid cultivar that grows and performs well in colder climate than most peach trees will tolerate. It is hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 8 and can survive winter...

Lemon trees can be grown by planting seeds extracted from a lemon fruit, so long as they are planted immediately after collection while the seeds are still plump and damp. Letting the seeds dry...

Cantaloupe is in the same family as squashes, pumpkins, gourds and cucumbers. It grows on a vine on the ground. The difference between a cantaloupe and a squash is in the way we use them. Squashes...

The difference between tangerines and clementines, both members of the Mandarin orange family, will often go undetected to most people due to their similarities in appearance and taste. This fact...

Raising vegetables from seeds that the gardener has selected from his own garden, or the gardens of neighbors, family or friends, can be more rewarding than gardening from seeds purchased at a...

Plum curculio is a common and serious threat to peach trees and other stone fruits, and can quickly decimate a crop. The adult beetles bore into the new fruit, eating the pulp and laying eggs. The...

Mung bean sprouts are native to China and extremely popular in Asian dishes. Their nutritiousness is made even more enticing by their very low calorie content and thus mung beans are great to...

Yukon Gold is a creamy yellow-fleshed potato popular for baking and boiling. Many Yukon Gold seed potatoes are disease-resistant, but poor growing conditions could expose your plants to fungal...

Apple trees are often sold and planted while still young and lacking any branches. These "one stick" saplings are called whips and need a tip-cutting in early spring before any buds open. The tip...

When most people think of gardening they picture going out in the spring and planting their crops, then taking care of their plants throughout the summer. If this is how you see your garden,...

Most of the apricots that you buy in the store have been grown in California, and less than a quarter of those arrive fresh at the market--the rest are dried, as apricots do not ship well. When...

The Kaffir lime plant, scientifically known as Citrus hystrix, is a type of small citrus tree native to Indonesia and Malaysia. The wrinkled fruit of the Kaffir lime tree is generally not eaten;...

Poppy seeds grow healthier in the ground as opposed to a pot, as transplanting them can damage the roots. Plant poppy seeds in the fall with help from an professional gardener in this free video...

Spinach seeds require high levels of nitrogen, so sprinkling blood meal over the soil regularly will help them flourish. Plant spinach seeds in nutrient-rich soil with help from an professional...

Saving tomato seeds involves squeezing out a tomato, removing any green seeds and allowing the brown seeds to ferment for three to five days. Dry out fermented tomato seeds for next season with...

Turnip seeds do best in loose, loamy soil, so tilling deeply into the soil helps the seeds germinate. Plant turnips in the early spring with help from an professional gardener in this free video...

When starting carrot seeds, make sure the soil is deep, tilled well and rich in fertilizer. Plant carrot seeds in a raised vegetable bed with help from an professional gardener in this free video...

Asparagus seeds can take up to 10 weeks to germinate, but seeds produce more stalks per plant than growing it from a crown. Keep asparagus seeds moist in the soil with help from an professional...

When growing vegetables from seeds, it is helpful to use a mix of compost, vermiculite and peat moss, which produces a light texture perfect for seed germination. Start vegetable seeds in seed...

Growing seeds in a plastic bag is convenient by simply cutting open the plastic from one side of a bag of soil, loosening up the soil and gently pressing seeds into the surface. Create a quick...

Butter beans, also known as lima beans, come in wide varieties. They come as bush beans, such as Eastland, Fordhook, Henderson and Thorogreen, while others are pole climbers that need a support on...