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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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;...

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...

Kiwi is a fast-growing plant that produces oblong, fuzzy fruits with bright green flesh that taste like a mixture of pineapple and berries. When growing kiwifruit, it's important to know that the...

Meyer lemon disease is actually an illness caused by the Citrus Tristeza virus. Meyer lemons are particularly prone to the disease and have been implicated as a source of spread of the illness to...

Vegetable gardening requires the use of an abundance of seeds. Most seeds are sold in packets, and many times the number of seeds supplied in the packets can far outweigh the number of seeds a...

Fig trees are popular additions to home gardens for their wide, beautiful foliage and their fruit. Fig trees are capable of growing up to 50 feet tall, and have branches that can spread wider than...

Honeydew is a clear, sticky secretion from a variety of sap-feeding insects (Homoptera Order). Dripping off the insects, cars, benches and other plants below become a sticky mess. Honeydew is...

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...

Avocado trees are a highly valuable crop in the Sun Belt due to the popularity of the fruit. Large-scale avocado groves produce thousands of tasty avocados. Home gardeners like to grow the trees...

Sprouting seeds is healthful, fun and economical. Using wheat flour in your home will reduce your risk of developing gallstones, Metabolic Syndrome and complications arising from type 2 diabetes....

WIth the proper care, natrurtiums can provide lovely color and variety in the garden. These popular flowers are not hard to grow, and they are an excellent choice for the beginning gardener. Even...

Grapefruits are large, tart citrus fruits grown mostly in the sunbelt of Zones 9 and 10. Grapefruits can be classified as red or white, depending on the color of the pulp, and range from sweet to...

Pineapples are truly an amazing fruit. Who would think that such a spiny, ferocious shell could hold such sweet, juicy flesh? On top of it all, new research suggests that pineapples have...

Potatoes are fun and easy to grow as a root crop in your garden. As hungry plants, potato vines take some added nutrition at the time of planting. Amend the ground before you start, and make sure...

Sugar snap peas are not only delicious and easy to cook, they are very easy to grow. They love to trail and to wend their way upward; all you need to do to support sugar snap peas is to give them...

Peaches are truly a juicy jewel of nature. With their sweet smell, soft fuzz and mouthwatering flesh, it's no wonder this fruit has become so popular with home and commercial gardeners. Whether...

Apple trees are a popular part of American folklore and tradition. They also are one of the most popular trees in home landscaping and personal orchards. Their wide, spreading branches are perfect...

Raspberries are a popular edible crop that is enjoyed in jams, jellies, fruit pastries and fresh fruit desserts. Cultivated summer-bearing and ever-bearing raspberries canes are purchased and...

Peaches are truly a sweet, juicy jewel of nature. With their sweet smell, soft fuzz and mouthwatering flesh, it's no wonder this fruit has become so popular with home and commercial gardeners....

Oranges are a popular Sunbelt fruit, with a cheerful look, heady scent and bright citrus taste. The trees are also quite attractive, with their glossy, dark green leaves and bright white blossoms....

Peaches are truly a juicy jewel of nature. With their sweet smell, soft fuzz and mouthwatering flesh, it's no wonder this fruit has become so popular with home and commercial gardeners. Whether...

The soybean is native to Africa, Australia and Asia and offers beans that can be eaten raw or processed for soy milk. Home gardeners have started growing soybeans for their health benefits, which...

Passiflora is a genus of flowering and fruiting tropical vines. They are prized for their rapid and climbing growth habit, impossibly intricate exotic blooms and sweet tangy fruit called maypops....

You should plant leek seeds early to give them adequate time to grow. Leeks are a mild flavored form of onions. Leek plants also are related to garlic, which is scientifically known as the...

Apples are one of America's favorite fruits. Apple trees also are popular with homeowners due to their easy maintenance and their regular harvests of sweet fruit. These hardy trees are often found...

Garden greens include leafy green vegetables that are harvested in early spring or fall. They include spinach, kale, collard greens, mustard greens and turnip greens. The majority of garden greens...

Poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum) are small, black seeds used for a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. Contrary to the negative association poppy seeds share with opium, the seeds...

Orange trees are popular with home gardeners across the world. Some people enjoy growing these gorgeous, sweet-scented trees, and presenting oranges to their friends and guests. If you don't have...