Plant Basics

Save money by harvesting seeds for next year. Give gifts of seed packets to gardeners, or trade them for other types of seeds. Take the right steps to gather good quality seeds, pack them...

You can preserve the harvest of your garden by drying items like fruits and flowers. Fruits are an ideal food to preserve because you can choose edibles that are not always in season and dehydrate...

It's easy to grow pineapple plants and fruit from the leafy tops cut from store-bought fruit, but it does take time. You can expect a well-established plant in a few months, and it will grow...

Growing plants in a greenhouse can offer you and your family valuable vegetables, herbs and even fruits for an entire year. Greenhouses are built to retain warmth in the winter and keep cool in...

Once established, fruit bushes often become dear to the gardeners that keep them. The simple pleasure of harvesting fresh fruit from a bush near your home combined with the often beautiful flowers...

Pomegranate plants are actually small fruit-producing trees that can grow to a height of 20 to 30 feet but are generally 12 to 16 feet in height. It produces white or scarlet flowers and fruit...

Florida gardeners enjoy good weather, healthy soil and a long list of fruit trees that grow happily in the state. The sunshine state enjoys a hardiness zone rating of 8b to 11, making for an...

Originally from Southeast Asia, the kiwi has gained popularity in the last 25 years. In the United States, commercial farmers grow kiwi plants in the South and along the West Coast. The sweet...

The muscadine fruit grows on a vine and is native to the southeastern United States. The plant prefers the hot, humid summer months and produces a dark purple berry with a thick skin. Muscadines...

The kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) is an excellent choice for gardeners who wish to display this hardy vine on their fence or trellis. The kiwi prefers sunny areas but does not handle hot and dry...

The center portion of the rose flower that contains the seeds is referred to as the rose hip. The rose hip is bright red or orange and has a shiny outer casing to protect the fruit. Rose hips are...

Raspberry plants are hearty bushes that grow throughout the world both commercially and in the wild. The fruit of the raspberry plant has many health benefits, as it is loaded with vitamin A and...

Every plant is made up of four essential parts that scientifically classify it as a plant. Each of these four parts plays an important role in helping the plant to grow and thrive. While you may...

Everyone knows about plants and seeds. You put a seed in the ground, and a plant grows. Then eventually the plant makes new seeds and the cycle starts over again. Right? This is true, but there...

Gibberellic acid is a growth regulator found in plants. It is used in commercial agriculture to improve plant development, stimulate flowering and increase fruiting.

The word "fruit" usually brings to mind a crisp apple or juicy orange. However, any flowering plant can produce fruit, whether that plant is an orchid or a strawberry. Fruit is, in fact, essential...

The highbush cranberry is an ornamental plant with fruit that resembles cranberries. A native to North America, it flowers from May to July and produces fruit from August to September, although...

Pineapple plants are easy to care for, and do not require special care like many other fruit-bearing plants. Even if your pineapple plant does not produce a fruit, it is still an appealing...

The blood orange is an increasingly popular kind of orange with red pulp that gives it its name. The blood orange is not as large as a typical navel orange, and some varieties of the fruit also...

Bergamot oil is well-known as a fragrant ingredient in Earl Grey tea, and it is also commonly used in aromatherapy and perfumery. Because of its fascinating chemical composition, the extract has...

The graviola fruit is a fruit prized in certain areas for its sweetness and flavor. The fruit itself is unattractive, but the taste is delicious. The extract from this plant may be used...

The bitter melon is an ugly and bitter fruit used in some dishes to balance flavors. The bitter melon extract or capsules you may have seen in pharmacies or health food stores has remarkable,...

Pomegranates are tropical and subtropical fruits that grow on shrubs or trees. The plants grow from seeds, which easily germinate in approximately 6 weeks. As seedlings develop into plants, leaves...

In the warmer climates of the United States, lemons can be grown outdoors into productive and decorative trees. They can handle some light frost. But in cooler areas, grow a lemon tree in a pot...

The raspberry is originally a European species that is named after its traditional English name, Rubus, which means "with red fruit." The plants are easy to maintain at home and often...

We use tomatoes for sauces, soups, stews and salads. Grandmother made preserves to bring sunny memories of summer when the winter winds howled. By themselves or used in other foods, tomatoes are...

Pruning fruit trees begins with the removal of all diseased, damaged and dead branches. This is done in the spring when the new buds first become soft. Further pruning is done at this time to...

If you're an intermediate gardener who is getting the hang of keeping plants alive year after year, and even coaxing them to flower or fruit appropriately, learning to save seeds may be a logical...

While the act of actually harvesting a watermelon is not particularly difficult, determining when the time is right to harvest the melon can be a bit complicated. If you harvest a watermelon too...

If you want a plant to grow faster, grafting a portion of it onto rootstock may be an option. Grafting can produce plants that are sturdier, hardier and it can create hybrids that mature and...