Growing vegetables and fruits in your home garden is fun and rewarding!
There is a sense of satisfaction that comes with eating a plant that you personally planted with your own two hands that cannot easily be described. It makes eating healthy, leafy greens and sweet, refreshing fruits very exciting.
After you’ve watered and fertilized your plants and watched them grow, you can simply pick cut off part of a leaf, pick a fruit, or trim off an herb and pop it right in your mouth. In the case of fruits, you’re actually eating the seed-bearing portion of the plant that is actually formed from the flowering ovary!
Below you will find all our articles to help you raise healthy plants in your garden that you will be able to harvest.
Onions are a biennial plant, taking two years to complete their life cycle. They grow vegetatively the first year to develop the tops and produce bulbs. If plants are left in the ground over the winter they produce seeds the second growing season, and then perish.
Three different types of onions are grown in home gardens from seed or small bulbs known as onion sets. Long day varieties such as Walla Wall and Sweet Spanish grow best in colder areas and need 14 to 16 hours of sunlight. Short day varieties like Sweet Red and Texas Sweet White grow in warmer, Southern climates and need 10 to 12 hours of sun. Day neutral grow in most climates and need 12 to 14 hours of sunlight.
Basil is a fantastic herb to grow in your garden. A member of the mint family, this annual plant is easy to grow and helps improve the flavor of neighboring tomatoes. Some of the most commonly grown types are sweet, spicy globe, Thai, lemon, cinnamon, Genovese, and purple.
A member of the mustard family, broccoli is an annual plant that prefers cooler temps. Plant in the early spring for a summer harvest; plant in the summer for a fall harvest. It takes 70 to 100 days to mature once seeds germinate.
Herb gardens are a great introduction to gardening, and a convenient way to have a supply of fresh herbs on hand. Some of the best plants to start with are basil, thyme, rosemary, chives, mint, dill, oregano, and cilantro. They are all relatively easy to grow as long as they receive plenty of sunlight and are harvested regularly.
Carrots are typically grown in home gardens are an annual plant, but they are technically biennials, needing two years to complete their life cycle. The first year they produce green leafy tops and the brightly colored fleshy roots we harvest. If plants are left in the ground over the winter they produce seeds the second growing season, and then perish.
Carrots are a beloved garden plant because of their small footprint and easy growing nature. They tuck well in between other crops as long as they can get full sun, and have well-drained, loose soil. Avoid over-fertilizing them to encourage root growth over vegetative growth.
Identifying carrot sprouts, and telling them apart from weeds, is difficult. Carrot seeds take 14 to 21 days to germinate, with immature leaves pushing through the soil surface shortly thereafter. These baby plants look like fine, green blades of grass growing out of one spot in the soil.
Due to their long growing season, tomatoes are usually planted indoors and then juvenile plants are transplanted to the garden. When the transplants have a strong sturdy stem, and the chance of spring frost has passed they can be moved to the garden. Acclimate plants to outdoor temperatures for about a week and then transplant them in the garden into holes twice the size of their root ball.
One of the easiest ways to figure out what type of mint is growing in your garden is to look at the flowers. Spearmint flowers grow in spikes of pink or white. Peppermint has purple flowers about one-quarter inch in length that form on thick spikes protruding from the stems. Apple mint forms long spikes that grow up to 4-inches, displaying white or pike flowers.
Companion plants are important in gardens. To help ward off insect pests, plant onions, garlic, or chives near your watermelon plants. Aromatic flowers like lavender and marigolds also drive away pests. Flowering ornamentals will attract pollinators, dramatically improving pollination rates.
Watermelon plants grow in very distinct stages in the garden, each with unique characteristics and needs. Seeds germinate within about a week of planting, and sprouts push through the soil surface. Vegetative growth occurs to develop a main vine with several small vines sprouting from it. Male and female flowers appear on the vines, and then, if fertilized fruits develop. The whole process takes about three months.
Hitting the peak ripeness is important when harvesting strawberries. The best time to pick them is when berries are completely red and firm to the touch. Berries with white spots will lack flavor and sweetness. Dark berries are overripe and go badly quickly. To harvest, grab the flowering stalk behind the fruit and pull.
Garlic is planted in late summer or early fall, and then harvested about 9 months later. After the cloves germinate they develop several long green leaves, and then small curled tendrils known as scapes. After the scapes form the bulbs begin to develop and grow, until they are large enough to harvest.
Strawberries are typically planted as rootstock or bare roots, rather than seeds, as soon as the threat of spring frost is passed. Young plants are tender and susceptible to cold weather. Choose either June bearing varieties which fruit heavily in June, or everbearing that produce fruit in small batch throughout the entire summer.
Basil is a fantastic garden plant, but in areas with harsh winters it can’t be grown outside year-round. You can grow basil indoors though in containers with potting soil or hydroponically. Artificial lights will help yields, and you can continuously close new plants via cuttings.