The best new vegetable seeds are the key to a bountiful summer harvest. Dozens of new varieties of vegetable garden seeds and starter plants are introduced every year. But how do you decide which ones deserve a place in your garden? As anticipation of a new gardening season gives way to planting season, it's time to see what new vegetable seeds are available. Then it's time to decide what you actually want to plant in your garden. This spring, seed companies have introduced an impressive selection of the new vegetable seeds. Some of these new vegetable varieties put a new spin on garden favorites. Others bring back heirloom selections that have a long history of outstanding garden production. Sometimes the best new vegetable seeds and plants offer bigger harvests and better hardiness. Sometimes the appeal is a different color, or a new variety designed especially for small gardens or container growing. The best new vegetable seeds presented here are sure to be among this … [Read more...] about Best new vegetable seeds and plants for your garden
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Best 2022 Garden Catalogs and Websites
It’s time to check out the best 2022 garden catalogs and websites, as selected by the editors of HomeGardenandHomestead.com. The weather is cold outside, and cabin fever has hit --big time. Much of the country is still frozen solid and covered with snow. Fortunately, seed and plant companies around the country time their catalog releases and website content perfectly. They know there’s nothing better for gardeners to do in winter than dream about the growing season to come. So, gather up your 2022 garden catalogs and get your laptop ready to check out gardening websites. Then snuggle under a warm blanket and let the garden planning commence! ------------------------------------------------------------- Just for Fun: Click here to see What's Trending on Amazon.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Read Garden Catalogs and Websites Now With weeks to go before the threat of freezing temperatures ends, winter is the perfect time to … [Read more...] about Best 2022 Garden Catalogs and Websites
How to Harvest and Store Seeds
One of the easiest ways for gardeners to save money is to harvest and store seeds from their gardens. It’s easy. It’s fun. And harvesting and storing seeds is a tradition that goes back for many centuries. Fall and early winter is when you harvest and store seeds. For many gardeners, it’s the final activity of the garden season. Harvesting and storing seeds is a bittersweet way to say goodbye to one gardening season and look forward to the next one. You’ll be in good company when you start planting your stored seeds at the dawning of a new spring! How to Properly Harvest Seeds Harvesting your seeds is easy. You can get it done in these three steps: 1. Let the Plants Go to Seed Simply let a plant’s flowers go to seed. Think of a flower as a seed factory—because that’s exactly what it is. Leave the spent flowers on the plant so it can set seeds. Then, let the seeds dry on the plants. Don’t pluck them off before they are completely dry. And resist the temptation to … [Read more...] about How to Harvest and Store Seeds
Power Planter Augers: Digging Made Easy
Power Planter Changes Gardening Forever. Each spring, millions of pansies, petunias and other flowering plants are carefully planted in yards and gardens to beautify homes and landscapes. The same thing happens in vegetable gardens, where millions of tomatoes, peppers and other edible plants are planted. It doesn’t end there. Fall is the best time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths are planted. Planting bulbs in the autumn ensures that yards and landscapes are brightened by colorful flowers as soon as winter fades. What do all those billions of plants and bulbs have in common? A hole has to be dug for every one of them. And that means a whole lot of time and energy is spent digging in the dirt. “The number of holes that are dug every year is astounding,” said Greg Niewold, president of Power Planter, the company that makes Power Planter augers. “Our mission is to reduce the time and effort it takes to dig planting … [Read more...] about Power Planter Augers: Digging Made Easy
Grow More Vegetables in a Square Foot Garden
A square foot garden is a relatively new spin on a traditional vegetable garden. A vegetable garden, also called a kitchen garden, is where delicious herbs and vegetables are grown by a family for the family’s daily meals. Typically, the garden is grown in the backyard (sometimes just outside the kitchen door), and it is designed to be both attractive and efficient. To learn expert tips about how a square foot garden can increase vegetable harvests, I talked to the recognized expert. Steve Bartholomew, Director of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, was kind enough to share his knowledge about how to create the most efficient and productive vegetable garden. Best-selling garden book The book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew (Steve’s father) is the most popular gardening book ever published in North America. Introduced in 1981, the original book and later revised editions have sold 2.5 million copies. The book literally launched a gardening movement that … [Read more...] about Grow More Vegetables in a Square Foot Garden