How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors Before Frost
How to ripen green tomatoes starts with choosing fruit that has finished growing: full-size, firm…
When to Cut Back Hostas: Read the Leaves Before You TrimRead More
When to cut back hostas depends on the leaves: leave healthy green foliage in place, then remove the dying leaves and leaf stalks after autumn color fades or frost damages them. Clear the fallen material without cutting into the crown at soil level. A faded flower stalk can be removed earlier; it does not mean…
How to Get Rid of Ladybugs in Your House and Keep Them OutRead More
How to get rid of ladybugs indoors starts with collecting the beetles you can see, then closing the gaps that let them enter. Vacuum them gently without crushing them against walls or fabric, and remove the captured insects promptly. For a few individuals, a jar and card can work. Repeated fall clusters often involve multicolored…
How to Propagate Rosemary From Cuttings in Water or SoilRead More
How to propagate rosemary begins with a healthy, nonflowering stem tip and a choice between water and a moist rooting mix. Take flexible new growth, remove the lower leaves, and make a fresh cut just below a leaf attachment point. Keep the remaining foliage above the water or mix. Protect the cutting from drying, and…
How to Make Leaf Mold With Fall Leaves in a Bag or BinRead More
How to make leaf mold starts with fallen leaves, moisture and somewhere to keep them as they decay. Collect healthy deciduous leaves, shred them if practical, and dampen dry material. Pack them into a perforated bag or an open mesh bin, then check occasionally for drying or waterlogging. You do not need a compost starter,…
When to Cut Back Irises: Flower Stalks, Foliage and Fall CleanupRead More
When to cut back irises depends on which part has finished growing. Remove a spent flowering stalk after its blooms fade, and keep the healthy green leaf fan. Clear dead bearded iris foliage in late fall or early spring. Where iris borers are a problem, cleanup after a hard frost removes old material that can…
How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors Before FrostRead More
How to ripen green tomatoes starts with choosing fruit that has finished growing: full-size, firm tomatoes with a lighter green or whitish cast have a better chance than small, uniformly dark-green fruit. Pick sound fruit before damaging frost, remove the stems, and arrange it in a dry, ventilated box at moderate room temperature. Direct sunlight…
When to Cut Back Peonies: Timing and Cuts for Each TypeRead More
When to cut back peonies depends on the type and the condition of the foliage. Cut ordinary herbaceous peonies close to soil level after their leaves and stems die back in fall, often following a hard freeze. Keep healthy green leaves after flowering. Tree peonies retain woody branches above ground, and Itoh peonies need a…
How to Plant Tulip Bulbs: Timing, Depth, Spacing, and CareRead More
How to plant tulip bulbs successfully depends on choosing a draining site, planting during the local fall window, and measuring depth from the correct part of the bulb. Follow the instructions for your variety. Place each bulb with its pointed growing tip up and flat root plate down, cover with soil, then water to settle…
How to Grow Mint Indoors for Healthy, Repeat HarvestsRead More
How to grow mint indoors depends on giving the plant enough light to replace the leaves you pick and keeping its roots moist and free to drain. Start with a healthy mint plant or rooted cutting, use a pot with drainage holes, and place it at a sunny window or beneath a suitable grow light….
How Often to Water Cactus? Check the Soil, Season, and Cactus TypeRead More
How often to water cactus plants depends on their type, the moisture around their roots, and how quickly the pot dries. For an established desert cactus, let the growing mix dry completely between thorough waterings. For a forest cactus such as a Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus, allow some drying without leaving the roots chronically dry….
Purple Vegetables: 8 Edible Types and Varieties to GrowRead More
Purple vegetables include roots, tubers, leaves, swollen stems, flower heads, shoots, and fruits. Their color does not put them in one plant family or give them one growing season. Purple carrots may have orange centers. A purple-skinned potato may have white flesh. Purple eggplant needs warm growing weather, and purple kale can suit a cooler…
Types of Orchids: 7 Popular Groups and How to Choose YoursRead More
Types of orchids differ in more than flower color. A moth orchid with broad leaves, a slipper orchid with a pouch-shaped flower, and a Vanda with hanging roots have different growth habits and different demands on your home. Begin with the flowers and foliage to recognize the likely group. Then compare the plant label with…
How to Grow Cilantro: Planting, Bolting, Harvesting, and RegrowthRead More
How to grow cilantro starts with giving this annual herb a cool growing window, loose soil, and time to make leaves before flowering. Sow directly where the plants will grow, keep the seedbed moist during establishment, and harvest lightly when the stems remain leafy. A sunny spring or fall bed often works better than trying…
How to Start a Small Vegetable Garden: Your First Planting WeekendRead More
How to start a small vegetable garden begins with one reachable patch, a few crops suited to the season, and enough attention to get them established. A 4-by-8-foot bed gives you 32 square feet of growing soil. You can mark it with string, open measured seed rows, and plant without building a wooden frame when…
How to Preserve Basil: Freeze, Dry, and Store It SafelyRead More
How to preserve basil depends on the texture and flavor you want when you cook. Freeze washed, dried leaves or small sprigs for later cooked dishes. Freeze chopped basil mixed with oil in small portions for sauces and soups. Dry the leaves thoroughly if you want a shelf-stored seasoning. Each method changes the fresh leaf,…
How to Store Beets: Fresh Roots, Greens, Cellar, and Cooked BeetsRead More
How to store beets depends on whether you have whole roots, leafy tops, or cut and cooked portions. Remove the greens from fresh roots, keep the two parts separately in the refrigerator, and use the leaves first. Whole sound roots need cold storage with moisture protection. Cut or cooked beets need clean covered containers and…
