Author Archives: Lori - Page 3
Magnesium for Plants: Chlorophyll, Yellow Leaves, and Soil Balance
Magnesium is the nutrient behind one of the garden's most familiar colors: green. It sits at the center of the chlorophyll molecule, which plants use to capture light and make…
Calcium for Plants: Cell Walls, Blossom-End Rot, and Soil Balance
Calcium is easy to misunderstand in the garden. It is essential for plants. It helps build strong cell walls, supports growing tips and roots, and plays a role in many…
Molybdenum for Plants: Why Tiny Nutrients Still Matter
Molybdenum is one of those plant nutrients that can feel almost too small to worry about. Plants need it in tiny amounts, but tiny does not mean optional. Molybdenum helps…
Potassium for Plants: Strength, Water Balance, and Fruit Quality
Potassium is the K in N-P-K. It does not get as much attention as nitrogen for leafy growth or phosphorus for roots and flowers, but potassium quietly supports many of…
Phosphorus for Plants: Roots, Flowers, and Fruit
Phosphorus is one of the three big fertilizer-label nutrients, the middle number in N-P-K. It is often described as the root, flower, and fruit nutrient. That is useful shorthand, but…
How to Save Cucumber Seeds in 8 Easy Steps
Saving cucumber seeds is one of those garden jobs that feels a little strange the first time you do it. The cucumber you save for seed will not look like…
13 Key Nutrients for Plants – #1 Nitrogen
Soil testing is an important activity for a successful garden. Soil stewardship is an ongoing process, where you test and amend, grow some stuff, then test, amend and grow…
Stir Fried Cucumber Strips
Here is one of my favorite simple recipes for cucumber, that makes an attractive and delicious dish. You can play around with these ingredients, swapping them for other things. For…
Feeding Cucumbers
Cucumbers are heavy feeders that will deplete your soil unless you follow a feeding program such as outlined here to provide them with the proper nutrition they need to grow…
How to Grow Cucumbers Without Letting the Vine Take Over
Cucumbers are summer abundance with a timer. One day the fruit is crisp, green, and perfect for lunch. A little later, it can be oversized, seedy, and much less pleasant…