Author Archives: Lori - Page 3
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…
Collard (Brassica oleracea var acephala)
The collard plant (a type of Kale) is thought by botanists to have remained almost the same for about 2000 years. It is a loose-leaf non-heading wild cabbage that was the predecessors…
Seed Starting for Food Garden Beginners
Starting seeds indoors can feel like a tiny act of optimism. There you are, in late winter or early spring, pressing dry little seeds into damp mix and trusting that…
How to Grow Radishes for Fast Cool-Season Harvests
Radishes are small, quick, and full of opinions. They can be one of the fastest crops in the garden, going from seed to harvest in just a few weeks. That…