Author Archives: Mike

Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) is a type of perennial thistle that originates from Mediterranean Europe. Artichokes are the edible bud of the plant measuring 8–15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales,that develops into flowers. The fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart" are the edible parts of the bud. ...

Bonsai is a hobby that requires (and teaches) patience. These plants should be handled with care, and require maintenance throughout their life span in your garden. They also require consistent training: wiring, pruning and re-potting as they grow. When you re-pot your bonsai, you need to know which type of pots will be suitable, and ...

There are many different species of citrus trees. They produce many types of fruits that can be used for a myriad of purposes. Lemons, oranges, cumquats, mandarins, lime, grapefruits and so much more are used in the kitchen as condiments, made into juice or just plain eaten raw. Instead of relying on the supermarket for ...

A rock garden, which is also known as a rockery or an alpine garden, features an extensive use of rocks or stones as well as native plants that are found in rocky or alpine environments. Plants that are used in rock gardens tend to be small so as to now obscure the rocks and may ...

As mentioned in previous chapters, there are technically two basic styles of bonsai, the cascading style and the upright style. But within these styles there are many sub-group of styles that a bonsai can attain. This group is then further broken down to single trunk to multi-trunk looks. Use the more common training and styling methods ...

Bonsais are almost like pets, requiring attention and care. It requires continual feeding, watering and grooming just like a pet would. But unlike pets, bonsai won\'t be able to tell you that they are hungry. They may only tell you that when you see a withered look but you don\'t want to wait till then ...

A hoop house is a great addition to your garden that can extend your warm temperature vegetables gardening a month longer and earlier during the season. It can protect your plants from excessive rain, wind, and increase the temperature around 5-10 degrees (and more). Most hoop houses are made from PVC, which is inexpensive. It ...

Humans have a love-hate relationship with squirrels. They are one of the most successful and widespread species in the world and are known for their high reproductive rate. Each litter produces 2-4 young, and squirrels breed twice each year. Squirrels naturally live in trees. However, they\'ve become adapt with using man-made nesting boxes. It\'s fairly ...

Migratory birds, unlike the local birds, do not visit a garden or backyard simply because the feeders are stocked with birdseed. These types of birds normally eat insects, as well as nectar and fruit to supplement their diet. Migratory birds eat large quantities of fruits high in carbohydrates, energy source that is stored in their ...

The presence of birds creates a pleasant atmosphere for the home by filling the space with an array of colorful creatures foraging and singing in the garden. Birds are attracted to an area when there is an abundance of food supply readily available to them especially during the winter months where the shortage of seed, ...

Creating your own butterfly garden is a very rewarding experience in so many ways. It provides you and your family a serene and tranquil setting to unwind after a hard day\'s work or the weekend, watching these butterflies fluttering around going from flower to flower collecting nectar. Butterflies are attracted to two different types of plants. ...

Canning is defined as the process of preserving fruits or vegetables in order to pro-long their shelf life. You can preserve tomatoes using the canning process. This is done by placing the tomatoes in jars and given heat treatment to destroy micro-organisms that would otherwise spoil the food. The jar is vacuum sealed with this ...

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to have in your garden. Tomatoes are versatile vegetables that are very nutritious (high in lycopene - an anti-oxidant and the reason why tomatoes are red in color). Lycopene is made more bioavailable through processing of tomatoes (tomato paste has four times more bioavailable lycopene than in fresh tomatoes). ...

Deciding the Right Type of TomatoTomatoes are the most popular vegetables you will find in a home garden. They are versatile vegetables that provide food at home with so much flavour and health benefits. There are so many varieties of tomatoes that you can choose from when you decide to cultivate some in your home ...

Plants, like any living creature, are susceptible to diseases if not cared for properly. One of the main challenges in vegetable gardening is to identify and treat vegetable diseases. Vegetable plants commonly suffer from fungal, bacterial, or viral attacks. These diseases inhibit the normal growth of the plant and turn the natural functions within the ...