When thinking about planting seeds, sometimes it can be confusing. What should I plant when? Well, the answer is… there are a lot of different answers! What to plant when depends on your location and zone, your weather, and your planting method. Some seeds must be started indoors early, and others can be planted right out in the garden. Here are our picks for seed starting calendars so you know just what to plant when!  Our feature photo above comes from Anne at ‘The Micro Gardener’. She has compiled a list of garden planting calendars and resources you shouldn’t miss. First thing you need to know is your growing “zone”. In the US, you can find your zone for your state and area by visiting the ‘USDA” website. If you need to find out your frost dates, you can use this chart from ‘Food Skills and Self Sufficiency‘.
  Next, you want a way to keep track of what you plant, and a place to hold onto any printable calendars and resources. I recommend a garden journal. You can buy one at any bookstore, or you download the free printable garden journal from ‘About.com’ and simply slip it into a binder cover.
  Margaret Roach from ‘A Way to Garden’ has a program you can use to help you no matter what zone you garden in. All you have to know is your approximate last frost date. You plug that date into her planting calculator, and it tells you the best dates to plant from seed indoors, or to transplant or plant from seed outdoors. She has both veggies and annual flowers on her calculator for you. Margaret has been a garden writer for both Newsday and Martha Stewart Living.
  From ‘Anglican Home’, this vegetable planting cheat sheet  gives you info on what to plant when, also ideas on container planting and companion planting as well!
  Many vegetables can be planted for winter harvest… it’s not just spring that these decisions have to be made! ‘Territorial Seeds‘ has a winter gardening planting calendar for a general idea on when, and what to plant for winter harvest. If you live in a severe winter climate, check with your local nursery to verify these dates.
So no matter where you live or what you plant, here are the garden planting calendars and resources to get the right plant, into the right spot, at the right time!

I’ve always loved having edibles in my garden. It isn’t a new idea, cottage gardens in Europe traditionally combined growing vegetables for the family along with table flowers, due to the small spaces most people had in those times. And cottage gardening continues to be one of the most popular gardening styles, because of the charm and possibilities that those type of gardens hold. I suppose there is something satisfying about an ornamental edible garden that touches on our needs for survival, but acknowledges our need for beauty. And so it perseveres, but edible gardens for beauty lost their appeal in the new century. Fortunately, with the new awareness of “green” living, and the DIY movement in design, gardeners are looking at their spaces in new ways. We don’t plant any longer within a structure of “rules”. We plant, and design, for that matter, leaning towards trying things that are new, pushing the envelope a bit, and being unique. Ornamental edible gardens are becoming hot… with small spaces common and the desire to grow at least some of our own food, we need to see this more! Some easy guidelines for growing ornamental edibles? Remember to balance edibles that have a short growing season with edibles that are evergreen, or at least last all season. You don’t want a big hole in your garden when the lettuce is down for the summer. Edibles can include herbs, veggies, fruits and some flowers too! Remember texture is very important in an edible garden. Don’t forget that the color of fruit or veggies affect the design as well. Hot peppers look great in glossy green, but add a pop of red when they mature! Remember the basics… shade plants in shade gardens, sun in sun gardens. That having been said, most edible gardens will do better with 6 hours or more of sun a day. Some edibles, such as lettuce and some herbs, prefer afternoon shade. Plan accordingly. Watch for pests, and treat as necessary. However, integrating herbs into your edible design can actually help minimize some pest problems. Some ideas for ornamental edible plants? Red and green leaf lettuce. Cabbages Other greens, such as red swiss chard and celery. Herbs Artichokes Edible flowers such as roses, day lilies, pansies, nasturtiums and honeysuckle Fruit trees and bushes. Blueberry blushes are especially handsome plants. Still not convinced an ornamental edible garden can be beautiful?
  Cabbage and tulips!
  A pretty lettuce border.
  Herbs used in a formal design.
  Cabbage in a boxwood border.
  Herbs in a beautiful combination border by Rosalind Creasy.

I used to grow vegetables in a larger separate garden here at TGG, but have since moved into a home with less space and open ground. I find that I do miss fresh herbs and veggies on my table, and so I have come up with some simple ways anyone can use to grow fresh vegetables even if their space is small, their soil is poor, or their motivation for lots of hard work is low! Did I mention? Growing your own vegetables is more nutritious for your family, and fattens up the checkbook too. Now is the perfect time of year to get started. Grow Vegetables in Containers You may be thinking, who has containers that big? Seriously, in today’s gardening world, you can find almost any veggie in a smaller container friendly version. Even summer squash and bush beans can easily be grown in as little as 12 inch pots. Make sure you fertilize with every water with half strength liquid fertilizer, and make sure they don’t dry out in the container. Don’t want your patio to look like a community container garden? No problem! Just add a couple decorative plants along the edge of each container, and let the vege be the foliage and texture. Tuck Them Into Bed Garden beds, that is! Again, compact varieties can be tucked right into those empty spots in the garden where the petunias were last year. Many types of herbs and vegetables can be quite ornamental as well. Try purple basil, Swiss chard, artichokes, red peppers, leaf lettuces and purple bush beans. Till up the spot in the garden bed you wish to plant with a spade, plant some seeds, cover with a little soil, water and fertilize. Many times your automatic watering system will make the job even easier. Make sure you keep your eye out for mildew disease and spray accordingly- vegetables planted in close quarters are more susceptible. You might find them so pretty you want to keep planting them every year, just for good looks! Community Gardens In many communities there are gardens set up exclusively for growing your own food, when you cannot grow at home. Some of these gardens are free, others charge a small fee. Depending on the size plot you are allotted, consider growing an extra row of food for food banks. It doesn’t take any longer to care for one more row of food, but can make a big difference in your community to a family who is struggling. One packet of seed costs $1.50. So check out community gardens, and make it a family project to care for your vegetables each evening! Find out more about community gardens at http://communitygarden.org/ Growing vegetables can be simple, and can include a separate vegetable garden to feed your whole family, or just one pot of lovingly tended tomatoes on the back porch. It’s can be as simple as you want to make it, but there is nothing like fresh vegetables and herbs on a summer table, so give at least one a try this season. Are you growing vegetables this season? Comment and let us know what your garden includes!

Plant potatoes in your home garden and grow one of the most popular vegetables eaten today. Each American eats about 30 pounds of potatoes a year. To begin growing potatoes, buy certified seed potatoes at nurseries or garden centers. The ones in supermarkets have usually been treated with growth retardants.

Ten to 14 days before planting, place seed potatoes in a warm area so they begin sprouting. Then, a day or two before planting, use a sharp knife to cut the sprouts, or eyes, into pieces. Each piece should contain 2 or 3 eyes. The bigger the piece, the more food the young potato plant will have to start growing. About a week or two before the last frost date in your area you can plant the potatoes. Select a site that receives full sun. Dig up the soil so that it’s loose and drains moisture well. Make rows about two and a half to three feet apart. Plant the potato pieces every 15 inches with the cut side down. Potatoes are susceptible to frost so if they should be growing when frost conditions are imminent cover then with straw or a blanket or other light covering. As the plants grow, mound additional soil around the plants every week or two. Continue to add soil or mulch or black plastic around the plants throughout the growing season. The potatoes should not be exposed to sunlight or they will obtain a green coloring which is toxic. Water well throughout the summer. The most critical time is when the plants are flowering and for a short time afterward as that is the time when they are producing the young potatoes. Water in the morning so that the plants dry before nightfall. Potatoes are very susceptible to fungal diseases. Fertilize every two to four weeks with a good root crop fertilizer. Potatoes don’t have many pests but the most common one is the potato beetle which can be controlled with vigilance. When foliage turns yellow and dies back, discontinue watering. The young potatoes will now mature. Harvest follows in about two weeks. But harvesting can occur at any stage of growth for small baby potatoes. For winter storage let the potatoes dry either outside or in a dry, cool area for a few days.

It’s that time of year again! Late summer and early fall is prime time for fresh vegetables in the garden. If you were lucky enough to grow some of the good stuff in your little spot this year, here are some easy tips to help you harvest your late summer vegetables at the right time for the best flavor, nutrition and texture. Beans Beans are a crop that should be harvested every other day as they continue to produce new beans. Pick when the beans are just under the maximum size for their type, and always pick late in the day, never in the morning. Picking beans when there is dew still present encourages mildew diseases. Corn Corn is ready when the silks start to turn brown but aren’t dried up yet. Kernels should be filled with a milky white juice if you cut one open. Corn starts to lose it’s sweetness as soon as it’s picked, so try to pick right before cooking.
Cucumbers Harvest cucumbers as soon as they are the mature size for their type. If you allow them to grow large, they will become bitter. Harvest often to stimulate the plant to produce more, at least every couple of days.
Eggplant Eggplant should be harvested when grown to mature size, and are smooth and shiny. If the seeds inside are dark, they were harvested late. Herbs Cut back most herbs often to keep them from blooming, and dry any herbs you cannot use right away. You can also freeze herbs as well. Follow this tutorial for instructions. Melons Cantaloupes: Pick when they are heavy and tan-colored with a slight yellowish cast. When ripe, a cantaloupe’s netting becomes harder and raised, and a crack forms around the stem where it touches the fruit. The melons should slip easily off the vines with a quick pull, but should not have already fallen off. The fruits get slightly softer at the bottom end and they smell fragrant. Watermelons develop a dull green cast and have a light patch at the bottom that changes from green to light yellow when mature. Also, the leaf on the tendril nearest the fruit turns brown and withers. The skin should be hard–difficult to pierce with a fingernail. Some people say they can knock on a melon to detect a perfect hollow tone. Pumpkins and Winter Squash When the shell has developed it’s color and the rind cannot be pierced with a fingernail, they are ready. Cut 2-3 inch stem and allow to ripen in the field for 10 days. Store in a cool place.
Summer Squash Summer squash is another one that most gardeners let grow too large…bigger is not always better! Larger fruits get seedy and watery, so pick when about 6 inches long. Round varieties can be picked at 3-4 inches. Peppers Peppers taste best when allowed to fully color before picking. Tomatoes Tomatoes are best when fully ripened to a deep color in the sun, but you can pick them early if you are having issues with cracking or cold nights. Do not ripen in the frig, on a counter is best. Learning to harvest your vegetables at the right time helps them have better flavor and greater levels of nutrients. And let’s face it, it gives us bragging rights around the neighborhood as well!

If you want a great #vegetable #garden you need to use raised garden beds. Raised beds are great for growing healthy, productive vegetables and flowers and they’re easy to make. Making a raised bed is a simple bit of carpentry that anyone should be able to do. The easiest way to buy some 2×12 lumber and screw them together in the shape of a rectangle. You can make them as long as you like but you should limit the width to 3 or 4 feet so you can easily reach in the bed to plant seeds, pull weeds or to harvest crops. The next question you’re probably asking is what kind of wood do I use to build raised beds. The whole pressure treated vs. non issue is a complicated one. Does pressure treated wood leach chemicals into the soil? Well the answers are yes and maybe.
The old pressure treated lumber (CCA) is preserved with a process that uses arsenic. Obviously you don’t want arsenic anywhere near something you’re going to eat even in the small amounts that might be present in a raised bed vegetable garden. CCA wood isn’t too readily available anymore so you probably don’t have to worry about coming across it. The new improved pressure treated wood (ACQ) replace CCA pressure treated wood a few years ago. The lumber industry says it safer to handle and use but guess what? It eats through normal galvanized screws and fasteners. You have to use stainless steel screws with ACQ wood. I’m not an expert with lumber or chemicals but that sounds like something that shouldn’t be near my vegetables. I think I’ll avoid all pressure treated wood until some long term studies are done. Naturally rot resistant woods like cedar and redwood are great for building raised beds. But cedar and redwood are expensive. You could also use regular non-pressure treated lumber but just be aware that the wood will probably rot in a few years. It’s inexpensive enough that it shouldn’t be an issue. If you plan on growing vegetables or flowers in your yard this year, why not try growing them in raised garden beds.

Tomatoes are without a doubt one of the most popular vegetables in the home garden, and for good reason. Homegrown tomatoes are very nutritious and much more flavorful than those bought from a store. Tomato plants will produce an abundance of fruit for the home gardener if they are properly planted and cared for. #Tomato require a fairly long growing season, and for this reason the seeds are typically planted indoors about six to eight weeks before they can be planted in the garden. The seeds can be sown 1/4″ deep in small pots or flats in a soil less potting mix or sterilized potting soil. It takes 7-14 days at a temperature of 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit for the seeds to germinate. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Placing plastic wrap loosely over the pots or flats will help maintain the humidity necessary for germination, but the plastic wrap must be removed once the seedlings sprout. Bottom heat helps to speed the germination process. Garden centers and catalogs sell heating cables made just for this purpose, but you may also set the pots or flats on top of your water heater to take advantage of its warmth for germination.
As soon as the seedlings emerge, they should be moved to an area with full light, such as a sunny window or under grow lights. They should have light on them for about 12 hours a day and should be kept at a temperature of 70-80 degrees. Fertilize the seedlings with a water-soluble fertilizer when they’re about 3-4 weeks old, but dilute the fertilizer to about half the strength recommended on the label. The little tomato plants will be accustomed to fairly steady and warm temperatures indoors, and planting them directly outside could come as quite a shock to them, especially when nighttime temperatures are still cool. About a week before it’s time to plant them in the garden, begin to gradually introduce them to outdoor conditions. This is called hardening off, and it simply involves moving the plants gradually to conditions more like what they’ll experience in the garden. Start hardening them off by moving the plants to an enclosed porch for a day or two, then to a sunny spot outdoors that is protected from the wind. If the temperature threatens to take a drastic downward dip, bring the plants back indoors until it warms up outside again. Tomatoes were originally found only in very warm climates. They don’t like to be cold and should not be planted outside until the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up. That’s typically late May or even early June here in northern Ohio.
The sooner tomatoes are planted outside, the sooner they will begin to produce ripe fruit, and there are a few tricks that make it possible to plant tomatoes in the garden a bit earlier. The garden soil may be warmed up by covering it with clear or white plastic for a few days. The little tomato plants will be much happier with their roots in warm soil. Once the plants are in the garden, the foliage can be protected from a light frost by covering the plants with plastic gallon jugs that have their bottoms removed, or with plastic or fabric sheets placed over the plants. Suspend this over the plants using wire hoops so the plastic or fabric doesn’t touch the foliage. When you are ready to transplant your tomato seedlings into the garden, be sure to choose a spot for them that gets full sun for at least 8 hours a day. Dig a hole for each plant that is large enough to easily accommodate all of the roots. Before transplanting, water the plants while they are still in the pot. This not only helps prevent transplant shock, but it also makes it easier to slip the plant from the pot. Tomato plants will grow roots from any part of the stem that is buried beneath the soil, so the plants will benefit from being planted deeply, up to the first set of leaves. If the plants have spent too much time in pots and have become leggy, they may be planted in furrows with their too-long stems laid in the furrow and gently buried with soil. This will help the plants develop a strong root system while preventing the long stem from breaking. Fill in the planting hole with soil, pressing the soil in firmly to eliminate air pockets. Then give the plants a good drink of water, thoroughly soaking the soil around them.
If you plan on staking or trellising your tomato plants, they can be planted about 2-3 feet apart. Plants that will be allowed to sprawl on the ground will need more room and should be planted 4-6 feet apart. If the soil is still a bit cool, your white or clear plastic may be placed on the ground beneath the plants to warm the soil. Once warmer temperatures have settled in, this plastic should be removed to avoid burning the foliage with reflective heat. It is important to keep tomato leaves up off the soil to help prevent soil-borne diseases from attacking the plants. This can easily be done by applying straw mulch around the plants. But straw mulch should only be applied once the soil has warmed up above 70 degrees. If the mulch is laid down while the soil is still cool, it will keep the soil from warming up as it should, your tomato plants will suffer from cold feet and won’t produce as well as they could. Planting your tomatoes properly is an important step toward a bountiful harvest of sweet, juicy fruit. In another article we’ll discuss how to trellis and prune tomato plants to increase your harvest.

Chinese rose is a shrub growing to 1–2 m tall. The leaves are pinnate, have 3-5 leaflets, each leaflet 2.5–6 cm long and 1–3 cm broad. In the wild species , the flowers have five pink to red petals. The fruit is a red hip 1–2 cm diameter.

#SOS whats kind of this flowers？

#SOS Small fruit sweet and sour, very good to eat, I do not know what was the name?