The PA Backyard Fruit Growers Association held their annual fruit tasting this past weekend. Once again the event was hosted by White Oak Nursery, an Amish farm and orchard just outside of Lancaster PA.

While the most common fruit at the tasting was the apple, there were a number of rare and unusual types of fruits available for sampling including; paw paws, cactus pears, ju jube fruits (aka Chinese dates), home grown nuts, hardy kiwis, and assorted varieties of persimmons.

These fruits may sound foreign and exotic, but they were all grown and harvested from the landscapes and gardens of the association’s members, or in some cases picked from trees growing wild in the local countryside.

In Search of the Wild Paw Paws

Paw Paws grow wild in Pennsylvania and I took advantage of the opportunity to try this unusual fruit for the first time. They resemble a small, elongated mango and the fruits contain a custard like flesh that is extremely sweet. I was surprised by how much I liked the taste of the Paw Paw fruits. Continue Reading About “Paw Paws, Ju Jubes, and Other Rare Fruits” »

Ever since an earlier article about a couple of Goji Berry plants that I purchased for the garden, there has been a lot of interest and more than a few ideas exchanged on this site related to growing Goji Berries.

Here’s a recent question that I received from Terry regarding winter care for his gojis planted in Southeastern Pennsylvania, along with an update on the Goji Berry plants growing in my garden:

The Perils of Growing Goji Berry Plants Outdoors

“I have an eight-month old Goji Berry plant in my yard, I planted it in spring. Do you think I should dig it up and pot it, and put it indoors for this winter? If I do put it indoors would I need some sort of heat bulb? How much light do you think it would need?”

“It is about 3 feet tall, and lost a lot of it’s leaves, thanks to rabbits! I saw that you had a rabbit attack as well and laughed to myself. Rabbits love Goji leaves.”

“My brother bought a Goji plant online, I forget what nursery, but his plant is doing VERY WELL. It is 4 feet high and about 3-4 wide. It flowered this year but no berries. It is actually has sharp thorns and everything on it. Very nice looking plant!” Continue Reading About “Winter Care Tips for Goji Berry Plants” »

As much as I’ve written and talked about my beloved kales, I recently realized how much I’ve slighted the equally delicious and possibly even more talented collard greens.

Maybe collards can’t deliver the same pizzazz as those beautiful kales, but they are by no means a homely or undeserving plant. They also deserve more respect in the garden just because they are so nutritious and healthful. Collards are considered to be nutrient dense, which means that you’ll be rewarded with a big nutritional bang when consuming this tasty vegetable.

A Peek at Collard’s Out-Growing Personality

Collards are not only big in their nutritional profiles; they also provide a powerful presence out in the vegetable garden. Collards are like an extroverted form of cabbage that grows outward instead of holding itself in. Unlike its more reserved relative, collards won’t hesitate to open up and put on a proud display in the garden.

In my eyes the kales still have them beat for beauty, but collard greens are striking and attractive in their own right. It’s a combination of the color, leaf form, and texture that can make you stop and take note of this otherwise rather ordinary and common leafy green vegetable. Continue Reading About “Paying Homage to Collard Greens” »

A recent comment posted here inquired into the possibility of relocating blueberry bushes that held special sentimental value for one Northern gardener and her family…

“My grandparents have recently passed away and they had 25 blueberry bushes. We would like to move some of these to our house as their property will be sold.”

“Could you recommend how we would do this? Do you think it will work? We live in Central Massachusetts. And we would have to do this as soon as possible. Thank you for your help.”

Moving Established Blueberry Bushes

Brenda, my sincere condolences regarding your loss. I can understand your desire to relocate the plants and preserve some of the memories that may be connected with the blueberries that were raised by your grandparents. Sure you can move the plants, but the ease or difficulty in doing so will depend on the age, variety, and size of the plants.

Continue Reading About “Propagating Blueberries and Preserving Past Memories” »

Yes, it’s officially fall according to the calendar, but the vegetable garden is still lush, green, and continues to yield plenty of fresh organic produce.

I’ve been gradually removing summer crops, including the heirloom tomatoes to make room for fall plantings. The only remaining warm weather veggies are the okra plants which will be pulled later this week, and a few peppers that will continue growing until the first fall frost wipes them out.

Incredible Fall Vegetables

As usual the leafy greens account for the bulk of my fall vegetable production. This season I’m growing lots of my favorite kales; the Tuscan Black Palm Kale variety and the Wild Garden Kales Mix. I also planted seeds of more traditional kale varieties such as Siberian, Dwarf Blue Curled, and Russian Red.

Kale greens are my favorite fall crop for their ease of cultivation, flavor, and productivity. They will not only reward you with plenty of delicious greens during the fall months, but the plants will also over winter to yield additional harvests of early spring greens. Continue Reading About “Fall’s Arrival Doesn’t Spoil a Vegetable Garden” »

All you Great Pumpkin Admirers will have to look up to the latest giant vegetable on display here at Veggie Gardening Tips… it’s a monster of an okra plant grown by Terry Stout in Kiln, Mississippi.

My curiosity was piqued when Terry recently left the following comment on a previous blog entry related to growing okra in the home garden:

Ever Hear the One about the Nine Foot Okra Plant?

“I live on the gulf coast and have three okra plants growing. One of my plants has decided to take over the garden and is now 8 ½ feet tall and still growing. I measured the base of the stalk and it is 10 ½ inches. I am truly amazed and get okra everyday. Have you heard of any bigger?”

That sounded pretty impressive and my response was NO, I have never grown or even seen an okra plant that reached such monstrous proportions. Well, I have now… Terry was kind enough to share a few photos of this whopper of an okra plant and I found myself just as amazed by the size and appearance of it.

Continue Reading About “Monstrous Okra Sighted in Mississippi Garden” »

This article is a guest entry written by Susan Warren, author of a new book about the art of competitive pumpkin growing — Backyard Giants: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever.

Today Susan shares the story of her own quest to grow a giant pumpkin in her backyard garden…

Competitive giant pumpkin growers have just one thing on their mind all year: growing the next world record. It takes a lot to do that – growers devote themselves mind, body and soul – and wallet – to their pumpkins 12 months out of the year. When they’re not growing, they’re planning and preparing.

Growing Giant Pumpkins; Almost Easy as Pie

That kind of single-minded focus isn’t for everyone. But the fact is, while competitive growers steal all the limelight with their three-quarter-ton behemoths, giant pumpkins can be grown by pretty much anyone, anywhere.

Continue Reading About “In Pursuit of the Great Backyard Pumpkin” »

Well it looks like many backyard gardeners are still busy harvesting, preserving, and enjoying the fruits of their labor in the vegetable garden.

Others have begun to shut things down as they prep the garden for a brief slumber, while the more fanatical growers are merely shifting gears to match suitable crops to the changing autumn conditions.

If you’ve spent much time around here you’re probably already familiar with my mantra that a fall vegetable garden is without a doubt the best garden of all!

Here are some interesting gardening links to photos and articles detailing what’s growing and being discussed on other sites and gardens that I’ve visited this week: Continue Reading About “Reading the Gardeners’ Landscape 9-7-07″ »