Food Growing And Gardening

Pinch chrysanthemums back to 6 inches every month through July. Trim dead flowers but not leaves, from spring bulbs. Mulch cane berries, cut out all old canes and reset new canes in twine. Cultivate and pull weed seedling now to prevent bloom.

Biennial monocot with prominent bulb, hollow cylindrical leaves and an odor when bruised. Roots shallow, 12-18" Has been used for food since very early times; was eaten in Egypt before 3000 B.C. Also used as flavoring in nearly every current world culture. Botanically, there are three groups. Many claims are…

Lettuce is generally considered a cool weather plant, grown in early spring or fall, although it can be grown in the warm season in most of the SF Bay Area by choosing varieties adapted to warmer weather. Check seed catalogs for summer lettuces.

Tomatoes do best planted in full sun all day, although they will usually produce some crop with less. If your plants have had symptoms of disease in previous years, it is important to plant in soil that has not grown tomatoes or their relatives such as peppers or eggplants for three or more years.

UC Marin Master Gardeners offer several educational programs targeted to children. Exploring Habitats is a field trip program designed for second graders that expose children to natural habitats and environmental awareness.

If you allow dill to flower, leaf production will cease; when it sets seed, the plant dies. Therefore, plan your dill harvest based on whether you want to use fresh dill in recipes, preserve leaves (dill weed) and/or preserve seed.

Too many tomatoes to choose from? Can't make up your mind? Consider High Density Tomato Growing, a great technique for anyone who wants to try lots and lots of varieties. Some advice: Plant two different tomato seedlings together in a single cage.

Transplant or direct seed: May–July, possibly April for transplanting. For best results, wait until daytime temperatures are regularly over 70°F and soil temperature is over 65°F. Start in pots for transplants: March–June; ready to transplant in 4 weeks.

Growing some of your own food is as healthy as it is satisfying. Homegrown crops taste better and come in a much wider variety than what is found in grocery store aisles. Growing your own also allows you to control the environment so you're assured what you're eating is truly organic.

Ancient corn known as maize from areas near the Andes eventually hybridized with other grasses to become the field corn grown world-wide today. Succulent sweet corn was a spontaneous mutation in field corn and continues to be hybridized by commercial breeders.