Raspberries are a great addition to your garden. Each plant typically produces one to two quarts of fruit. In addition, the leaves make a great tea and vinegar. Growing raspberries at home also ensures that your fruit is organic and free of pesticides.
Blackberries are delicious fruits that are relatively easy to grow, making them a perfect addition to any garden. They are a relatively low-maintenance crop that can thrive in a variety of soils, and many modern varieties are thornless, making them easy to manage and harvest. The climate in Zone 6 is great for blackberries.
Winter often marks a time of dormancy for many gardens, but in Zone 6, there’s no need to hang up your gardening gloves when the first frost arrives. With the strategic use of unheated greenhouses and hoop houses, you can extend your growing season and enjoy fresh produce well into the colder months.
Zinnias are beautiful show stoppers that come in a wide range of colors and shapes. They are hardy and beginner-friendly. Zinnias are annuals and will give you a burst of color through to hard frost.
Grave gardening is a fun new trend that actually has its roots in the Victorian Age. Planting flowers around a grave was a common hobby in the 1800s both in America and Europe.
Planting around headstones, filling cradle graves, to lush plantings in forgotten rural cemeteries, grave gardening is coming back from the dead.
Moving into a new apartment can be a hectic tiring experience. I know because I recently moved from a rural farm to an urban apartment. There can be lots to think about including how to design your space.
Where to place your plants so they receive what they need is important. . Many people want to have gardens within their apartments for many different reasons, such as aesthetic quality, health benefits, and cooking ingredients.
Imagine a snowy day in December. You go out to the garden, uncover the cold frame, and pick some nice fresh greens for dinner. This is something I do in my USDA Zone 6 garden.
Cold Frames are a great way to extend your harvest. They’re easy and cheap to build and give a lot back for the money. Cold frames allow you to eat fresh food for a longer period of time.
Perennials will add a great deal of variety to your garden plan. These plants live for several years or more. I always tell my students to plant perennials first.
Perennial fruits, vegetables, and herbs will make a considerable impact towards self-sufficiency goals and your food security. They are also beautiful landscape plants.
What is the best thing about June? Fresh strawberries, of course! Strawberries are easy to grow and provide an excellent yield for the amount of space.
In addition to the fantastic taste, strawberries have many great qualities. They are the first fruit of the season and the quickest fruit to produce from planting to eating. Strawberries are also very nutritious and are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants.
Root crops often get overlooked in the plumage of greens and the bliss of fresh tomatoes. Crops such as beets, carrots, radishes, and turnips may not make our top ten list of yummy things to plant.
However, they are wonderful to grow for fresh eating and for storage. Working on becoming self-sufficient? Expand your culinary tastes with some of my favorite root crop recipes at the end of this article.
Growers in USDA Zone 6b often feel challenged by root crops. Clay soil, spring downpours, and summer humidity all seem to challenge these root crops. You can overcome these challenges and grow healthy abundant crops.
Mulch is a workhorse in the garden. It protects plants, warms the soil, and retains moisture. Mulch can be natural or synthetic.
Natural or organic mulch typically comes from plants such as straw, wheat, or pine needles. However, sheep wool is also a wonderful mulch. Natural mulches degrade and become part of the soil.
Dandelion may have a bad reputation, but it is not just a pesky garden weed. From chai tea to salad to herbal medicine, dandelion is one of the most versatile plants you can forage.
This post will give a quick overview of the many potential diet and health benefits of adding dandelion to your cooking, followed by a look at the many possible uses of this versatile plant in the kitchen.
I will share some of my favorite uses with you, including dandelion smoothies, pesto, roasted roots, and a coffee alternative!
