Book Review: Seed Sowing and Saving

One of the best ways to get locally adapted seeds is to obtain seeds from someone in the area who has saved them. That works the first year. What do you do after that? Well, you save your own seeds from a small percentage of the vegetables. Sounds simple, but it can...

Companion Planting In The Garden

Companion planting is planting two plants together so that both grow better.  In some cases, the second plant is bait for the pests that would otherwise plague the first, more desirable, plant.  Before chemical pesticides were available, companion planting was used as...

Growing White Asparagus

Green and White Asparagus White asparagus is considered a delicacy.  It has a milder flavor than green asparagus. White asparagus is preferred in gourmet cooking.  It is also expensive.  Here is how to grow your own. Blanched In Darkness White asparagus is grown just...

What makes a hot pepper hot?

Ghost Pepper We all know that some peppers are hotter than others.  Bell peppers and banana peppers are called sweet peppers.  Jalapenos and various other peppers are called hot peppers.  The compound that makes peppers hot is capsaicin.  The amount of capsaicin in...