GardenZeus earns commissions on sales made through links in this article. There is no additional cost to you. Cucamelons, Melothria scabra, also known as Mouse Melons or Mexican Sour Gherkins, are grown as warm season annuals for their grape-sized fruits that look like small watermelons. Cucamelons are easy to grow, an excellent choice for containers, […]

GardenZeus earns commissions on sales made through links in this article. There is no additional cost to you. How are melon and tomato alike? There is simply no comparison between the item purchased in the grocery store and the item harvested from your back yard. Commercial melons varieties are chosen for uniformity and productivity, and […]

Cantaloupes are easy to grow and make excellent additions to gardens in warm to hot summer Mediterranean areas, such as the warmer inland valleys of California. Not only is the warm to hot weather optimal, but the lack of summer rain is ideal: cantaloupe leaves stay warm, dry, and less vulnerable to disease. Gardeners who […]

Roses growing in containers are widely available for purchase at many nurseries in most areas of California year-round. Many of the less common varieties may be available only as bare-root plants during bare-root season, typically during January and February, either at nurseries or from mail order sources. Read these four tips before purchasing roses: Select […]

Artichoke plants are perennials that perform best when grown at temperatures between 45-85°F. The ideal daytime growing temperature for artichokes is 75°F, while the ideal nighttime temperature is 55°F. When temperatures rise above 86°F, the quality of artichokes often declines. The challenge of growing artichokes in areas with Mediterranean climates is ensuring a long cool […]

The garlic you planted last fall is happily populating your landscape with vertical green spikes. What should you do in the spring to ensure a robust summer harvest of plump garlic bulbs? Here are seven spring gardening tasks: Remove surrounding weeds. When the soil begins to warm in the spring, weeds can become very problematic;,removing […]

Sunflowers make wonderful additions to the garden and are ideal warm season annuals for California’s warm and dry Mediterranean summers. Here are five tips for planting sunflowers: Sunflowers are direct sown into the garden in spring. Before planting, incorporate several inches of high-quality compost into garden soil. GardenZeus does not recommend sunflower transplants:  sunflower plants […]

GardenZeus receives commissions on sales made through links in this post. There is no additional cost to you. Interested in growing sunflowers? First decide if you are going to use sunflowers for seed or for cut flowers. For a sunflower variety attractive enough to use as a cut flower but productive enough to harvest for […]

For those gardeners who have missed bare-root season and have purchased roses in containers, here is our recommended advice for planting container roses. GardenZeus receives commissions on sales made through links in this post. There is no additional cost to you. Water your roses well, then allow them to drain overnight before planting. Use eye […]