Roses in Mediterranean Climates: How to Maximize Autumn Bloom
With the majority of the summer heat in the past, roses grown in Mediterranean climates often demonstrate a spring-like rebirth in the relatively moderate weather of fall. Here are six tips to maximize your autumn bloom: Fertilize actively blooming roses at the end of bloom cycles as they set new buds and grow new leaves. […]
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Glorious Chrysanthemums: Caring for Potted Florist Mums
Florist chrysanthemums in gloriously beautiful and varied colors and flower forms often appear en masse for sale in autumn, and for holiday decoration such as for Easter and Thanksgiving. Mums are commonly sold as houseplants and as gift flowers year-round everywhere from garden centers and grocery markets to farmers markets and roadside stands in mild-climate […]
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Fall Vegetable Plants for Colder Mediterranean Climates
Here are three cool-season vegetables that tolerate light frost, making them ideal for fall planting in colder Mediterranean climates: Parsley. Ideal conditions for growing parsley are full sun at temperatures of about 75° F to 80° F, but parsley grows well in daytime temperatures from about 65° F to 85° F. When planting in fall, […]
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Planting Lavender in Mediterranean Climates
Lavender is an ideal choice for Mediterranean climates, where it thrives in the dry air and alkaline soil. And lavender is a drought tolerant plant. Soil needs. Lavenders prefer moderately fertile, slightly alkaline soil. Once established, lavender requires little or no fertilization beyond a minimal addition of compost and/or mulch placed away from the root […]
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Harvesting and Curing Varieties of Winter Squash
Winter squash are often left unharvested until the end of a long growing season when plants have died back. Different varieties may have unique clues or signs that fruits are mature. Most varieties are ready for harvest when fruits are in full color, rinds are firm, and the nearby vines and stem to a fruit […]
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Storing and Using Freshly Harvested Pumpkin
Pumpkins are ideally stored at 55-59°F at moderate relative humidity and can be stored for up to six months. Ensure good ventilation. Refrigeration is typically too humid for pumpkins; high levels of humidity will promote decay. Chilling can damage pumpkins, especially below 50°F, and will increase their rate of ethylene production. Pumpkins are sensitive to […]
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Grow Your Own Thanksgiving
How better to celebrate Thanksgiving than with fresh food that you have grown yourself? In early fall, as gardeners in cold-winter areas throughout the United States are bringing in last harvests and winding down before winter, a special planting window opens in Southern California and other Mediterranean-climate California areas. From late summer onward in coastal […]
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Grow Your Own Thanksgiving in GardenZeus Zone 15
Below is a chart showing describing the plants and timing to grow your own thanksgiving in your area. Please note that the varieties make a difference; the selected varieties have a time to harvest that works in the growing window. Click on the plant for complete growing instructions for that plant. Click on the plant […]
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Grow Your Own Thanksgiving in GardenZeus Zone 14
Below is a chart showing describing the plants and timing to grow your own thanksgiving in your area. Please note that the varieties make a difference; the selected varieties have a time to harvest that works in the growing window. Click on the plant for complete growing instructions for that plant. Click on the plant […]
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