Vegetable Fruit Herb

Learn about new vegetable varieties, including how to plant and grow them. Listen to podcast: Every year hundreds of new vegetable varieties grace seed catalogs, websites, and garden center shelves, each with the promise of higher yields, fewer problems, and better taste. They can't all be the next best thing since 'Brandywine' tomato, so how do you decide which to try? Well, I've been looking at new vegetable varieties for more than 20 years and I'd like to think I can spot something that's truly unique. So here are some of my picks for...

Learn about hot peppers, including how to plant and grow them. Listen to podcast: When you're planting your vegetables over the next few weeks, don't forget the spice of life, hot peppers. Not only are there a wide range of hot peppers to grow in your garden, many are beautiful as well. The flavors range from mild to hot enough to strip paint. India is even using a native hot pepper variety as an ingredient in an ant-terrorist, tear gas spray! All you'll need are a few plants to get plenty of fruits. Here are some varieties to try. There...

Learn about growing vegetables for the fair including how to exhibit them. Listen to podcast: For me, the end of summer isn't marked by shorter days or cooler temperatures, but by the county fair. "Fair" is actually an acronym, meaning farmer's annual invitational review. The first agricultural fair was held in 1810 in Pittsfield Massachusetts. The Berkshire Cattle Show was a place for farmers to meet and compare breeds of cattle. The hope was if we had better farmers, then we'd also have a better nation. Home gardeners also could be...