Are you wondering what to do with your end-of-season surplus of green and ripe red tomatoes? Some can be kept in boxed storage to continue to ripen and enjoy fresh. But for a bumper harvest, long-term preservation is often needed. Find all the details on how to store your homegrown tomatoes right here. Read more now.
Roma tomatoes are beloved for their thick-walled, meaty flesh and bold taste. They’re the go-to variety for rich tomato sauces, pastes, purees, and make a delicious, dripless bruschetta or salsa. And they’re easy to grow in containers or the garden. Find all our best tips for growing Roma tomatoes right here.
Ripening tomatoes sometimes develop a dark, sunken spot at the blossom end, known as blossom-end rot. But this damage to your crop is not a sign of disease – it’s due to a lack of calcium in the fruit. Read on to learn about the measures you can take to keep your tomatoes safe from this physiological disorder.
Pests love peppers, both sweet varieties and hot chilis. From caterpillars that devour the leaves to disease-spreading sapsuckers, there are numerous bugs that can’t wait to munch on your pepper plants. Learn about 13 common pepper pests and how to identify and effectively manage them in this guide. Read more now.
It’s so sad when tomatoes won’t ripen on the vine. Stay one step ahead of the coming frost with these tips to make homegrown tomatoes turn red. Temperature, cultivar selection, and stress all come into play. And sometimes you can bring green fruit inside to ripen. Our motto: No tomato left behind. Read more now.
When life gives you a bumper crop of tomatoes, you’re in luck if you have room in the freezer. But you need to be savvy. Make the most of a tomato glut without wasting time or energy, and try our tips for making sauce or concasse, freezer jam, and salsa, as well as freezing plain, unpeeled tomatoes. Read more now.
A bountiful harvest of tasty homegrown tomatoes is a treat that shouldn’t be missed. But sometimes plants need a helping hand. Don’t let bad weather or a lack of pollinators thwart your green thumb. Learn four easy ways to hand pollinate tomatoes and you’ll always enjoy an abundant crop. Read more now.
Tomato plants require consistent, deep watering in order to thrive. By irrigating plants correctly, you can avoid common problems while simultaneously improving the quality of your crop. Read more now to learn how to water tomatoes over the course of the growing season to maximize yields of juicy, flavorful fruits.
Tomato plants are commonly infected by a fungus that manifests as spots shaped like bull’s-eyes on the leaves and fruit. Your plants are likely to have early blight, caused by the fungus Alternaria. This disease is not usually fatal, but it can ruin your harvest. Read on to learn how to manage this ubiquitous disease.
A mainstay in garden containers, easy-care petunias add bright colors, fragrance, and fantastic forms wherever they’re planted. Use mounding ones for planters and trailing ones for pretty spillers in hanging baskets and window boxes. Get all the details in our how-to guide to petunia container care. Read more.
Splashy, vibrant ornamental peppers can add dazzling bursts of color and texture to the landscape. While they are technically edible, most people find them lacking in flavor or too spicy to enjoy – so why not add them to the garden just for show? Learn how to grow these brilliant beauties now.
You don’t have to prune your tomatoes, but if you do, you’ll be glad you did! Pruning improves your harvest in terms of both volume and quality of the fruit, and it also keeps plants healthier. But doing it wrong can do the total opposite. Read more now to learn how to prune tomatoes the right way.
With tart, round, green or purple fruits encased in papery husks, tomatillos are tomato relatives that grow quickly in summer gardens. Our tips will help you grow a bumper crop of tart orbs, harvest them properly, and enjoy them in dishes ranging from the traditional salsa verde to casseroles and jams. Read more.
The flavor of homegrown tomatoes is an experience no one should miss. Even if you don’t have the real estate for a vegetable patch, you can still enjoy their rich taste with fast growing and prolific container plants on your deck or patio. Learn how to grow tomatoes in containers and pots with this guide. Read more now.
One of the prettiest, most flavorful beefsteak heirloom tomatoes, ‘Hawaiian Pineapple’ has yellow and red flesh and a sweeter than average flavor. The vigorous vines reach seven feet tall and produce fruits weighing one to two pounds each! With our tips, you can grow your own supply for recipes and to preserve.
Both hot wax Hungarian and mild, sweet varieties are commonly called banana peppers. Either type will produce an abundance of tapered, yellow peppers in record time. From soil prep to sowing, harvest to cooking, our guide covers the best techniques for planting and growing banana peppers in the home garden. Read more.
Solid orange slicing tomatoes, ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ grow on tall vines that need strong cages or stakes. The flavorful heirlooms produce one- to two-pound fruits in mid- to late summer. Our guide covers the traits that make this beefsteak a home cook and gardener’s favorite, and we share growing tips for top yields.
Tomatoes come in a huge range of colors and flavors, and the pigment influences how a tomato tastes. Black ones are complex and smoky, reds offer a balance of sweetness and acid, and yellows are mostly sweet. This guide explains how color impacts flavor so you’ll know what to expect when you pick up that striped fruit.
Eggplant is a warm weather crop for USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 10. When you grow your own, you can provide your family with unique varieties in a range of shapes and colors. Italian eggplants feature thin skins and fewer seeds than the types found in most grocery stores. Discover 15 of the best Italian varieties now.
‘Costoluto Genovese’ offers intense flavor in an Italian canning tomato you can enjoy fresh in BLTs or caprese salad, too. This heirloom has a distinct lobed shape and bright red fruits with a high acid content. With our guide, you can harvest dozens of tasty tomatoes from each plant in your home garden.
Think tomatoes won’t thrive in clay soil? Here’s where we shatter that gardening myth. Even clay can’t stop a determined vegetable gardener from growing a bounty of tomatoes. The strategies for producing top yields and great flavor from tomatoes grown in heavy soil start with soil prep, and end at harvest. Read more.
Would you pick spicy over sweet any day of the week? Do you bypass the bells and buy handfuls of habaneros instead when you head to the grocery store? When someone warns you their stuffed jalapenos are spicy, do you chuckle? If you’re someone who likes it hot, learn about growing and raising chili peppers in our guide.
Wondering what the difference is between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes – and what this means for your garden? From staking and pruning to harvesting, these two types of tomato plants grow differently – and understanding their differences will guide you to the best tomato harvests. To learn more, keep reading.
Looking for something unique that will really stand out in your veggie garden this year? These nine white eggplant varieties will glow as they grow. Usually less bitter than purple cultivars, white varieties come in different shapes and sizes. To learn more about these delicious white eggplant cultivars, keep reading.
Tomato hornworms might look interesting with that curved horn, but you might feel more frustrated than intrigued when you notice they are munching all the leaves off your tomato plant. This guide covers everything you need to know about these large caterpillars, including several effective ways to control infestations.
If you are thinking of planting tomatoes in your vegetable garden, have you tried growing non-hybrid heirloom varieties? Capture the texture, taste, and colors of the past with these old-fashioned favorites. Learn about 21 of the best heirloom tomato varieties available and choose your favorites. Read more now.
Ground cherries are an easy-to-grow summer annual producing masses of small but tasty, tropical-flavored berries. If you grow these unique berries from seed in a small section of your veggie garden you’ll have a nice snack at hand while gardening. Read on to learn how easy it is to grow these delicious little berries.
Whether you prefer them roasted, mashed, baked, or fried, everybody loves a good spud. If you’re thinking about growing your own potatoes at home, check out our roundup of the best varieties. With all of the amazing types on offer, you’re sure to find this roundup very appealing! Read more now.
Freshly picked cherry tomatoes are the perfect healthy snack, and they’re great in salads or roasted on the grill. Easily cultivated, the vigorous plants produce abundant clusters of fruit in containers on the patio or out in the garden. Don’t miss our guide to 17 of the best cherry tomatoes to plant in your garden.
Learn how to grow and care for Mandragora, the mysterious and bewitching mandrake plant! This is an essential ornamental to cultivate in a magical garden, but it’s important to be aware of the toxic traits of these plants and how to safely cultivate them. Read more to learn what’s required to help your plants thrive.
Chinese lantern plants are whimsical additions to summer-to-fall gardens in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9. However, while their papery orange lantern-like pods are a delight, the plants spread aggressively via roots and self-sowing. Read on and learn how to enjoy Chinese lanterns without letting them take over the yard.
Want to grow juicy, sweet tomatoes with the best flavor? Our guide tells you how to select the sweetest varieties and encourage sugary flavor with proper growing conditions. Rich soil, supplemental water, and vine pruning are all important. Grow the best tasting cherry, plum, and beefsteaks in your summer garden.
Late blight can rapidly devastate entire tomato crops under favorable conditions. Experts advise checking plants at least twice a week to monitor for this infection, and you can consult local resources to find out if it is active in your area. Read more to learn what to look for and how to prevent late blight.
‘Cherokee Purple’ tomatoes produce delicious and bountiful fruit with a sweet yet smoky flavor, perfect for sandwiches, pizzas, and pastas. This indeterminate variety is emblematic of all heirlooms, and a story of seed exchanges, passed from one hand to another, mark this variety with character and history.
If you want to hand-pollinate your own eggplants but aren’t sure how, then this is the guide for you. We’ll show you how easy it is to manually pollinate these tasty nightshades for a delicious crop this summer. Have your pick of three simple hand pollination methods to help ensure a savory, meaty harvest. Read more.
Often considered to be the perfect sandwich tomato, Brandywines produce large, sweet, beefsteak style fruits that can grow up to two pounds in size. It’s no wonder these are one of the most popular heirloom tomatoes to grow in the garden. Continue on to learn how to grow delicious and flavorful ‘Brandywine’ tomatoes.
Chinese lantern is a charming ornamental that will bring a touch of whimsy to your garden. The papery, red-orange husks of this perennial come into their full splendor in autumn, providing bright fall color, and can be used in bouquets or dried arrangements. Keep reading to learn more about growing Chinese lantern.
Eggplant spacing might seem straightforward, but once you dive into the world of aubergines you’ll realize the plants come in a few different sizes. Even more intriguing, eggplants can be grown as short-lived perennials and the spacing requirements change accordingly. To find out everything you need to know, read more now.
Few things are more rewarding than growing your own eggplant. But what if your plants keep dropping flowers? How will they ever produce fruit? In this guide, you’ll learn the most common reasons that blossoms drop or fail to develop in the first place. A healthy crop of aubergines can still be yours! Read more.
Eggplant will win you over with its array of colors and versatility in the kitchen. Native to Asia and in cultivation for thousands of years, this long-season, heat-loving annual is now enjoyed all over the world. Read more now.
If you live in a climate that tends to be hot and humid, Septoria leaf spot can be a devastating disease of tomatoes. This fungal infection can be very persistent, so you may need to use fungicides to keep it under control. Read on to learn how to prevent, identify, and control this disease in the garden.
Hot peppers are typically grown as annuals, but did you know that you can overwinter these perennial plants for a larger harvest next season? With the right preparation, you can keep your favorite varieties dormant in the winter months and they’ll come back healthy in spring. Learn how to winterize hot pepper plants.
Not sure what’s plaguing your tomatoes? Our roundup of common tomato plant diseases can help you to identify, treat, and prevent a variety of fungal, bacterial, and viral ailments, as well as other issues that may arise. From Alternaria stem canker to Verticillium wilt, we’ve got you covered. Read more now.
Three types of aggressive microbes can cause tomato blight. Early blight and Septoria blight are fungal diseases, while late blight is caused by a water mold. The symptoms of these diseases all differ slightly, and this guide will show you how to prevent, identify, and treat these insidious infections in your crop.
Excessively large green tomato buds that do not develop into flowers can be a sign that your plants are infected with tomato big bud phytoplasma. This disease is incurable, so your main focus should be on prevention. Read on to learn what to look for and how to prevent this disease from infecting your tomato plants.
Sclerotinia stem rot, or white mold of tomato lives up to its name causing brittle dead stalks filled with fluffy white clumps of fungus. This disease frequently kills tomato plants, and the fungi can live in the soil for up to a decade. Read on to learn how to recognize the symptoms and prevent it from spreading.
They’re colorful, juicy, and oh so tasty – we know an heirloom tomato when we see one. Heirloom tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes, have been grown in gardens for centuries, and often have charming histories attached to them. Want to know what makes these tomatoes worthy of handing down? To find out, keep reading.
Do you fancy the idea of picking tasty, tangy cherry tomatoes fresh from the vine? Easy to grow and vigorous, they produce an abundance of bite-sized fruit in an array of beautiful colors. Among the earliest to ripen, they deliver a long season as well. Get all the best tips for growing cherry tomatoes right here.
Picture a red tomato ripening on the vine, perfectly plump and juicy. One day, you notice a split down the side! Are all of your gardening efforts wasted? Take a look at what causes splitting, and most importantly, whether you can salvage your harvest and safely eat tomatoes that have split or cracked. Read more.
Whether or not to compost tomatoes is a controversial topic in the gardening world. Fears that composting tomatoes will encourage pathogens, create messes, and cause trouble the following season lead many gardeners to trash their plants. Read on to examine these concerns and learn how to safely compost tomato plants.
The fresh taste of juicy homegrown tomatoes is one of the joys of summer gardening. Whether you enjoy them tossed in a summer salad or cooked in a classic sauce, tomatoes are a must-have in the veggie garden. Learn how to plant and grow your own tasty tomatoes and enjoy the fresh taste of summer. Read more now.
Whether you like your tomatoes raw, stewed, juiced, pureed, or transformed into a sauce, we can all agree that they’re amazing veggies. Tasty to eat and enjoyable to grow, they also offer incredible health benefits and contain essential vitamins and minerals. Learn the top 10 reasons to love tomatoes – read more now.
Do you like hot peppers? If you can stand the heat, why not try growing ghost peppers? Once thought to be the hottest pepper in the world, the bhut jolokia packs an almighty punch of flavor and adds sizzling heat to a variety of dishes. Learn how to plant and grow ghost peppers with these top tips. Read more now.
Japanese eggplant is a delight on the plate and you can grow this veggie right in your own backyard. When choosing seeds, you’ll find an incredible selection, in shades that are dark black, bright purple, lavender, pink, and even green. Read on to discover 21 of the best Japanese and Asian eggplant varieties.
From the teeniest, tiniest cherry all the way up to the biggest, beefiest tomato, hybrid tomatoes come in a range of shades, shapes, and sizes, meaning there’s a perfect option tickle everyone’s taste buds! Read on to find out which variety of hybrid tomato ‘pips’ your interest in our guide to the top tomato hybrids.
Potatoes can be a tricky crop to grow. You can’t see what’s going on below the soil, so you need to confidence that what you’re doing is working. You can erase your doubt and hesitation after reading our expert potato growing guide. Read all about how it is done here on the Gardener’s Path, and you’ll be a spud master!
Growing bell peppers in your own garden is beyond rewarding. Sweet yet savory, crunchy, and versatile, they’re delicious at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And the amazing varieties you get to choose from when you grow your own will motivate you to keep growing bell peppers year after year. Learn more on Gardener’s Path.