Some companion plants you should grow next to Tomatoes. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Companion gardening is a technique for expanding your garden and helping your plants thrive. It involves growing plants together that complement one another. For example, some the best tomato companion plants to boost your garden’s success include Borage. Many gardeners believe this herb …
NRCS Providing Support for Urban Farming
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been assisting urban farmers for over 10 years. Since 2010, NRCS state offices have provided more than $18 million to 130 entities in the form of grants and agreements to support urban agriculture and conservation projects. From 2014 to 2019, NRCS completed more than 18,000 conservation practices totaling $41 million on urban farms …
Essential Steps for Starting Your First Vegetable Garden
Some essential steps for starting your first vegetable garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Vegetable gardening at home can be a way to save money while you get up close and personal with nature. For example, even just one plant can be super affordable – about 3 to 5 dollars and can provide up to 10 pounds of …
Plant Things That Keep Bees Coming Back for More
How to plant things that will keep bees coming back for more. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Bees are one of our most valuable pollinators, responsible for pollinating 80 percent of the world’s plants! That means 1 out of every 4 bites of food we eat is due to the hard work of bees. Its up to us …
Collard Greens are Incredibly Agreeable Plants to Grow
Growing great collard greens. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Collards are incredibly agreeable plants to grow. And, they work well in hot southern climates as well as chilly northern states. Dark, leafy greens are the mainstay in stuff-that’s-good-for-you lists, and collards are just that. They’re in the same family as other well-established health food powerhouses like broccoli and kale. Collards are …
Estimating Crop Yield With Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
A researcher at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) in Greece is using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to estimate crop yield. “Crop yield is the most important piece of information for crop management in precision agriculture. Early crop yield estimations allow farmers to optimize farm operation scheduling, field management and product marketing decisions,” said AUA associate professor Spyros Fountas. Fountas …
Three Easy Methods for Growing Gourmet Potatoes
How to grow gourmet potatoes. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. There are literally thousands of varieties of potatoes, some the size of a foot and others barely bigger than your pinky finger. They can be purple, blue, yellow, red, or white; inside, out, or inside and out. They can have a fluffy texture or creamy or waxy. Three …
Tomato Plant Disease that Can Stick Around for Years
A tomato plant disease that has the capability of sticking around for years. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Early blight is caused by the soil-borne pathogen Alternaria solani, and this fungus can stick around for years because it overwinters in the soil, even in cold climates. Most early blight cases won’t kill your plants, but it causes bulls-eye-shaped …
Most Destructive and Deadly Tomato Diseases Not Very Common
One of the most destructive and deadly tomato diseases gardeners face that is not very common. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Without a doubt, late blight strikes fear in the heart of all gardeners. It’s one of the most destructive and deadly tomato diseases you could face, but it’s not that common, especially for northern gardeners. It …
Common Tomato Plant Disease to Watch for in the Garden
A common Tomato Plant Disease to watch for in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Tomato plants are known for being vulnerable to a number of tomato diseases. Fungal, viral, and bacterial issues can wipe out entire crops and gardens in a short period if left unchecked, so you need to know how to spot these …