Cabbage worms are a real problem here in the midwest. 

If you're growing cabbages and cabbage relatives, read up on these little stinkers. 

Cabbage worms attack these plants:

• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage (including Napa Cabbage)
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Mustard Greens
• Turnips

Cabbage Moths

How to Identify

Cabbage worms are the larvae of small white or pale yellow moths. You've probably noticed them flitting around the...

Sometimes I get inspiration from various gardening Facebook groups for what to write about in my weekly blog article. I look at what people are asking in the group.

Probably the most popular question is something like this:

"Anybody know bug what this is?"

It's a good question to ask! You can't respond effectively to an insect if you don't know what it is!

Now that we have the Internet, it's relatively easy to find out what any...

Organic insecticides use naturally occurring substances to kill insects, or they use simple chemicals that break down without harming the environment. I really don't like to use insecticides of any kind, but sometimes they can help. 

Pests in the organic garden are expected - it's just part of the process. It's pretty remarkable how a healthy plant can resist and recover from an attack from pests. I had read about how healthy plants...

Is it too late to start a garden now? Can you start a garden in June? 

The good news is that you can start a garden (almost) any time! 

The bad news is that you can't grow absolutely every crop if you're starting now.

If you only recently decided you want to garden, here's how you can get it going for a good harvest this year! And by all means, yes, start your garden! 

How Much Growing Time Remains?

You need to know your...

To get the best tomatoes, pay attention to watering and fertilizing your tomato plants.

Watering Tomato Plants in Your Garden

Tomatoes need a good amount of water, and they produce better with deep watering. Deep watering is when the water sinks deep into the soil, not just remaining at the surface. How you apply irrigation water does impact how deep the water will get. 

Some guides have advised that tomatoes need about 1 inch of water...

Tomatoes need support to grow their best. Even determinate tomatoes do better with support.

Supporting tomatoes with a structure helps tomatoes produce well. More air flows through the supported tomato vine which helps reduce plant diseases and discourages pests. Tomato fruits are off the ground and less likely to rot. A supported tomato vine is easier to tend and easier to harvest.

So which kind of support is best? 

Many many tomato...

I prefer to use transplants for tomatoes.

Most often I buy the transplants at a garden center. Some years, I have started my own transplants from seed indoors when I've wanted a variety that may be hard to find at the garden center. I only grow 6 to 8 tomato plants so buying transplants is not all that expensive. If you're growing dozens or hundreds of tomatoes, though, starting your own form seed is more cost-effective!

For most gardeners in...

Since tomatoes are one of the most popular crops for the home and community gardener, let's dive in to how to have a great harvest.

You probably know that there are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes you can grow. It's easy to get overwhelmed with what kind of tomato to grow!

In this article, we'll go through the process of selecting what kinds of tomatoes you should grow based on your goals and your growing environment. We answer 3...

Lettuce is another wonderful springtime crop. It grows well in the cool weather of the spring and it matures relatively quickly. If you really can't wait, you can harvest lettuce before it fully matures for baby salad greens. 

Lettuce Varieties

So many types of lettuce are available! You can find lettuce in different colors: almost every shade of green, red, and mixtures of red and green. There are varieties that grow in...

Carrots are another pantry staple and a much-celebrated garden vegetable. 

Early spring is the preferred time to grow carrots in most of the United States. They tolerate the cold weather of the spring well. In fact, if the weather is too warm, carrots can take on a bitter taste.  In the southern regions of the United States, carrots can be grown in the fall and over the winter. 

The vegetable we know as the carrot...