Vegetables tend to be one of the most rewarding and favorite crops for the outdoor gardener. This section of the site focuses on growing vegetables from seeds to harvest.
Here you will find tips for all kinds of vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes (which are technically fruits!), snow peas, and more.
We love growing all kinds of neat plants in our garden, so you’ll even find a few unexpected stories – like How to Grow a Popcorn Plant from Seed!
Find out tips and follow our adventures in zone 6 vegetable gardening here in Pennsylvania. As always, share with us any tips on growing veggies as well as any requests for your burning garden questions!
When growing vertically in the garden, it really pays off to find planting partners that work well with your crops. For example, pole bean companion plants help you fill out the space surrounding and underneath your bean teepee! We used to grow bush beans as our only backyard garden crop for YEARS. I had green…
Have you ever found surprise tomato plants in the garden? We find volunteer tomatoes all the time! I’ve found cherry tomato plants, Romas, and San Marzano tomato volunteers in the garden. One time, I even found a tomato sprout growing from a seed on my counter! That tiny tomato seed happened to get caught up…
Cucumbers are wonderful to grow in the garden. Discover how to save cucumber seeds easily from your own overripe garden cucumbers. When cucumbers turn orange or dark yellow, it’s a sign they have mature, viable seeds inside for saving. You can harvest cucumber seeds in a matter of minutes, with a simple process and very…
Learn how to save tomato seeds so you can get seeds for next season’s crop for free. Saving tomato seeds is quick, easy, and just a little messy, but totally worth it! Whether you save tomato seeds from your own garden or your favorite local tomatoes, you can successfully save the seeds with my super…
Have you suddenly found your once-healthy tomatoes black on bottom? This is generally a surefire sign of blossom-end rot. The black spots on bottom of tomatoes may appear almost without warning. It can happen with your first crop of tomatoes or anytime throughout the season. Tomato rot is disappointing to see for sure, but there…
Have you been to your garden recently and discovered a cucumber turned yellow? Or perhaps some shade of yellow-orange? Do not be alarmed; this cucumber turning yellow is most likely all part of what nature intended. When you find cucumbers going yellow, check the rest of the plant and the soil for clues. Did the…
Discover when to harvest potatoes to make the most of your garden’s offerings. Growing potatoes is easier than you might expect – sometimes they grow completely by accident! Have you ever found volunteer plants in your compost heap? Many gardeners swear you shouldn’t compost potatoes for this very reason! It works out so much better…
This summer I lucked into some free bamboo canes! Perfect, I thought – now it’s time to learn how to make a pole bean teepee… and one for my cucumbers, and snow peas, and… yep, I couldn’t wait to get started making my own trellises! I cut down about 50 bamboo canes from this kind…
Snow peas like the cooler weather and usually work out best when you plant them early in the spring. Poke a few snow pea seeds into the soil when you can first work the ground. Next, start to think about your snow pea planting companions. Companion planting with snow peas can help to make the…
Prized for their rich flavor that translates beautifully into Italian food, plum tomatoes are wonderful to grow in the garden. The plum tomato cost isn’t very much, less than 60 cents each in many cases. So, growing plum tomatoes vs. buying them may not save you much money. However, gardening isn’t just about the money!…