Identifying Tomato Hornworms Image by Beverly NashTomato hornworms are easy to identify. They are bright green caterpillars with white stripes and a black horn coming off the ends. Occasionally, the tomato hornworm will be black instead of green. They are the larval stage of the hummingbird moth. Normally, when one tomato hornworm caterpillar is found, others will be in the area as well. Examine your tomato plants carefully for others once you have identified one on your plants....

Why are Some Tomatoes Green Inside? Most tomatoes ripen from the inside out, hence the tomato seeds are green because they contain chlorophyll, the pigment in plants which gives them a green hue. Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy from light in a process called photosynthesis. As the seeds mature, the outer layer hardens to protect the interior embryo. The seeds also turn beige or off white color when they are ripe....

Identifying Powdery Mildew on Begonias Powdery mildew is a fungal infection. Begonias with powdery mildew are infected by Odium begoniae. This species of fungus only infects begonias, but it will spread readily between begonia plants. A begonia with powdery mildew will have white, powdery or thread-like growths on the top surface of leaves. The fungus may additionally cover stems or flowers. The fungus feeds from the leaf cells, and needs the plant to survive....

What is Turnip Black Rot? The bacteria X. campestris enters leaf pores at the margin and moves down into the vascular system of the leaf. Upon inspection, infected leaves are marked by a notched or “V” shaped lesion at the leaf margin and appear to have black to dark grey fibers running through the leaf tissue. Once the leaves are infected, they rapidly degrade. Infected turnip seedlings collapse and rot soon after infection....

Crocus Plant Varieties For most gardeners, selecting crocus plant varieties from the vast array of selections is the most difficult thing about growing crocus— and also the most fun. Spring Blooming Crocus According to the University of California Extension, gardeners can choose from approximately 50 different types of crocus bulbs in colors ranging from white or pale pink and lavender to more intense shades of showy blue-violet, purple, orange, pink, or ruby....

Using Understory Plants The trees in your backyard create the framework for understory planting. Tips about which understory trees and shrubs to use will depend on the size of the large trees already in your yard and the density of their canopies. You must choose types of understory plants that can grow in the amount of light allowed in by the canopy of taller trees. Inspect your backyard to determine how much light will be available for understory trees and shrubs when all the trees presently growing there mature fully....

City Gardening for Beginners Gardening Laws and Ordinances The Urban Garden Vacant Lot Gardening Allotment Gardening Urban Gardening in Apartments Rooftop Gardening for City Dwellers Backyard Suburban Gardens Portable Garden Ideas Earthbox Gardening What is Micro Gardening Getting Started With Urban Gardens Urban Gardening Supplies to Get Started How to Start a Community Garden Apartment Gardening for Beginners Creating a City Garden Creating a Rooftop Garden How to Garden in the City Creating an Ornamental Urban Garden Creating an Urban Patio Garden Raised Beds for Urban Settings Creating Hugelkultur Beds...

What Is a Wall of Water? A wall of water (brand name Wall-o-Water) is a tool that uses water to keep plants warm. It is a plastic sheet of hollow tubes. You fill the tubes with water and arrange them around a plant. The water inside the tubes gathers heat from the sun during the day radiating heat toward the plant. It also provides effective insulation against cold air and physically protects plants from wind....

Can I Compost Cardboard? Yes, you can compost cardboard. In fact, cardboard waste makes up over 31 percent of landfills, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Composting cardboard is a practice that is becoming more popular now that people are beginning to realize the benefits of composting. Composting cardboard is perfect if you have just moved or you are cleaning up the attic. Types of Cardboard to Compost Composting cardboard, especially large boxes or individual sheets of cardboard, is not difficult as long as you set up and maintain your compost pile correctly....

How Many Kinds of Aster are There? Most gardeners are familiar with asters. These workhorses in the autumn garden brighten the landscape even as most perennials are fading. There are many different types of aster from which to choose, most of which thrive in temperate to cool season climates. As native plants, they are adaptable to many sites, but do seem to prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Both the New England and New York asters are native to North America and thrive in a wide range of growing conditions....

Common Veggie Problems Problems growing vegetables may run the gamut from the more obvious vegetable garden pests or plant diseases to issues related to the environment like weather conditions, nutrition, and even those caused by people or animals. Proper irrigation, fertilization, location, and when possible, the choice to plant disease-resistant varieties can aid in creating your own little Garden of Eden. Vegetable Plant Diseases There are a plethora of plant diseases that may afflict the veggie garden....

Planting Midsummer for an Autumn Vegetable Harvest Many people only plant in spring, but in order to get vegetables for fall harvest, you need to do a second or even third planting. To know exactly when to plant, find the average first frost date for your area. Then check the time to maturity on the seeds for each vegetable and you’ll know when to start them. There is some flexibility with when you start the seeds depending on plant type....

Observing the Water Cycle in the Garden Learning about the water cycle is an important part of basic earth science, ecosystems, and botany. Simply observing the movement of water through your yard and garden is one easy way to teach this lesson to your children. The basic concept about the water cycle to teach children is that water moves through the environment, changing forms and constantly recycling. It is a finite resource that changes but never goes away....

Watering Instructions for Tulips Tulip plant watering is all about minimalism. When you plant your bulbs in autumn, you’re actually doing them a favor by forgetting about them. Tulips require very little water and can easily rot or sprout fungus if they’re left in standing water. When you plant your bulbs, put them in very well-drained, preferably dry or sandy soil. While you want to plant your bulbs to a depth of about 8 inches (20 cm....

You may be wondering, “What are globeflowers?” Trollius globeflower plants, members of the Ranunculaceae family, are striking perennial wildflowers that bloom in spring. Shaped like a ball, a goblet, or a globe, flowers in the garden bloom on stems rising above the foliage in shades of yellow and orange. Finely textured foliage of growing globeflowers has a mounding habit. These plants grow happily near a pond or in a damp woodland in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 7....

What are Pot Worms? If you’re wondering what pot worms are, they’re simply another organism that eats waste and gives aeration to the soil or compost around it. White worms in compost aren’t directly a danger to anything in your bin, but they do thrive on conditions that the red wigglers don’t like. If your compost pile is completely infested with pot worms and you want to lower their population, you’ll have to change the conditions of the compost itself....

What is a Pruning Knife? If you are new to gardening, you may ask: what is a pruning knife? Pruning knives can be used for many different purposes in the garden. The pruning knife is the “Jack-of-all-trades” of cutlery. Many types of pruning knives are available in commerce, but the most typical pruning knife is short and sharp, with a blade around 3 inches (8 cm.), and a wooden or heavy-duty handle....

What are Squash Bees? The humble squash bee (Peponapis pruinose) is a fairly common bee and an important pollinator. It is often mistaken for honeybees, but there are critical differences, including the fact that squash bees pollinate plants in the Cucurbita genus exclusively. Identifying squash bees can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for. As compared to other bees, they are up and active early in the morning through midday when cucurbit flowers begin to wilt....

A Little Stinzen History Bulb lovers probably are familiar with stinzen plants, but may not know they have such history. What are stinzen plants? They are introduced bulbs whose genesis was from the Mediterranean and Central European regions. Widely grown in the Netherlands, they are called stinzenplanten. This collection of bulb-forming plants is now widely available commercially. Stinzen vintage bulb plants were found on the grounds of large estates and churches....

Brighten up those areas of your garden with these top 15 flowering plants that thrive in shade. Flowering Shade Perennials 1. Astilbe Astilbe, with their fern-like foliage and fluffy flower heads, prefer a spot that is moist to wet. They can tolerate part shade to heavy shade but growth may be stunted in heavy shade. 2. Bleeding Heart The Bleeding Heart is adored for its arching stems of heart-shaped flowers....