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Garden Variety: When to harvest fruits and veggies

Knowing the right time to harvest fruits and vegetables from the garden is tricky for some crops, even for experienced gardeners. To complicate it further, some produce can be harvested at different stages or have additional edible parts of the plant than what is traditionally harvested. Follow ...

Garden Variety: Now’s the time for fresh blackberries

Blackberry season is beginning in northeast Kansas. If you are already growing blackberries, you should check your plants for ripe fruit and begin harvesting. Otherwise, consider picking berries at a local farm, purchasing fresh ones at a local farmers market or planting some blackberry plants ...

Garden Variety: Wildflowers are in bloom; here’s how to identify them

Black-eyed Susans, yellow sweet clover, Queen Anne’s lace, and many other wildflowers and grasses are putting on a show on Kan- sas roadsides, in native prairie sites, and in the nearby Flint Hills. If you have the chance to go for a drive, a bike ride or a walk in one of these regions, this ...

Garden Variety: Tips for keeping weeds out of your vegetable garden

As summer-loving vegetable plants begin to thrive in the warm Kansas sun, summer-loving weeds are taking off too. They appreciate water, fertile soil, and light as much as cultivated plants, and unfortunately some of them are a challenge to control. The best approach uses a combination of ...

Garden Variety: Plant pumpkins this month for an October harvest

In Kansas, early to mid-June is the best time to plant pumpkins, squash and gourds in the garden for harvest in October. Growing them is a fun solo or family activity which yields fruit for cooking, jack-o’-lanterns, fall displays and future birdhouses. When most people think of pumpkins, ...

Garden Variety: Increase fruit, vegetable yield with the right fertilizer

Choosing the right fertilizer for the garden and applying it properly can increase yield of fruit and vegetable crops. Done incorrectly, it can be a waste of time and money. The hard part is knowing what and how much is needed, and a look at the options only makes the task more daunting. A ...