For a sustainable garden
To transform your growing beds into spots of high ecological value, here are a few simple tips and solutions. Common sense applies and points the way to sustainable gardening.
Brassicaceae
Plants of the Brassicaceae family are very healthy, and they share their bounty right when we need it most: winter!
White mustard, both spice and green manure fertilizer
White mustard is getting popular: many are discovering its use as a green garden fertilizer, with the benefit of being a delicious
Ornamental cabbage, beautiful in winter
Ornamental cabbage is a very beautiful annual plant, with leaves that either stand straight or spread out, that are smooth or ruffled up.
Perennial vegetables: plant once, harvest for years!
This isn’t your typical veggie patch! Gardeners should definitely give perennial vegetables a try. Many kinds of vegetables can provide a harvest for several years.
Arugula, easy-growing greens for mixed salads
Arugula is one of the most famous greens for tasty meals.
Rutabaga, all the tips on how to grow rutabaga
Rutabaga, also called swede when the flesh is white, is an ancient heirloom vegetable.
Savoy cabbage, a frizzly-headed cabbage for winter
Savoy cabbage is a delicious vegetable that make for easy growing.
Which vegetables to grow in winter?
There are several different vegetables that are hardy enough to the cold that you can still make the vegetable patch an enchanting place to be. Zoom in on kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, winter lettuce…
Caterpillars, organic treatments to control them
Caterpillars are butterfly larvae that come in many different shapes, colors and sizes, but the damage they do is always the same.
Cabbage white butterfly, get rid of Pieris brassicae caterpillars!
Cabbage moth (Pieris brassicae) is a large white butterfly species. It uses cabbage leaves as food for caterpillars of the next generation. Wings are white with black spots on them.
Broccoli, all there is to know about growing broccoli
Broccoli stands out with its distinct green flower head, and is a delicious vegetable that is easy to grow.
Cauliflower, everything there is to know about growing it
Cauliflower is a vegetable that has low calorie levels and high fiber, calcium and magnesium content.
Cabbage, how to grow it and different varieties
Cabbage is a vegetable that comes in many varieties and is very easy to grow.
Savoy cabbage health benefits, a great regulator for digestion
Savoy cabbage and related headed cabbage (Brassica oleracea) are leaf vegetables that belong to the brassica family.
Turnip health benefits, a sweet root with vitamin C for winter
Native to Eastern and Northern Europe, the turnip or Brassica napus is a root vegetable that has long been appreciated for its culinary appeal and for its health benefits, too.
Red radish health benefits, fight off exhaustion
Red radish (Raphanus sativus) boasts very low calorie levels, it is a refreshing source of vitamins B and C and offers many health benefits and properties for the body.
Radish: from sowing to harvest, how to grow it
Radish is a root vegetable that is absolutely delicious. It is famous for both its taste and the ease with which it grow.
Kale health benefits and therapeutic value
Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica) is a leaf vegetable that is very hardy, grown for its wide, jagged leaves.
Sweet alyssum, cute ground cover
Sweet alyssum or Lobularia maritima is a annual that is simply beautiful.
Swede, how to sow, grow and get large roots for winter
Swede, also called rutabaga when its flesh is yellow, is an ancient heirloom vegetable.
Black radish, the winter radish
Black radish or winter radish is a strikingly delicious root vegetable with a light spicy taste.
Spring garden tasks for each portion of the garden
Spring garden tasks start filling those days as they get longer and nature begins to stir… time for gardeners to get the ball rolling! Fresh sunny days are perfect for gardening after the long winter wait.
Cauliflower health benefits, vitamins without the calories
Cauliflower, with latin name Brassica botrytis, belongs to the brassica (cruciferous) family, just like broccoli and all the other cabbage varieties.
Green manure, use cover plants to fertilize the next harvest!
It protects the ground from weeds and enriches the soil with nitrogen and humus: green manure scores perfect on all counts!
Companion planting in the vegetable patch
Just like humans, vegetables also have friends and foes. Some families stimulate or protect each other. Other families tire each other out and make each other vulnerable. Companion planting is the art of pairing them well!
Turnip, fleshy and very tasty, especially when home-grown!
Turnip has a long history of growing, and without doubt is among the most tasty vegetables.
Chinese cabbage, a vegetable to (re)discover
Chinese cabbage is favored for its long leaves, that are both delicious and low on carbohydrates.
Mizuna cabbage, japanese greens
Mizuna looks like lettuce, it is very similar to arugula, but it’s actually a type of cabbage. A crunchy texture and peppery taste are what make it much sought after.
Brussels sprouts, all there is to know about growing them
Brussels sprouts are vegetables that are mineral-rich and great for intestinal transit when cooked.
Bollworms, dreaded caterpillars defoliating vegetables
Typical of many insects (and even more so for butterflies), adult bollworms won’t cause any damage in the garden or vegetable patch. However, caterpillars and larva that emerge from their eggs can devastate nearby plants.
No-treat vegetable patch: easy peasy
Experiment with companion planting which has by now proven its effectiveness in organic vegetable gardening. It’s easy, all pros and no cons: no treating and less work!
Candytuft, superb ground cover
Candytuft hold its name from the amazing blooming that renews itself from spring to fall.
Red cabbage health benefits and therapeutic value
Red cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is a leaf vegetable that belongs to the Brassicacaea or Cruciferae family, just like its more conventional white or green cousins.
Sea kale, Crambe maritima – a seaside cabbage both cute and tasty
Sea kale, or Crambe maritima, comes as quite a surprise: both in the garden and in the vegetable patch, it’ll trigger questions by curious onlookers! Sea kale, a summary Botanical name – Crambe maritima Common name – Sea kale Family – Cruciferae, Brassicaceae Type – perennial Bearing – clump Height – 12 to to 28 inches (30 to 70 cm) Planting density […]
Rutabaga health benefits and therapeutic value
Rutabaga or Brassica napobrassica belongs to the Brassicaceae family (formerly Cruciferae), like cauliflower, radish and other cabbages.
Arabis, alpine rock-cress, like a basket of silver in spring
Arabis is a simply beautiful herbaceous plant that blooms for a long time in spring, thus offering delicate white flowers.
Wallflower, it loves climbing high
Wallflower is a little flower with an endearing scent that is a must-have in perennial flower beds for its colors as much as for its unique shape.
Ravenelle wallflower, easy and flower-bearing
This special variety of wallflower, Ravenelle, is a little flower with an endearing scent that is a must-have in perennial flower beds for its colors as much as for its unique shape.
Spring sowing and planting in the vegetable patch
Spring is a busy season for planting and sowing, busy as in “buzzy” since bees and insects have joined the show in the vegetable patch! You need to clean, sow, repot, transplant, and more if you want to harvest
Lacinato kale, a swarthy, dark vegetable posing as an ornamental
Easy to grow, lacinato kale is also a tasty vegetable to cook with. Palm tree kale key facts Botanical name – Brassica oleracea acephala ‘Nero di Toscana’ Common name – Black Toscana, palm tree kale, dinosaur kale, black kale, palm tree kale
