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Donate to Food Deserts Of course, you can donate money to food desert organizations and nonprofits, or you can volunteer. Community gardens are increasingly popular with the goal of growing nutritious foods right in the community that most need access to healthy foods. They often need volunteers, but if you have a productive garden of your own, you can also donate produce for food deserts. To volunteer at your local community garden, contact the American Community Gardening Association....

Taking care of sweet peas is easy. They prefer long, cool summers and don’t last past spring in areas where summers are hot. Where winters are mild, try growing sweet peas over fall and winter. How to Grow Sweet Peas Sweet pea flowers come in both bush and climbing types. Both types are vines, but the bush types don’t grow as tall and can support themselves without the aid of a trellis....

Fig Trees in Zone 5 Fig trees are native to regions with long growing seasons and hot summers. Experts name the semi-arid tropical and subtropical areas of the world as ideal for fig tree cultivation. Fig trees are surprisingly tolerant of chilly temperatures. However, winter winds and storms severely reduce fig fruit production, and a lengthy freeze can kill off a tree. USDA zone 5 is not the region of the country with the lowest winter temperatures, but winter lows average around -15 degrees F....

Why Honeysuckle Propagation? There are types of honeysuckle vines that are invasive and, in some regions, grow out of control, creating a real problem. If you have ever battled this fast-moving vine, you might wonder why anyone would want to propagate it. The non-invasive honeysuckle is a desirable garden plant for pretty flowers, a lovely scent, and for creating shade as it climbs trellises, walls, and other structures. Although honeysuckle grows quickly, you may want to propagate in your garden to give it a boost and to let it reach more spaces or create more shade....

Information about Kanna Plants According to some info, kanna is used medicinally in its native Cape Provinces of South Africa as a mood elevator and anti-depressant. South Africans chew the plant, which is also said to aid in weight loss and to quell the addictions of smoking and alcoholism. Some have called it the “happy plant.” This plant is also used in teas and tinctures and is sometimes even smoked along with other herbs....

What is a Bearded Iris? Bearded iris flowers are perennials that grow from rhizomes, modified underground stems that grow and spread horizontally in the soil. The flower of the iris has three petals that grow upright, known as standards, and three downward growing petals known as falls. The falls have a hairy texture, giving the flower the name ‘bearded.’ The name iris comes from the Greek name for the goddess of the rainbow, which indicates how much color variety there is in this perennial....

Holly Leaf Spot Symptoms The symptoms of this holly disease are easy to see. Most types of holly plants will first show black, yellow, or brownish spots on the leaves. Eventually, the leaves will start to fall off the bush. Typically, the holly leaves will start to fall off the bottom of the plant and work its way up the plant. Leaves will normally fall off the plant in the spring but the spots will first appear in late fall or winter....

Tips for Watering Tomato Plants Water slowly, water deeply – The number one rule of watering tomatoes is to make sure that you go slow and easy. Never rush watering tomato plants. Use a drip hose or other forms of drip irrigation to deliver water to your tomato plants slowly. Water regularly – How often should you water tomato plants? There is no hard and fast rule to this. It depends on how hot it is and if the plant is actively growing....

Is Chickweed Edible? Native to Europe, chickweed was introduced to North America and other continents by immigrants who valued it as an herb. Its flowers and leaves are, indeed, edible, though in large quantities the saponoids it contains can cause stomach upset. Chickweed flowers and leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Fresh flowers and leaves are tossed into salads, stir fries, stews, or pesto. Chickweed is also grown as feed for chickens and pigs, hence its common names clucken wort, chicken weed, and birdseed....

But what about gardening with kids in winter? Just like any gardener, kids can spend the winter planning and prepping for next spring’s planting activities, as well as some kid’s winter activities that actually include growing plants to keep their green thumbs in practice. Gardening With Kids in Winter When the snow flies, it’s a good time to experiment with winter gardening activities for children. This is a good time to teach them all about sprouting, sunlight and water, and even kitchen recycling....

What are Kissing Bugs? Kissing bugs (Triatoma spp.), also called conenose insects, are easy to recognize by the 12 orange spots around the edges of their bodies. They have a distinctive, cone-shaped head with two antennae and a pear-shaped body. These insects feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. They don’t inject the disease organism when they suck blood but, instead, excrete it in their feces instead. Humans (and other animals) infect themselves when they scratch the itchy bite....

Why Do Mature Plants Become Spindly? Plant growth is unpredictable in most cases. Legginess in plants is often the result of perfect growing conditions which allows them to add on too much greenery before the plant has adequate dimension and strength in stems and roots. The result is a floppy, leggy plant growth. You can prevent this to some extent with a little manual grooming and the proper fertilizing program. Plants that die back in winter and come again in spring experience a rapid growth spurt in perfect weather conditions....

Lobelia Winter Hardiness Lobelia in winter will die back no matter which variety you have. However, the annual Lobelia may not come back at all even if it formed seed. This is due to incorrect germination requirements. However, it is easy to plant from seed in controlled situations. Perennial plants will die back but, if given proper care, should flourish anew when temperatures warm up. Lobelia erinus is the annual variety of the plant and comes in many species....

Mandragora Plant Information The mandrake of myth, legend, and history is Mandragora officinarum. It is native the Mediterranean region. It belongs to the nightshade family of plants, and the Mandragora genus contains a couple different kinds of mandrake. Mandragora plants are flowering perennial herbs. They grow wrinkly, ovate leaves that stay close to the ground. They resemble tobacco leaves. Whitish-green flowers bloom in spring, so this is a pretty little plant....

Not to be discouraged, gardeners can explore other options for growing their own produce at home. Growing a countertop hydroponic garden, for example, may be one solution. Hydroponics on the Counter Hydroponic gardening is a water-based type of growing. Rather than using soil, nutrient rich water is used to grow and nourish plants. As the plants germinate and begin to grow, the root system becomes established using a variety of seed starting materials....

What is Mountain Mahogany? Hikers and nature lovers that trek or bike in the challenging vertical regions of the western United States probably have seen mountain mahogany. It is an important broadleaf evergreen to semi-deciduous shrub that prefers dry soil conditions and has the ability to fix nitrogen in soil. As a landscape addition, the plant has great potential, especially since mountain mahogany care is minimal and the plant is very forgiving about site and soil....

Exploring mushroom craft ideas is one way to determine whether or not these quirky art projects are the right fit for you. Mushroom Craft Ideas Before exploring DIY mushroom art, it is important to note that these projects do not actually use real mushrooms in any capacity. Due to the nature of the mushrooms themselves, this simply is not possible. That does not mean, however, that all inspiration is lost....

Where Do Nectarines Grow? If you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 to 8 and have a place for a small orchard, or even a single tree, you might consider growing nectarine fruit trees. With the proper care of nectarine trees, they can grow successfully in other areas. Care of nectarine trees in more southern areas includes diligent watering during hot seasons. Like peaches, new varieties of nectarines are self-fruitful, so you can grow a single tree and have fruit production without a pollinator....

Persian Shield Plant Persian shield is a phenomenal foliar specimen. It produces 4 to 7 inch (10-18 cm.) long, slender leaves tipped with a point. They are slightly serrated and have deep green veins with purple to silver on the entire surface of the leaf. The plant has a bushy habit and may get up to 4 feet (1 m.) tall in habitat. Since it is only suitable for USDA zone 10, growing Persian shield indoors is the best way for most gardeners to enjoy this brilliant plant....

Pine Trees and Sap Sap is essential to a tree. Roots take up water and nutrients, and these need to be spread throughout the tree. Sap is a viscous liquid that carries nutrients throughout the tree to the areas where they are most needed. Tree leaves produce simple sugars that must get transported through the tree’s fibers. Sap also is the means of transportation for these sugars. Although many think of sap as a tree’s blood, it circulates through the tree much slower than blood circulates through the body....