Big Boy Tomato: When to Plant It, and the Sandwich Slicer That Resists Cracking
Big Boy is a hybrid slicing tomato built for the sandwich, not the sauce pot: an indeterminate vine that keeps producing until frost, carrying large…
Beefsteak Red Tomato: When to Plant It, and Why It Ripens So Late
A beefsteak red tomato reaches full size and full flavor in about 90 days counted from transplant, not from seed, which means where you live decides…
Common Scab on Potatoes: The Soil pH That Decides It
Common scab shows up as rough, corky patches on potato skin, and one factor predicts it better than anything else: soil pH.
Sunrise Apple: When It Ripens, and Why It Will Not Keep
Sunrise apples ripen from mid-August to early September, weeks before most dessert varieties even start coloring up.
Spartan Apple: When It Ripens, and Why It Comes Off in a Single Pick
Spartan apples typically ripen mid to late September into early October. Because the whole crop tends to color and sweeten at roughly the same pace, most…
Growing Parsnips in Louisiana: Will They Sweeten?
In most of Louisiana, parsnips will grow into full-sized roots without much trouble.
Cripps Pink Apple: Why Pink Lady Is a Trademark and Cripps Pink Is the Apple
Pink Lady is a brand name stamped on fruit at the register. The tree a grower actually plants, and the variety a nursery catalog lists, is Cripps Pink.
Ambrosia Apple: When It Ripens, and the Short Window You Get to Pick It
Ambrosia apples ripen in a narrow window, late September to early October, and missing it by even a week or two means fruit that’s mealy or overripe.
When to Sow Carrots in Florida: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Florida’s carrot timing hinges less on a single frost date than on what’s under your boots.
Will Carrots Fork in Florida Soil?
Florida’s official state soil, the Myakka series, is almost pure sand: 97 percent sand, 2 percent clay, 1 percent silt.