The Top 10 Reasons Your Tomatoes Fail
by Bob Westerfield

Anyone who has ever grown a backyard tomato knows that there is no comparison to the flavor and quality of a freshly grown tomato compared to one purchased at the supermarket. While tomatoes are arguably the king of the vegetable garden, they can be challenging at times because this tropical fruit can be finicky. By far, tomato problems exceed those of any other vegetable. Whether that is because they just have more problems or because of how popular they are, they are definitely not easy to grow. Here I will outline what I see as the top 10 issues that can lead to tomato failure in the garden.   >> read article
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Shishito Peppers
by Cynthia Wood

While on a food and native plant pilgrimage to Austin, Texas, I was offered a small plate of charred, wrinkly green peppers sprinkled with sea salt. The waiter said that the peppers were called shishitos and that they were native to Japan. Within a few minutes, I had devoured the entire plateful and was clamoring for more. These odd looking little peppers were seriously addictive.   >> read article
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2017 New Varieties
Branch out and try something new in the vegetable garden
by Lori Pelkowski

It’s that time of year again. The 2017 winners of the coveted All-America Selections Vegetable Awards, which recognizes only the tastiest, easiest-to-grow vegetables, have been announced. The AAS’s mission is “to promote new garden seed varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America.” I am growing these new varieties this year because, although they may be short in stature, they are heavy on harvest and big on flavor.   >> read article
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It’s All About the Berries
by Susan Crawford

If you have ever seen a beautyberry in fruit, you are not likely to forget it. The brilliant, iridescent purple berries that cluster along the stems of Callicarpa dichotoma and C. japonica in late summer and fall will stop you in your tracks.   >> read article
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Perpetua Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
by Clara A. Curtis

Gardening in 2016 should be inspirational and eclectic and fun! What better plant to add to your garden than one that exhibits four seasons of interest and produces fruit for your cereal bowl! No more boring gardens stuffed with static plants that are not earning their keep – plant a new blueberry to spice it up.   >> read article

Small Fruits to try in the Midwestern Landscape
by Kate Jerome

When the summer fruits start appearing in the farmers’ markets, everyone goes into a frenzy. We love the sweetness of strawberries, raspberries and currants, but many of us are daunted when growing our own. The good news is that it’s not very hard, and you can actually incorporate some of them right into the landscape. Most of   >> read article

Three Great Fruit Trees for the Midwest Garden
by Patti Marie Travioli

As a kid, I didn’t care as much about the holiday meal as much as I looked forward to enjoying the homemade jams and freshly baked desserts. As an adult, I try to create something new for the holiday meal, while still including some traditional recipes.   >> read article

Growing Tropical Fruit in the Midwest
by Tammy Weiss

With the cold winter behind and the warm, humid summer just about here, I begin to dream of the tropics, and with that, the full-flavored, juicy fruit whose sweet fragrances fill outdoor markets and lone fruit stands on the side roads. Sadly though, with the economy not cooperating and the present fashion to have stay-cations, I have decided I could and would have both. Thus began my search for the ever-elusive tropical fruits that I could grow in my Kentucky backyard garden.   >> read article