Growing hot peppers at home in Oklahoma Story by Dee A. Nash, Photos by Bob Westerfield Hot peppers sport names as interesting as their flavors and colors. From the medium-hot ‘Bishop’s Crown’ to the exceedingly hot ‘Carolina Reaper’, there’s a hot pepper to suit anyone’s taste buds. One way to decide which hot peppers to …
Grow your own cherry tomatoes in Oklahoma Story by LeeAnn Barton Cherry tomatoes get little of the glory when gardeners, in their friendly manner, compete for the earliest, the biggest, or the most flavorful tomato. Little do most know that without that little cherry tomato, modern and heirloom varieties would never have come into existence. …
Summer Christmas trees for the garden Story by Bob Westerfield I sometimes think of banana peppers as summer Christmas trees for the garden. These dark green plants adorn themselves with abundantly spaced, light-colored, ornament-like peppers. As a member of the chile pepper family, banana peppers get their name simply because of their shape and color. …
A love of all things fruit Story by Kate Musso Mention Dr. Arlie Powell’s name to a dedicated Alabama gardener and you’re likely to get a smile and an anecdote. The smiles comes from the enthusiastic and effusive manner Dr. Powell brings to every encounter. The anecdote likely relates to a fruit the gardener had …
Growing summer squash in your Alabama garden Story by Mallory Kelley In Alabama, a summer garden would not be complete without your favorite summer squash plants. These vegetables are members of the cucurbit family and have many cousins in the vegetable garden. Now, you may be asking, “What plants are in the cucurbit family anyway?” …
The appeal of miniature tomatoes in Alabama Story and Photos by Katharine Musso The term “cherry tomato” commonly refers to a group of plants bearing fruit from as large as 1½ inches to as small as ¼ inch. Technically, a true cherry tomato is the perfectly round and red fruit of the plant Solanum lycopersicum …
Growing hot and hotter peppers in the home garden Story by Katharine Musso Hot peppers are used to add heat to dishes across the globe: Mexican salsa, Ethiopian Berbere stew, and Thai red curry, to name just a few. Fresh hot peppers can be used for an authentic classic pasta sauce arrabbiata, which means “angry” …
Eating fresh from the garden Story by Rick Snyder, Ph.D. Now that spring is in full swing and summer is knocking on the door, we are ready to harvest some fresh vegetables from our gardens. If you have a perennial planting of asparagus, you would have started picking in March and April. But for everybody …
Tips for growing this popular summer staple Story by Denise Pugh Once the spring equinox has passed and the gardening catalogs have whetted our appetites for fresh vegetables, summer squash is on the top of my list. Summer squash is a popular summer vegetable and it has many attributes that make it perfect for the home …
A gardener profile of John Monroe Story and Photos by Nellie Neal If you’re lucky enough to be invited, try not to gawk as you enter John Monroe’s backyard. It’s almost certain you’ve never seen a marvel quite like his innovative vegetable garden. This man grows food with great zest, tons of fresh produce that …
