Author Archives: ThePlantLady

About ThePlantLady

ThePlantLady.com is a library of gardening information compiled from many resources, including written texts, online databases, current research, and first-hand experience from farmers and gardeners. It includes growing requirements specific to each plant, as well as varietal information. My background in microbiology and chemistry allows me to tap into the scientific research being done today and digest it for the use of the home gardener or small farmer.

2011 Tomato Varieties

2011 Tomato Varieties There is a lot of diversity in the Tomato. There are all sorts of colors, sizes & shapes represented. Not to mention growth habit and when they are ready. I tend to favor indeterminate varieties, because they produce all season long, rather than a big explosion all at once. But I cover […]

2011-01-23 Summer Garden Planning

Planning a Summer Vegetable Garden January is the perfect time to plan your next season’s veggie garden. Of course the seed marketers all know this and aim to get their catalogs in your mailbox in early January or late December. My favorite catalogs this year are from Seeds of Change and Seed Savers Exchange. They […]

2010-03-06

Took a nice walk around the garden this morning. Clover is coming up nicely; blocking out weeds, for the most part. The Peach & Nectarine trees are blooming, as is the Magnolia. The Rose of Sharon is just waiting to explode. Lots of volunteers this year: Maximillian Sunflowers by the dozen, Chamomile is growing like […]

Last Frost Date – Redding, CA

According to PlantMaps.com, the average last frost date for Redding, California, is anywhere between March 1 and March 31, depending on your exact location. Go to http://www.plantmaps.com/index.php to find a ton of helpful gardening information for the US. Below is actual weather data for my area, taken from two different sources. Both sources happen to […]

Maturity Days

Days to Maturity The maturity of a vegetable determines when it will begin producing; for a flower, it determines when it will start flowering, so it’s always an important factor in planning a vegetable garden or designing a flower garden.. But when I’ve tried to put them into practice, they have always confused me: do […]

Iron (Fe)

iron is one of the 13 essential elements for plant growth, and is considered a micronutrient based on the concentration required for plant growth principle form of uptake: ionic forms (Fe2+, Fe3+) amount required for healthy plant growth: 100 ppm, dry soil matter soil conditions related to iron deficiencies: calcareous soils with low soluble iron waterlogged soil acid […]

Copper (Cu)

Copper is one of the 13 essential elements for plant growth, and is considered a micronutrient based on the concentration required for plant growth principle form of uptake: ionic form (Cu2+) amount required for healthy plant growth: 6 ppm, dry soil matter soil conditions related to copper deficiency: peat & muck soil calcareous sands leached acid soil […]

Boron (B)

Boron is one of the 13 essential elements for plant growth, and is considered a micronutrient based on the concentration required for plant growth principle form of uptake: boric acid (H3BO3) borate (BO33-) boric acid is preferred over borate as a condition of increased pH (increased alkalinity), boric acid converts to borate relatively immobile in the plant […]