Blog

Grow a Garden of Winning Sunflowers! The Sunflower is one of the most popular flowers grown in today’s gardens. From first-time to experienced gardeners, many gravitate to these bold, easy-to-grow flowers. Sunflowers originated in the Americas and domestic seeds dating back to 2100 BC have been found in Mexico. Native Americans grew sunflowers as a crop,Read more

Growing Tomatoes in Containers By Chase Smoak, Clemson University Cooperative Extension Lack the space or time for a traditional garden filled with tomatoes? No worries. You can grow tomatoes in pots and hanging baskets, too. Follow these tips: Use pots that are at least 6–8 inches deep with holes underneath for drainage. For ease ofRead more

A Matter of Taste – A Guide to Growing Delicious Homegrown Tomatoes By Chase Smoak, Clemson University Cooperative Extension  Tired of losing tomatoes to unwanted garden pests? Worried you’ll need to sacrifice excellent taste for improved yield? Take a deep breath and relax—this year, you can have your tomato and eat it, too. With theRead more

Six New AAS National Winners for 2023 All-America Selections, North America’s only national non-profit plant trialing organization (established in 1932) is pleased to present six new national winners for this year’s garden. Each AAS Winner is grown and trialed anonymously by independent, volunteer judges all across North America. The entry is scored next to a comparisonRead more

Growing an organic vegetable garden is of interest to many gardeners. These AAS Winners have been put through their paces in the AAS trial grounds across North America. Professional (and critical) judges have evaluated the taste, texture, plant health, and yield to determine if they get to wear the stamp of approval known as theRead more

Create an Easy to Maintain Cottage Garden Using both New and Classic AAS Winners Cottage Gardens are known to require less maintenance than a highly structured formal garden. Less structure can mean less maintenance and more creativity! A carefree garden can be planted with your favorite annuals, perennials, spring bulbs, flowering shrubs and even vegetables.Read more

Grow A Stir-fry Garden Want to eat healthier? One way is to stir-fry. Stir-fry is the technique of cooking food quickly, using only a small amount of fat. One of the great parts about stir-frying is there are so many different vegetables to add. Growing your own vegetables in your garden is a fun and deliciousRead more

Grow Your Own Salsa Garden Salsas come in many varieties and colors but no matter the ingredients, they add flavor and color to a host of dishes. They can be vegetable or fruit-based, hot or cold, spicy or mild. No matter your special recipe, it’s likely you can grow many of the inputs in yourRead more

Grow Your Own Pizza! (Ingredients, that is) Pizzas come in all shapes, colors, flavors, you name it! But the basics are usually the same: Crust, sauce, toppings and cheese. As a gardener, you can grow many of the ingredients for your sauce and toppings right outside your back (or front) door. Sauce Ingredients: 1. TomatoRead more

Garden Seed Terminology How often do you find yourself wondering what the difference is between an heirloom and an open-pollinated seed variety? Or an F1 hybrid and a GMO? Misconceptions about these terms are rampant. Breeding techniques continue to evolve, and the ethical debate on the long-term effects of this brave new world of hi-tech breedingRead more