How To Grow

Lacy, beautiful fennel plants grace planter boxes and the delicate leaves are lovely in salads. Like dill and parsley, the flowers of fennel are intensely attractive to beneficial insects. Grow fennel in a sunny position in well-drained loamy soil. If your soil is on the clay side, add some sharp sand to the bed. In the first year, fennel will grow to about 60cm (24″) tall, but in mild areas plants can reach 2m (6′) tall. Follow these how to grow fennel instructions for perfect fennel every year. Latin Foeniculum vulgare Family: Apiaceae Difficulty Easy Season & Zone Season: Warm season Exposure:...

The chicory family includes the food plants endive and radicchio, which range in flavour from bitter to sweet. All varieties become sweeter, and lose much of their bitterness, when cooked. Try a hot oil salad dressing over endive, or a barbecued head of radicchio!  Follow along with this handy How to Grow Endive and Radicchio Guide and grow food. Latin Cichorium endiva (endive) & C. intybus (radicchio) Family: Asteraceae Difficulty Endive is easy. Radicchio is moderately difficult. Belgian endive (witloof) is downright challenging – but worth the effort! We Recommend: Palla Rossa (MS491). If you are unfamiliar with radicchio, the time has...

The flavour of parsnips becomes sweeter after frost. They are a very versatile vegetable in the kitchen to fry, roast, steam, mash, or bake. Parsnips take their time becoming large in the garden, but then they can be harvested as needed since they store in the ground so well. Follow along with this handy how to grow parsnips guide and grow food. Latin Pastinaca sativa Family: Apiaceae Difficulty Easy We Recommend: Gladiator (PN581). This hybrid parsnip was bred to be fast-growing, uniform, and large – and we’ve seen some HUGE ones! At any size it has very appealing, mild flavour and it’s...

Melon plants have sparse leaves and need a lot of sunshine and heat to mature their fruit. Their roots are delicate and require high nutrition and lots of water. For all that effort, you’ll be rewarded by the ripest, sweetest melons you’ve ever tasted. Follow along with this handy How to Grow Melons Guide and grow refreshing flavour this summer.! Latin Cantaloupes (musk melons) & Honeydews: Cucurbita melo Watermelons: Citrullus lanatus Family: Cucurbitaceae Difficulty Easy in a greenhouse or cloche, or outdoors in long, warm summers. Difficult without these conditions. Season & Zone Season: Warm season Exposure: Full-sun Zone: 4-10 Timing It is essential to...

Gaura is native to the southern United States, so it thrives in hot, dry environments, and is useful for xeriscaping. Latin Gaura lindheimeri Difficulty Easy Season & Zone Exposure: Full sun Zone: 6-9 Timing Start this perennial Gaura indoors 8-10 weeks transplanting outdoors. Transplant in early spring, when light frost is still possible – the last week in March in south coastal BC. Gaura can also be grown for transplanting in autumn, which insures flowers the following summer. Or direct sow in early spring or early autumn. Seeds should germinate in 14-30 days. Starting Just cover the small seeds, and...