If you've had a rough year battling Japanese beetles, now is the time to control them. Many gardeners are familiar with Japanese beetle adults that cause damage to many flowers, vegetables and fruits. While there are chemical controls for these and other ground dwelling beetles, there are effective ecologically friendly controls as well. Remember only 1 per cent of the insects in your yard are ones that will cause significant damage to your plants. One of the best controls attacks the Japanese beetle not when it's an adult, but at the c-shaped, cream colored grub or larval stage in the soil. It's at this stage that it's most vulnerable. If you can kill the grubs, you'll have fewer adults next year. There are a few products that are safe for the environment and effective. Beneficial nematodes are microscopic, worm-like creatures that parasitize or prey on the grubs. Spray the nematodes now on the lawn and soil areas where the adults were feeding this summer. That's where most of the larvae are located. Water the area well and keep the soil moist for a number of days so the nematodes can travel to prey on the grubs. The nematodes don't overwinter so need to be sprayed annually in early or late summer. The other product in milky spore powder. This is a bacteria that has been used since the 1940s to control Japanese beetle grubs and it only attacks this type of grub. This powder or granule works best in areas with high concentrations of grubs, such as 10 to 12 grubs per square foot. With fewer grubs, it is not as effective.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the trends I've noticed in our region is longer and warmer falls. This is an opportunity to garden more and now is the time to start planting quick maturing, cool weather loving veggies. The easiest veggie to grow for a fall harvest is greens. Spinach, lettuce, arugula, escarole, kale and Swiss chard can all be sown now from seed or purchased as seedlings from local nurseries. These veggies have a few advantages. You can start eating them while they're small so you don't have to wait for them to mature. They love the cooler temperatures in September and October. And they can hold well in the garden when the shorter days slow the grow of all plants. Look for fall or winter adapted varieties to grow, such as 'Winter Giant' spinach, 'Winter Density' lettuce, and 'Winter Bor' kale. They all can take a frost and keep on growing. Prepare a raised bed in full sun by removing old plants that have finished producing such as squash, cucumbers and tomatoes. Amend the soil with fresh compost and sow seeds or transplants into the soil. You can also start seedlings in pots on a porch and transplant the seedlings in 2 to 3 weeks. Seedlings are more likely to survive than seeds. Cover the whole bed with micro-mesh or a floating row cover to keep pests away and keep the bed warm. Check under the cover regularly to make sure slugs and other critters haven't snuck inside. Harvest when leaves are large enough to eat. Pick the outer leaves so more new leaves will grow from the center.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hot, wet summer has been particularly good for growing melons. Cantaloups, honeydews and watermelons all seem to be enjoying the heat and humidity, more than I am. Once the melon fruits form and start to grow big, the question always comes up about when to harvest the fruits. So, let's talk about harvesting melons. The easiest melons to know when to harvest are the muskmelons or cantaloups. These are the netted melons. When the skin netting turns brown and the fruit easily slips off the vine when gently lifted, you can harvest. They also will have a sweet smell. Cantaloups are unique in that you can harvest a little earlier than when fully ripe and they will continue to ripen indoors. Honeydew melons tend to have a smooth skin. There are many types of honeydews, but most do not continue to ripen after harvest. So, you need to wait until the fruits are fully mature to pick. Signs of a mature honeydew melon include a sweet smell and a change in skin color. Watermelons are another melon that doesn't continue to ripen after harvest and it can be hard to know when they're fully ripe. The old folklore method is to thump the fruit with your thumb and listen for a hollow sound. That technique takes practice. A more reliable method is to look at the tendril or curlycue closest to the watermelon fruit. When it has dried up, check the watermelon belly. If it's turning a yellowish color, it's time to pick. After harvest, store melons in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator if you won't be eating them soon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late summer is often a time with little color from shrubs in our yard. That's why I love Rose of Sharon. Rose of Sharon's name is misleading. It's neither from Sharon, Israel or a rose. It's in the mallow family haling from Asia and is the National Flower of Korea. It came to Europe in the 1600's and North America during the colonial era. Thomas Jefferson particularly loved this shrub. This deciduous, hibiscus-family shrub has beautiful, white, pink, red, lavender, blue or bi-colored flowers that bloom now until fall. The flowers are edible and used in making foods and tea. These shrubs grow 7- to 12- feet tall and make a statement with tons of colorful blooms. The 'Chiffon' series features white, pink, blue, lavender, or red flowers. The ' Pillar' series grows 10 feet tall, but only 4 feet wide, making it a good choice for narrow, side yards. There are dwarf varieties, such as 'Lil Kim' , which grow only 3- to 4- feet tall, and 'Sugar Tip', which is also short with variegated foliage. Rose of Sharon flowers best in full sun, but can take some afternoon shade. Grow plants in well-drained, fertile soil. Prune in late winter to keep the shrub short and remove errant branches. Rose of Sharon flowers off the new branches formed in spring. Some selections are grafted with a different variety as the rootstock. If your Rose of Sharon magically turns a different color one year, it may be the rootstock is growing and flowering. Rose of Sharon is drought tolerant and deer proof, but remove self sown seedlings in spring.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few animal pests as clever as the raccoon. With their dextrose hands and feet, they can get into garbage cans, sealed compost bins and gardens with relative ease. I avoided growing sweet corn for years because of raccoons. Then I thought I'd try popcorn. I figured popcorn doesn't have sweet kernels so the raccoons would leave it alone. That worked for a few years, then they found my patch. As usual, the night before I was ready to harvest they struck, munching only bits out of multiple ears and pulling down the stalks. I've seen similar raids on melons, beans and tree fruits! So, what to do about raccoons. First of all, don't leave any standing water in your yard such as birdbaths and kiddie swimming pools. Raccoons love to clean their food before eating it. Most fencing is not going to stop a nimble raccoon. They can scale even a tall wire fence. They can even use their hands to open up chicken wire fences cobbled together around a garden. The best fencing is wire cages with tops that completely cover the planting. Stake the cage down well. Of course, that won't work for my 6 foot tall corn stalks. So, this year I bought a portable, solar, electric fence kit. By setting it up early around the corn patch, I hope to train the raccoons to stay out. It has a solar panel that charges the wires during the day and a battery to keep it charged at night. I just have to keep weeds and grass from touching the fence. Wish me luck!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One type of perennial flower that I really love is shrub-like perennials. These are plants that quickly grow large in one season and even when they aren't flowering, put on quite a show. The one that's blooming right now is hardy hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus grows in zones 4 to 9 and is different from the woody, tropical, shrub hibiscus. The hardy hibiscus is a perennial, but dies back to the ground each winter. That doesn't stop it from being a showpiece! The 8-inch diameter, colorful flowers appear on shrubs that can grow 3- to 6- feet tall. The colors range from pure white to deep red in the 'Luna' series. This series only grows 2- to 3- feet tall. There are varieties with burgundy colored leaves as well such as 'Midnight Marvel' and 'Evening Rose'. There are bi-colored varieties, such as the pink and red 'Perfect Storm', and even a light yellow colored variety called 'French Vanilla'. For best flowering, plant in full sun on well-drained, moist soil. Add compost in spring once the plants emerge and keep plants well weeded. The plants die back to the ground in fall, but leave the stems into winter as beneficial insects sometimes overwinter in them. Cut back the stems in spring and be patient. The new shoots are often slow to emerge from the ground. Hardy hibiscus has few pests, but the hibiscus sawfly can defoliate leaves in late spring. Check for these small caterpillars on the underside of the leaves and handpick them or spray with an organic product such as Spinosad, in the evening when bees aren't active.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re lucky, around mid-July, warm weather loving veggies are thriving. I recently returned from a trip to find our okra had grown a few feet while I was away. Okra is a traditional Southern vegetable that should be grown in Northern gardens, too. Plant dwarf, quick maturing varieties now and harvest in 2 months. Dwarf varieties, such as 'Jambalaya' and 'Baby Bubba', only grow 3- to 4-feet tall and produce okra pods quickly in the summer heat. Try planting okra where lettuce or peas have gone by in your garden. The dwarf varieties are also great to grow in containers, too. Okra is a vegetable that some people love and others hate. The pods have the best taste and texture harvested when they're less than 4 inches long. Young okra pods are more tender and have less of a “slimy” nature. Eat them in soups, stews, fried or sautéed. Okra is in the hibiscus family, so the flowers are edible and delicious stuffed, fried or used as a garnish. Plant okra in full sun in the hottest spot of your yard on compost amended soil. Like the song by the duo Hot Tamale sings, “the okra don't grow if the water don't flow,” so keep the soil moist. When harvesting, wear gloves and a long sleeve shirt as some gardeners can get a skin rash from the okra leaves. The pods are attached strongly to the woody stems so use a hand pruner to harvest them. Harvest every few days as the pods grow fast and furious in the heat. The more you harvest, the more pods you get.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With our warming climate comes many challenges. But one advantage is the possibility of growing some plants that normally would not thrive in Connecticut. This is true of crepe myrtle. Known as the “lilac of the South,” crepe myrtle has traditionally been successfully grown in zone 7 and warmer climates. But now with new hybrid, sterile, varieties from the National Arboretum and warmer winters, we can grow crepe myrtles in zone 6, and even zone 5, which opens up the possibility in all of Connecticut. Crepe myrtle varieties come as shrubs or small trees. Choose the right type for your yard to avoid drastic pruning. Some of the best shrub-like crepe myrtles include the 2 foot tall 'Chickasaw' with small purple colored flowers and the 6 foot tall 'Caddo' with bright pink flowers. For small trees, try varieties such as the 10 foot tall 'Tonto' with red flowers and 'Natchez' with pure white flowers on 20 foot tall trees. Crepe myrtles flower best in full sun on well-drained soil. They bloom in midsummer on new spring growth. Prune in late winter to encourage more growth and flowering, reduce the plant size and improve the structure. The midsummer flowers are a treat when few other large shrubs and trees are blooming. Also, the bark exfoliates creating an interesting tree for winter viewing. Crepe myrtle are good city trees because they tolerate pollution. Crepe myrtle has few pest problems other than powdery mildew and fungal leaf diseases during our humid summers. If powdery mildew is an issue in your yard, try growing disease resistant varieties such as 'Caddo', 'Hopi' and 'Tonto'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm always looking for the most recent techniques to help protect our plants from deer and other critters. Deer browsing our shrubs, vegetables, and flowers is a constant source of angst for home owners. Fencing deer out of your yard is often not practical for a suburban homeowner, so repellent sprays are really the next best option. Recent research at the Connecticut Agricultural Research Station, reported by Connecticut Gardener magazine, highlights the best repellents. Essential oil based repellents, containing oils such as mint, thyme or pepper, often evaporate quickly. Odor based sprays, such as those containing rotten eggs or blood meal, are more effective, but eventually wash off plants after about 5 weeks. In their research, the best deer repellent sprays were fat based. Fat based sprays don't smell bad to humans, don't need reapplying after rains and gave plants months of protection. Fat-based repellent sprays were discovered in Austria when farmers noticed that deer avoided plants that had raw sheep’s wool hanging on them. Raw sheep's wool has lanolin-based fats that repel deer. Lanolin is a byproduct of wool processing and is safe for people, wildlife and the environment. While their research showed three months of protection from lanolin-based sprays, these commercial products, such as Trico, are very expensive. A less expensive home remedy alternative that proved as effective as lanolin-based sprays is milk fat. Mixing Half & Half with equal parts water in a sprayer worked as well as the lanolin sprays.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The warm, wet spring and now summery weather has encouraged our summer squash and zucchini to thrive. But we're not the only ones enjoying these plants. Squash bugs are here and laying eggs on the undersides of summer squash, winter squash, and melon plants. You may not see much damage yet from the squash bugs, but if allowed to thrive, your squash patch will be a mess come August. Squash bugs are brown or grey colored with a shield shape on their back. They emerge in spring after overwintering under dead leaves, rocks, wood, and other garden debris and start laying copper colored eggs in organized clusters on the leaf undersides. The eggs hatch into miniature squash bug babies that continue to feed on leaves and flowers. The population usually explodes come August when it's too late to really control them. So, let’s do a little prevention now. Companion planting seems to help. Research from Iowa State University showed that interplanting nasturtiums among your squash deterred egg laying. The nasturtiums emit a fragrance that masks the squash so the squash bugs can't find the squash plants. Grow the trialing type of nasturtiums to have a good mass of plants. You can also check the undersides of the leaves every other day for egg clusters and squish them. You can also cut them out with a scissors if squishing isn't your thing. Finding and squishing the adults is good also. The organic spray, Spinosad, can be used to kill the adults and young. Spray when the squash aren't flowering and in the evening to prevent harm to pollinating insects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're potentially going to have an abundance of tree fruits this summer. With the mild winter and spring and the right about of sun and moisture, our cherries, plums, pears, apples and peaches have set lots of fruit. While I'm excited about the potential fruit glut, I also know that trees might be too enthusiastic. Too many fruits can lead to the branches breaking from the weight and the fruits being small and not as flavorful. That's why I'm thinning some fruits from my trees. Thinning is removing some young fruits so the remaining ones thrive. Nature does a good job by doing something called the June drop. That's when trees naturally drop some of their excess fruit on their own. However, you still may need to hand thin fruits now. Some fruit trees are okay with a big crop. Mature cherries can handle the load. But plums, peaches, apricots, apples, pears and all young trees can stand a little help. Thin plums to 4- to 6- inches apart. Peaches, apricots and nectarines should be thinned to 8 inches apart. Apples and pears set fruits in clusters so remove all but one of the fruit in the cluster and make sure the clusters are at least 6 inches apart. For dwarf trees or young trees be more aggressive. We have a few 3 year old peach trees that are loaded with fruit. I may leave 6 or 8 peaches on each tree since they're too young to support the weight of all those fruits. The sooner you thin the better so the remaining fruits will plump up nicely.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever been to a Japanese restaurant, chances are you've seen or eaten edamame. Edamame is a selection of soybeans that are harvested young when the green seeds fill out the pod similar to peas. You eat the seeds and the flavor is buttery and delicious. You can buy frozen edamame at grocery stores, but the flavor of fresh edamame is better. If you can grow bush beans, you can grow edamame. Edamame thrives in warm soil so now is a great time to plant. We grow ours on a raised beds amended with compost. Edamame is a legume so it fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere into a food it can use. The soil should be well drained and loose since cold, heavy soils can cause the seeds to rot. 'Envy' is a quick maturing variety, but my go to variety is 'Midori Giant'. This variety has large pods with 3 seeds per pod. Space plants about 4- to 6-inches apart. Watch for slugs when the plants are young. Control them by hand picking the mollusks or spreading an organic bait that contains iron phosphate. Harvest when the pods fill out and are plump, but before the pods turn yellow. We often just steam the pods in salty water and eat them as a snack. But they're also great cooked with other vegetables, in potato salads, and as a topping on summer salads. We companion plant kale between our edamame rows, so that once the edamame is harvested we chop down the plants and leave them as mulch around the kale. The kale thrives as a fall veggie.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that the lilacs and other spring flowering shrubs have finished flowering, it's time to prune. Many gardeners delay pruning until later in summer, or even next spring, but that's wrong. Pruning late will remove the flower buds for next year's show. After spring flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, forsythia, rhododendrons, weigela, nineback and bridal wreath spirea have finished blooming, you have about 4- to 6-weeks to prune before flowers form for next year. These shrubs don't have to be pruned every year unless they're growing too large. Then you have a few options. You can remove some of the new growth down to a height you want. If you don't take off too much new growth, the plants will still flower next year. Doing this pruning yearly is a good way to keep a tall and wide growing shrub, such as lilac, from getting too large. Of course, if planted in a yard or location where it can grow to its maximum size, your shrubs will be magnificent when in flower. The other method is to severely prune the shrub to reduce the size and lower where the flowers are forming. This drastic cutting, sometimes to only a few feet tall, will result in no flowers for a few years until the shrub recovers, but will create a smaller, more manageable plant. Another way of approaching a tall lilac, for example, is to prune one third of the stems each year for 3 years. This will stimulate new shoots or suckers to grow that will eventually flower while reducing the height and still getting some flowers each year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With summer here, it's time to experiment with some unusual, warm weather loving vegetables. One unique veggie I've tried growing for a few years now is peanuts. These nuts taste even better than store bought ones when grown in your garden. Peanuts are commonly grow in warmer climates, such as the Southeast, where well-drained soil, heat and humidity provide the perfect conditions for these ground nuts. But peanuts are native to South America and can grow in a variety of climates, including New England, with a little coaxing. Peanuts are legumes and have a unique way of making nuts. The bushy, pea-like plants have small yellow flowers that are easy to miss. These flowers get pollinated and form a peg or stem that drills into the soil around the plant. It's at the end of this peg in the soil where the peanut forms. Peanuts need at least 100 days of warmth, sun and moisture to form a crop. Look for quicker maturing varieties, such as 'Tennessee Red Valencia' and 'Schronce's Black' Spanish type, to grow. Plant in full sun on loose soil, amended with compost and organic fertilizer. Plant now hoping that by late August you'll get peanuts forming before the night time temperatures dip into the 40Fs and peanuts stop growing. I've grown peanuts on an elevated raised bed to enhance the warmth and protect the nuts from mice. It worked, but last summer was cloudy and cool so I only got a handful of peanuts. This year I'm trying again in a new, unheated greenhouse where I hope the extra warmth will lead to extra peanuts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most vegetable gardeners are familiar with the benefits of growing veggies vertically. Certainly we know peas and pole beans love to climb. Tall varieties of peas, such as 'Tall Telephone' and 'Sugar Snap', climb up a trellis or fence with ease. Pole beans like to wrap around a pole or support as they grow. But there are other veggies that can also be grown vertically to save space and reduce disease and insect damage. Some summer squash, zucchini and winter squash varieties can be trained to grow up. Old summer squash varieties, such as 'Yellow Crookneck', and new zucchini varieties, such as 'Incredible Escalator', can be attached with Velcro brand plant ties to a fence and trained to stay off the ground. This gives you better yields on cleaner fruits. Even small-sized, winter squash varieties, such as 'Delicata' and 'Climbing Honey Nut' butternut, can also be grown this way. You can even construct a hog wire fence tunnel to grow heavier, vining, winter squash beauties. The vining Italian summer squash, 'Trombocino', is one of my personal favorites. This vine grows quickly up a fence, covering it with squash leaves. Come mid summer the fruits form and can grow very long. But they're best eaten when less than 3 feet long. The long, thin, neck is seedless and ends with a bulb on the bottom. It has dense flesh and a nutty flavor. If you want to try some exotic fruits, bitter melon or squash is an Indian vegetable I grow. It produces warty, green skinned fruits with a slight bitter flavor. It also grows quickly up a fence or trellis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the weather warms, I'm starting to think about basil. It's a bit early to plant basil, but it is a good time to shop for plants and seeds of some of the more unusual basil varieties. While we all know and love 'Genovese' basil, there are many other flavors to basil. One of our favorites is 'Thai' basil. The thicker leaves hold up well at high heat in Asian recipes and it has a sweet, anise-like flavor. The plant has attractive purple leaf veins and flowers, too. A cross between 'Genovese' and 'Thai' basil is 'Christmas' basil. This plant has the ornamental qualities of 'Thai' basil with a holiday scent of pine and fruity spices. 'Lemon' basil and 'Lime' basil have smaller leaves with a strong citrus smell. 'Holy' basil is also know as Tulsi. It's used in Indian cooking and medicines. It has a strong, spicy taste. For color in the basil patch, 'Cardinal' basil hales from Israel and has showy, large, red flowers. 'Dark Opal' and 'Purple' basil have deeper colored leaves with a strong, clove-like flavor. All basils grow best in full sun on well-drained, compost amended soil or in containers. Wait until the soil really warms, maybe until Memorial Day, to plant these exotic basils. There's no rush because basil loves hot weather. Keep the plants well watered. Unless you're growing basil for the ornamental flowers, snip off the blooms when they form to send more energy into leaf production. To harvest, strip off branches of basil leaves back to the main trunk or stem. This encourages more new branch growth with bigger leaves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the recent trends to help pollinators thrive is called “No Mow May.” The idea is to not mow your lawn in May and let the weeds, which may be wildflowers, too, sprout up and bloom. This will provide pollinators with the pollen and nectar they need. Since lawns make up 40 million acres of our landscape, this could really make a difference. Although I want to help pollinators, too, I'm not a big proponent of “No Mow May.” Certainly May is a busy month for pollinators and they need all the help they can get. While many lawns have non-grass weeds in them, those weeds may not have the best flowers for pollinators. Also, what happens after May 31st? If everyone goes back to mowing their lawns as they usually do, all that potential pollinator food is lost. For an everlasting, positive benefit to our pollinators I would rather see homeowners dedicate a patch of their yard to wildflowers. It may be a small area on the side yard or in the back yard that doesn't get used much anyway. Ideally, it would be in full sun to grow the most variety of pollinator plants. Prepare this area like a garden bed, and seed pollinator friendly annuals, biennials and perennials. Once established, your pollinator garden should thrive on its own and only need a mowing in late fall to prevent woody plants from invading. Also, over seed your lawn with white clover and mow at least 3 inches tall to not cut off the clover flowers. This will provide another great source of food for pollinators.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With all the bulbs and spring ephemerals blooming right now, it's hard to think of flowers for late summer. But now is the time to plan for that quieter period when fewer flowers are blooming. One of the most versatile flowers to grow for summer and fall color is the dahlia. Dahlias hail from the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala. Europeans brought them to that continent and eventually they found their way to North America. Dahlias are hardy in zones 7 and above. Although they might overwinter in warmer parts of the state, its still good to dig and store them each winter. While you can grow dahlias from seed, for immediate satisfaction, purchase tubers. Plant in early- to mid-May in most parts of the state once the soil temperatures reach 60 degrees. Plant dahlias in full sun on well-drained soil. They do like a consistently cool, moist soil so add compost and keep a hose handy for watering. Plant 4- to 6-inches deep and lay the tuber flat with the growth point or “eye” facing upward. Either stake and tie the plants as they grow or plant them close to other tall perennials, such as peonies and baptisia, and let the dahlias use them for support. Pinch the plant when it's 1 foot tall to promote bushiness and more flowers. Select varieties based on their color and flower shape. The flower sizes can be 2- to 10-inches in diameter and the shapes include cactus, pom pom, peony, orchid and singles. I particularly like the purple and bi-color flower varieties and ones, such as 'Mystic Illusion', with dark purple foliage color. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 22nd we'll be celebrating the 54th annual Earth Day. While it's great to participate in Earth Day activities, why not make some changes to how we garden to support life on this planet better. I have some suggestions.  Gardeners use a lot of plastic pots. Most of these plastic pots cannot be recycled and end up in the landfill. Instead of throwing out the pots, reuse them. As long as the pots are not broken, clean them well in spring with a 10% bleach solution for planting. For larger pots you don't need, ask your local garden center if they can reuse or recycle the pots. The less new plastic we purchase and use, the better for the planet.  Create a mini meadow in your yard. Many gardeners want to help pollinators, but don't have the space or desire to turn their whole lawn into a pollinator garden. A solution is to find a small patch of your yard that isn't used much and create a mini meadow.  Create a seed bed as you would for a vegetable garden, and plant wildflower seeds now. You'll grow a colorful mix of annuals and perennials that pollinators will love. Mow the meadow once in late fall. Reduce the use of all pesticides by using row covers, micro mesh covers, traps, and companion planting in your gardens. Even organic pesticides can cause harm to beneficial insects. Share your knowledge and time with some community gardening projects. Schools, churches, and libraries are some of the places that have gardens where you can help others grow food and flowers for all to enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many gardeners grow Brassica family veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale. I also like to experiment with two other Brassicas: kohlrabi and rapini. Kohlrabi looks a bit like a space satellite. It's low growing and forms an edible, handball sized, swollen stem near the soil surface. That's the part you eat. It was discovered in the 16th century and is popular in Europe. The classic varieties, such as 'Quickstar', are green. I like growing the purple colored, 'Kohlibri' and the white skinned, 'Beas'. There are some varieties, such as 'Superschmelz', that can grow 14 inches across. That's a lot of kohlrabi to eat! The flavor of kohlrabi is like a slightly sweet turnip and I eat it raw in dips or roast it with root crops. Plant now and stagger your plantings or you'll get lots of kohlrabi all maturing at once. Once harvested the plant is destroyed. Another unusual Brassica is broccoli raab or rapini. This leafy vegetable hails from the Mediterranean region and from China. The name means “little turnip” in Italian. Like kohlrabi, it's related to turnips, but has a small, broccoli-like head and the leaves and small stems are cooked and eaten as well. The flavor can be slightly bitter, and very robust. I like it steamed, roasted, grilled and sauteed. It's great with pasta or with potatoes. Rapini grows best in cool temperatures, so now is the time to start growing it. It only takes 45 days after seeding to harvest the young plants. Thin plants to 8 inches apart and harvest before the flowers bolt for the mildest flavor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.