The Gardening Blog

July, summer and vegetable seeds do not seem words that are easily linkable, because both those who have never done any gardening and those who have a vegetable garden but are still amateurs probably think that sowing temperatures start to be extremely high is useless.

Serious diseases are not common in the vegetable garden, especially if it is well cared for, and you probably won’t have to deal with anything more serious than an invasion of plant lice or a minor case of downy mildew or blight.

Organic seeds have been for years subject of initiatives aimed at promoting its usage both inside home gardens and intensive production aimed at selling. In fact, even in organic agriculture there is always the possibility of employing conventional seeds and consequently, the products cannot be considered biologically certified.

The turf in the garden is a great solution both from a practical and aesthetic point of view: In fact, it allows you to filter rainwater, absorb it in the soil and channel it, so that it can be collected from underground water tables. In this way you can avoid the formation of mud and water stagnation.

Planting vegetable seeds is a solution that is becoming more and more popular in the latest years: in fact, it allows to have fresh vegetables and greens of which the cultivation techniques are shared and at the same time, making our own garden or window sill more beautiful.

The bulb is similar to the onion, and the plant too, the umbrella inflorescences and taste are very similar. But the shallot is not an onion. It is without a doubt less common, more delicate and finer than onions, with which it shares a family, that of Liliaceae or - according to its current classification - the Amaryllidaceae.

Red, pink and sometimes white poppy flowers, are seen everywhere for a few weeks in mid-spring. They are light, and move swaying at the slightest breeze and their color makes you think of the sun’s light and heat during nice days. They don’t need a lot of humidity, they can be found in an open field but they grow well - spontaneously - even on neglected and uncultivated grounds, along the side of the street and even near train tracks.

The common idea is that the fruit is sweet while vegetables are not. Because of this, some cannot stand the flavor of pumpkin because it is considered weird compared to the type of food, while naturally it is just that that makes these vegetables so special and constitute part of why people enjoy them. In fact, their high sugar level and their particular consistency make it a perfect ingredient for side dishes and savory dishes but also for sweet recipes. Pumpkin seeds can also be used as a snack to much on, you can offer them as food to guinea pigs and birds, or even use them as decoration for some DIY projects.

Cultivated since the 1500, the Foeniculum vulgare or wild fennel is a spontaneous plant, very similar to the variety that is cultivated, by botanical affinity - they are both Umbelliferae - and taste, but of which different parts are consumed.

The purple cauliflower is a large vegetable, typically found in winter, resulted from the cross between broccoli cabbage, common cauliflower and a selection of fine Violetto di Sicilia cauliflower. The characteristic that distinguishes it, is precisely the purple color that derives from anthocyanins of which this variant of cauliflower is rich.