Pruning is an essential gardening practice that keeps your blueberry and raspberry bushes productive, healthy, and easy to manage.

Pruning tomato plants has been a topic of debate among gardeners. Some claim that it increases yield, while others believe it's unnecessary. Scientific evidence does suggest that pruning can have specific benefits, but the extent of its impact on yield can vary based on factors like tomato variety, growing conditions, soil nutrients/microbes and pruning techniques.

Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage

Many nutrition experts say that broccoli and kale are the most healthy of all veggies and worth their weight in gold. But, in our area Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower and Cabbage are more heavily damaged by pests like the cabbage looper and cabbage worm than other plants in the Cabbage Family. Plus, broccoli can be heavily damaged by “clubroot,” making it the most difficult of the cabbage family veggies to grow in our area. These growing tips will give you the knowledge to grow all the cabbage family veggies successfully. But as you will see the extra time and energy may not be worth the return.

A fresh ripe tomato is one of the most delicious and simple foods available to us. And it’s the most nutritious when eaten from a local organic garden or farm. Plus, there are so many tomato varieties all with their own unique colors and flavors. It's time to unlock the pleasure of eating real food again without spending big bucks at the organic market. Deep Roots wants to guide you through the steps of learning to grow your own tomatoes at a fraction of the grocery store cost. With a correct watering and a lot of sun, tomato plants will bear fruit all summer long. Tomatoes are fragrant and nutrient-rich. The taste of a freshly picked homegrown tomato is a joy.

Garlic is best planted in fall or a bountiful harvest next summer. It sprouts in spring and is harvested in July. However garlic is relatively carefree when given a well-drained site, our compost as your soil,  with full sun, good air circulation and worm castings as fertilizer.

Plant seeds Nov. 15 to 30 for spring germination

Get a larger crop with much less work if you plant the seeds in November for germination in the spring. Early November is unpredictably warm. Better to plant in late November when temperatures are reliably colder. The seeds and new spring sprouts like snow. You can also plant more seeds in late February/early March.

Growing squash in a suburban garden in zone 6a can be highly rewarding with the right approach. Here are some tips to help you succeed, along with information on pollination and improving it.