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5 Steps to a Chesapeake Bay-Friendly Landscape

Most Maryland residents live within a half-mile of a storm drain, stream or river. Most of those waterways eventually drain into the Chesapeake Bay. What we do to maintain our own landscapes can affect the health of our local waterways (drainage ditches, streams, and rivers), the Chesapeake Bay,...

Why so little yellow shoulders in tomatoes this year?

Typical yellow shoulders problem in tomatoes

Normally at this time of year, I’d be writing about how bad yellow shoulders and other fruit ripening problems are in Maryland tomatoes. But this has been a strange season with May weather in March and March weather in May, which caused a great deal of catfacing problems this year. However, except...

Parsley

Petroselinum crispum What would we do without parsley? Can you imagine an expensive entree without its sprig of parsley? A substitute for parslied potatoes? Undoubtedly, parsley is a necessary culinary herb, but grow your own? You bet! Parsley is a biennial. After its first winter, it flowers and...

Shallots

Allium cepa var. aggregatum Grow your own specialty crop! If you like gourmet ingredients, plant shallots, a dainty member of the onion family prized for mild subtle flavor without a strong onion or garlic taste. Their small bulbs and green grass-like foliage are edible, similar to green onions...

Bulb fennel, Florence fennel

Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum Bulb fennel has been a mainstay vegetable in the Mediterranean for centuries. Eaten raw in salads, roasted until caramelized, steamed, or stir-fried, it adds a slight licorice flavor to dishes. Don’t confuse bulb fennel with annual herb fennel whose seeds are used...