Soil

Well-drained soil of average fertility.

Position

Full sun.

Frost tolerant

Limited. The varieties sold as bedding plants can tolerate light frosts, but are meant to be grown as summer annuals.

Feeding

Mix a light application of a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil prior to planting. In summer, drench plants every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer.

Companions

Ageratum and Petunia. African daisies look best when planted in groups or masses, perhaps framed with dusty miller, ageratum or annual verbena. Osteospermum make great flowers for containers.

Spacing

Single Plants: 11" (30cm) each way (minimum)

Rows: 11" (30cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

Only a few varieties of osteospermum are grown from seed. The heavy flowering varieties are propagated from rooted stem cuttings and sold as potted plants in spring. Set plants out at about the time of your last spring frost.

Notes

Osteospermum colors include pink, white, and shades of yellow. The plants will bloom for eight weeks or more if old flowers are removed.

Harvesting

When cut as soon as they open, osteospermum make good cut flowers.

Troubleshooting

As plants age, they sometimes develop problems with powdery mildew. Aphids may occasionally feed on new growing tips and buds. Pinch off large colonies.

Soil

Fertile garden soil with excellent drainage.

Position

Full sun.

Frost tolerant

Good. Where winters are mild, well-rooted plants survive one winter and bloom heavily the following spring.

Feeding

Encourage fast growth by mixing a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil before planting.

Companions

Cosmos, Salvia and Celery. Upright and uniform, snapdragons make great accent plants when grown in groups. Try a snapdragon as the upright element in a mixed container.

Spacing

Single Plants: 11" (30cm) each way (minimum)

Rows: 11" (30cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

When starting snapdragon seeds indoors in late winter, barely cover the seeds with moist seed starting mix. Grow the seedlings under bright lights until they are large enough to transplant outdoors. Most gardeners save time by buying snapdragons as bedding plants.

Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.

Notes

Some varieties can grow tall enough to need staking. Colors include red, orange, yellow, violet, white, pink and many bicolors.

Harvesting

Snapdragons make wonderful cut flowers. Gather stems when two-thirds of the flowers on the spike have opened. As flowers fade outdoors, snip them off with scissors to encourage reblooming.

Troubleshooting

Especially in warm, wet weather, tired snapdragons may collapse from various root rot diseases.

This wonderful Italian heirloom summer squash is a vigorous climbing vine, producing many 12 to 15-inch, lime-green fruits with a curvaceous trumpet shape and a delicate mild taste with a hint of nutty artichoke flavor. Trombetta's flesh is seedless and firm and doesn't get watery or mushy like regular zucchini. The rambling plants will soon cover a trellis, fence or stakes with fruits

Spicy Basil Globe really does have a spicy flavor, almost peppery but not so intense as arugula.

It's still got the sweetness of basil. It's a fun, different flavor profile that's a fabulous addition to any kitchen garden.

Spicy Globe' was likely cultivated in Greece.

Cantaloupe sprouts, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds are edible.

Muskmelon Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe matures early and has an excellent sweet flavor. This hardy variety will grow in all regions and is more drought tolerant than other melons. The beautiful oval melons have a ribbed, tan skin, and a sweet, musky flavor and aroma.

Muskmelon  Cantaloupes are a variety of the muskmelon, and the name “cantaloupe” refers specifically to the North American variety.

Cantaloupe seeds can be planted directly into the garden.

Sow seed directly into the garden soil a few weeks after the last frost date. Seeds can be planted again in late summer for a fall harvest. 

Create a hill of well-drained soil about 10" high and 2' across. Plant 3 seeds 1" deep on top. Later thin to one plant per hill. Grow in full sun and water often.

They should come up in 7-14 days depending on the soil temperature. They grow quickly in warm weather. Keep their roots cooler with a few inches of mulch and it will conserve moisture and reduce weed growth. If you are in a cooler climate try to keep plants as warm as possible. One suggestion is to plant them next to a warm south-facing wall and to cover the vines during cooler nights. 

Cantaloupe vines spread quickly across the garden and can reach 3-6' long. If space is limited they can be trained up a trellis, but be sure to provide support for the hanging melons. When the fruits on the trellis are the size of a baseball place them in a stretchy net or sling. For larger melons, keep only 2-3 fruits per vine and remove the others. Harvest when the melons they are yellowish-orange and slightly soft near the stem. They can gently be pulled from the vines when mature.

Muskmelon Hale's Best Jumbo Cantaloupe seeds. Cucumis melo Annual. Open-pollinated, heirloom, non-GMO. Harvest after 80 days  

This packet plants 10 mounds for growing 10 plants.