Won 't My Eggplant Blossom?

Eggplant (Solanum melongena), with its earthy taste and sometimes rubbery texture, is an acquired taste that benefits from being backyard fresh. Unfortunately, the plant, at the exact same family as tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), can also be prone to all the insects and temperature sensitivities of these plants and much more. Due …


Is There a Dwarf Kumquat Tree?

Dwarf fruit trees provide normal sized fruit on smaller trees, putting delicious treats on the family table without the space maintenance issues involved in growing trees that are hexagonal. Kumquat fruit is very welcome at home gardens because it ripens in midwinter, when people are longing for locally grown fresh fruit. Dwarf kumquat trees have …


When Green Bell Peppers Switch Red Are They Really Overdone?

The fruits of the common sweet bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) undergo several color phases as they ripen. The fruits, or peppers, start out green turn deep green and finally red. Many times, food markets display red and green peppers side by side as if they are different varieties, but they’re not. Red peppers are just …


Roots of Style

They charm us with an intimate scale and intricate wooden details lightly layered over stuccotiles, stone and bricks. Their porches return time while offering a gentle transition between the outside world and cozy spaces inside. These are Craftsman houses — uniquely American creations that began to appear around 1905 in Southern California and are considered …