Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

Written in United States

Growing Artichokes in New England

Here in coastal Rhode Island, I live in the US Department of Agriculture’s Plant Hardiness Zone 7a. This zone has a medium-length growing season and winter temperatures that, at their coldest, can drop to between 0° and 5°F. This makes growing artichokes outdoors difficult. These plants prefer a more temperate climate because most set buds […]

Written in United States

Why Do Plants Look Good in the Store and Then Do Badly at Home?

When you go to a garden center, the plants look wonderfully healthy and vigorous, so you buy lots of them. But upon taking them home and planting them in your greenhouse or garden, they may gradually begin to fade. First their growth may slow; then they may stop flowering; and finally they may start to […]

Written in United States

Starting Asparagus in Your Greenhouse

About twenty-five years ago I bought some asparagus roots, planted them and waited to enjoy the stalks. The bed has provided fresh asparagus since that time. Every year, I add more seaweed and well-rotted horse manure or compost to the bed and have been rewarded every spring with fresh asparagus. But now I find that […]

Written in United States

Carnivorous Plants

Although most plants convert light energy to chemical energy by photosynthesis, not all obtain the nutrients they need through their roots. Many of those that don’t live in bogs where their roots are permanently in low-nutrient, poorly-drained soil. One adaptation in this environment is obtaining nutrients, especially nitrogen, by digesting insects that visit the plants. […]

Written in United States

Solving Your Summertime Water Woes

In summertime, it’s hot and dry in much of America for extended periods of time, but plants still need water – typically lots of it. What’s more, keeping greenhouse plants watered in these extreme conditions is made even harder when local communities impose lawn and garden watering bans to conserve their rapidly depleting water resources […]

Written in United States

Determinate or Indeterminate; That is The Question

What can be better than going out to your garden, picking a few sun-warmed tomatoes and enjoying them for lunch or dinner? Tomatoes are the most popular garden plant grown in America, but do you know your determinate from your indeterminate? Your heirloom from your hybrid? Or why some tomatoes have VF, A, FF, or […]