Category: Home & Garden

Fire might be a homeowner’s greatest fear, but any insurance company will tell you that water is the far more common cause of property damage, even if you don’t live in an area subject to flooding. And it can come from many sources: A failing water heater, a burst pipe, a broken supply line under your sink, a clogged toilet, or even a split hose connected to your washing machine. Just as it’s essential to have a smoke detector in each of your home’s bedrooms and common areas, you’d be wise to install leak detectors in places where water damage could start: The laundry room, water heater closet, the bathroom, under your kitchen sink, and so on. Leak alerts are arguably less important for renters, but it’s something landlords might want to consider—although that raises the issue of how the sensors would connect to the internet. More on that later. If you think a leak sensor is something your home should have, here are our top picks. If you want more information on this topic and want to read more reviews, scroll down a bit. Updated April 9, 2019 to add our take on the Sinopé Sedna water-leak protection kit . This system combines water sensors with an electronic valve that mounts on your main water supply, so it might  react faster to a water leak than “smarter” valves—such as the Flo by Moen —that rely on algorithms analyzing water pressure and flow rates. On the other hand, if a pipe bursts far from one of Sinopé’s sensors, your home could suffer a lot of water damage before any of those sensors trigger the valve to shut off the water. Best water leak detector: Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector Honeywell’s Lyric Water Leak and Free Detector alerts you to three conditions that can cause problems in your home: water leaks, freezing temperatures, and high humidity. It’s dead-simple to deploy, but its biggest drawback is that it can’t be integrated into any smart-home systems. Although it’s the most expensive sensor we tested ($80), the Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze detector is the most powerful and the easiest to set up. It operates over Wi-Fi and connects directly to your router without requiring a smart-home hub. And in addition to warning you about a water leak, the Lyric can also alert you to freezing temperatures and high humidity levels that can lead to other problems. Jared Newman The Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector is our current favorite in this category. The Lyric has one major shortcoming that could be a deal breaker for enthusiasts: It can’t be integrated into a broader smart-home system. So it can bring a water leak to your attention, but it can’t communicate with a smart water valve to shut the water off at the source. But Honeywell’s sensor can’t be beat on the basics. Runner-up water leak detector: Utilitech Wireless Water Leak Detector The Utilitech water leak detector is very inexpensive and can be incorporated into any Z-Wave smart-home hub. But its own siren is too quiet to be of any use, and it must be mounted to a vertical surface. This was a tough call, because the Utilitech Water Leak Detector has some major downsides. Its battery life only lasts for a year, and the sensor must be mounted on a wall or other vertical surface, making setup a hassle and limiting your placement options. Jared Newman There are a few downsides to our next-best pick, but you can’t beat the price. On the other hand, it costs just $30, it you can deploy them in multiples, and it works with most Z-Wave smart-home hubs (we tested it as part of an Iris by Lowe’s system; Utilitech is a Lowe’s brand ). Honorable mention: LeakSmart Water Leak Detector It’s pricey, but the LeakSmart’s ability to integrate into broader smart-home systems and its relatively inexpensive optional water shutoff valve help this leak detector stand out. What sets LeakSmart’s hub-based sensor apart from others is that the company also manufactures a smart water shut-off valve ($159 at Lowe’s), which we did not test (most people would want to have that component professionally installed). Still, it’s a huge draw over other sensors that either require more elaborate valve setups or don’t offer those controls at all. Jared Newman You can pair the LeakSmart sensor with a smart shut-off valve from the same manufacturer. Aside from that perk, the LeakSmart Sensor works with both Wink and Iris by Lowe’s hubs (the latter also able to sound its own alarm, and it call you in case of emergency). This is also is one of a few options we tested that measures temperature as well as moisture. But at $69, it’s pricey for a sensor that requires a separate hub device. How we tested To measure each sensor’s effectiveness, we placed it on a bathroom tile, and then poured enough water to cover the surface of that tile. Most sensors responded immediately, though the Honeywell Lyric routinely delayed its alarm by around 30 seconds, which we noted in our full review. We measured alarm volume using the Decibel 10th app on an iPhone 6 Plus, with the microphone pointed toward the sensor from six inches away. Empirical testing aside, the Honeywell Lyric’s volume was subjectively much louder than the other sensors. We didn’t directly test integrations with other smart home devices, but inspected each companion app and the online service IFTTT for available features. We consulted manuals and product listings for battery life estimates and device dimensions. Editors’ note: This testing methodology does not apply to leak detection systems that monitor your water supply line, such as the Flo by Moen  and the Sinopé Sedna . Jared Newman What to look for when shopping You might be surprised by the diverse approaches to what seems like a simple task: detecting the presence of water where it shouldn’t be. Some operate on Wi-Fi, others require a hub to communicate. Some plug into an AC outlet, others require a battery. Some come with external sensor cables and mount to the wall, others lay on the floor. Most, but not all, have onboard sirens. If the recommendations above don’t work for you, here are the specs and features you’ll want to consider when shopping for a smart home water leak detector. Hub requirements: Honeywell’s Lyric and D-Link’s sensor both operate on Wi-Fi, so you don’t need additional products to make them work. Other products, such as the Fibaro Flood Sensor and Insteon Water Leak Sensor, require a hub to connect to the internet and the apps on your phone. Jared Newman Hub-based sensors, such as this Fibaro Flood Sensor, can be integrated into broader smart-home systems. Connection protocols: If you own a hub already, you must make sure the sensor uses a compatible connection protocol. Fibaro, for instance, uses Z-Wave, which works with SmartThings and Wink hubs. Insteon sensors only work with Insteon hubs (one of which is compatible with Apple’s HomeKit technology). If you own a well-known hub such as Wink, SmartThings, or Iris by Lowe’s, you’ll likely see those names on the sensor’s box. Integrations: Some hubs, such as Wink, SmartThings, and Insteon, allow you automate actions on other devices when a leak occurs. That way, you can trigger lights, turn on cameras, or sound an alarm. (Iris by Lowe’s supports this as well, but only with a $10-per-month subscription.) Wink, SmartThings, and D-Link also support IFTTT, a service that lets you automate tasks between connected devices and services. Sensors that communicate with water valves can turn off your main water supply to stop a leak. Size and extendability: Where do you plan to put your leak sensor? If it’s a tight space, make sure the sensor is either small enough to fit, or that it offers a sensor cable to extend its reach. Built-in siren: Unless you plan to put the sensor far from where you might normally hear it, it’s helpful to have a siren onboard. That way, you’ll still get alerted at home even when the internet is down. Additional onboard sensors: Some leak sensors can also measure other environmental conditions that can lead to problems at their extremes, such as temperature (a frozen pipe can burst and cause catastrophic water damage) and humidity (excess moisture in the air can allow mold to grow). Power source: Most leak sensors are battery powered, but some, such as D-Link’s Wi-Fi Water Sensor, depend on AC power. An outlet-powered sensor with battery backup in the event of a blackout would be ideal; unfortunately, they are rare. Editor’s note: Mel Nussbaum, the owner of Water Works Plumbing in Overland Park, Kansas, emailed this useful tip for preventing water damage due to frozen pipes bursting: “If you shut off your main water service valve [you’ll] never have the issue, and two minutes of your time [will] cost you nothing. By the time you’re alerted and get someone to take action you still will incur huge damages.”

The 45th annual tulip festival at West Side Community Garden will be kicking off on April 20th ! The West Side Community Garden (located at 123 West 89th Street) will be displaying more than 13,000 tulips, blossoming trees, and other plant life. Each spring, many West Siders find themselves enjoying the outdoors once again and strolling amongst the garden’s beautiful flowers. The annual tulip festival is one of our favorite springtime events to attend and a wonderful way to reconnect with the magic that nature brings with it. Not only does the festival attract plenty of New Yorkers but also flower enthusiasts from all around the world. It’s the perfect place to snap some Instagram-worthy photos of the tulips and their vibrant colors while walking around in a serene environment. The community garden is open from dawn until dusk during the blooming season and admission is free through the entrance found between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. View this post on Instagram A post shared by iLovetheUpperWestSide.com (@ilovetheupperwestside) on Mar 31, 2018 at 9:53am PDT It’s hard to imagine this green landscape used to be nothing more than a large vacant lot filled with garbage and dirt. Most of the flowers and vegetables showcased in the garden now are raised at the greenhouse of St. John the Divine found a few blocks away on Amsterdam Ave. The Tulip Festival is funded through the donations and generosity of many Upper West Siders. The Community Garden also receives support from the Greenacre Foundation and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation. It is a privately owned and not-for-profit entity which comes with an all-volunteer staff and is completely accessible to those who suffer from disabilities. Make a donation, become a member and tell your friends and family about this gem of a garden to keep it blossoming year after year. Learn more here!  Join our newsletter for more community events!  Email *

The best smart thermostat will have an outsize impact not only how comfortable you are in your home, but also on your household budget. Heating and cooling your home accounts for nearly half of the average home’s utility bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A programmable thermostat can help reduce those costs by turning your HVAC system on when you anticipate being home, and off when you don’t think you’ll need indoor climate control. A smart thermostat goes far beyond relying on a simple schedule. It will not only enable you to create more sophisticated schedules for every day of the week, and give you complete control over your HVAC system, even when you’re away from home. We continually test and evaluate smart thermostats and can help you find the right one for your home. Updated April 2, 2019  to add our review of the  Sinopé smart thermostat for line-voltage heaters . If you heat your home using electric baseboard, convector, or radiant (in the floor or ceiling) heaters, the more commonly known smart thermostats (Nest and Ecobee, for instance) won’t work. This model from Sinopé is the first of its type that we’ve reviewed, and we like it. But since it is our first, we’re not quite ready to name it the best in its category.  [ Further reading: A smart home guide for beginners ] Ecobee remains our favorite thermostat, but adding Alexa functionality seems rather extraneous. Nest usually gets all the attention—and the company deserves credit for shaking up a once sleepy market—but we think the Ecobee4 is the best choice when it comes to smart thermostats. The big change over the Ecobee3? The new model harbors an Amazon Echo clone. We’re not sure the addition was absolutely necessary, but it doesn’t inflate the thermostat’s cost over our previous pick (and there’s really no reason to upgrade if you already own one). Most of the other smart thermostats we’ve tested rely on measuring a home’s temperature in just one spot: Where the thermostat is located. Trouble is, that spot is usually in a hallway or somewhere else that you never spend any time in. The Ecobee4 lets you place sensors in multiple rooms in your home, so you’ll always be comfortable where you do spend most of your time. The Ecobee4 is also compatible with just about every other smart home device you can imagine, including Samsung’s SmartThings, Wink, Haiku ceiling fans, and Apple’s HomeKit ecosystem. The Nest is still the best for users who don’t want to think about their thermostat, but it’s no longer our top pick. Don’t count Nest out of the thermostat game. The Google division has worked harder than anyone to build out a comprehensive smart home ecosystem with its own products—the Nest Cam security camera series and the Nest Protect smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors—as well as a wide array of third-party products: Everything from ceiling fans to lighting controls and even smart appliances. The recent addition of the Nest Temperature Sensor makes this device even smarter. So why does it garner runner-up status here? Nest counts on your buying other Nest products to help determine when you’re home and away, for starters. And anyone investing—or planning to invest—in Apple’s up-and-coming HomeKit ecosystem should steer clear of Nest products. Best budget smart thermostat The Lyric T5 is less sophisticated than many other smart thermostats, but you might not care given its price tag. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles that fancier smart thermostats offer (and you don’t need to control a humidifier, dehumidifier, or ventilator), Honeywell’s Lyric T5 is a great choice. It’s not as sophisticated as our top picks in this category, but it’s considerably less expensive. The lower price tag for most of the same functionality should put a Nest thermostat in more homes. Building the Nest Thermostat E with plastic, instead of glass and stainless steel, helped the company shave $80 on its price tag. While it’s designed to blend into its surroundings, versus calling attention to itself in the way its pricier stablemate does , the model E has most of the same smarts, and it’s compatible with the Nest Temperature Sensor . It is not, however, capable of controlling some of the more sophisticated HVAC systems on the market. Make sure it’s compatible with yours before you purchase one. What to look for when shopping C-wire requirement Most smart thermostats require more electrical power than a set of batteries can provide. Fortunately, they don’t require so much power than they need to be plugged into the wall. They rely instead on low-voltage power provided by your HVAC system. Many smart thermostats require the presence of a dedicated C (common) wire for this purpose, while others can siphon electricity from another source, typically the R (power) wire. But the latter practice is known to cause problems with some HVAC systems, including permanent damage. If you pull out your existing thermostat to install a smart model and find no C wire connected to it, look inside the wall to see if there’s one that hasn’t been connected. If there’s no C wire, our advice is to have one installed. Only a couple of the thermostats reviewed here require a C wire, but all the manufacturers highly recommend using one. Ease of installation A thermostat shouldn’t be difficult to install, even if you’re only moderately handy. The manufacturer should provide comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand instructions with plenty of photographs or illustrations to guide you through the process. The thermostat itself should be clearly indicate which wires go where, and most companies provide labels that you can attach to the wires coming out of the wall as you disconnect and remove your old model. The wires themselves should be color coded, but a good practice is to photograph your old thermostat for reference before you take it down. Honeywell Geofencing This feature uses the thermostat’s app and your smartphone’s GPS chip to establish a perimeter around your home. When you leave the perimeter, you presumably no longer need to heat and cool your home, or you can at least have the thermostat adjust the temperature so that it’s not running unnecessarily. When you cross the perimeter again as you come home, your HVAC system can kick into action so your house is comfortable when you walk in the door. Remote Access Remote access enables you to control your thermostat from afar, so that you can check in and adjust the temperature from wherever you have a connection to the internet. System complexity Each of the thermostats we tested support multi-stage heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, as well as heat pump systems. If your home is divided into zones that are heated and cooled independently of each other, you’ll probably need one thermostat for each zone. A single app should be able to control multiple zones. Sensors Geofencing is great—provided everyone who lives in the home has a smartphone. Motion and proximity sensors offer an alternative means of determining if your home is occupied and therefor in need of climate control. The original Nest thermostat was often criticized for relying too much on its motion sensor. If no one walked past it often enough, it would decide that the house was empty and it would stop heating or cooling. Some smart thermostats can also tap into door and window sensors as well as the motion sensors for your home security system. And proximity sensors on the thermostat itself can trigger a thermostat’s display to turn on when you walk past it, making the screens a handy feature in their own right, even if for no other reason than providing a nighttime pathway light. Samsung The best smart thermostats can be integrated into broader smart home systems, such as Samsung’s SmartThings. Smart-home system integration Every smart thermostat comes with an app so you can control it with your smartphone or tablet, but the best models can also be integrated with other smart-home devices and broader smart-home systems. This can range from being able to adjust the temperature with a voice command via an Amazon Echo or Google Home digital assistant, to linking to your smoke detector so that your fan automatically turns off when fire is detected, preventing smoke from being circulated throughout your home. Other options to consider include IFTTT and Stringify support, Apple HomeKit compatibility, smart-vent connectivity, and tie-ins with home security systems. User interface Long gone are the days when a thermostat’s user interface consisted of numbers on a dial. The more sophisticated a device becomes, the more difficult it can be to learn to use. The last thing you want to be doing is staring at inscrutable hieroglyphics on the wall when all you really want is to be warmer or cooler. A smart thermostat should convey important information at a glance and should easily adapt to your specific needs. How we test smart thermostats We install thermostats in a single-family home with a conventional HVAC system and use each one for a week or more to determine how effective it is at maintaining a comfortable environment. The home’s existing thermostat was wired with G, R, W, and Y wires. There was also a C wire in the wall that was connected to the furnace, but that had not been previously used. While there is no regulated standard for color-coding HVAC wires, industry practice has the G wire connecting the thermostat to the fan. This wire is typically green. The R wire, typically red, is for power. Some systems have separate power wires for heating and cooling and are labeled RH and RC respectively. The typically white W wire is for auxiliary heat; i.e., a second source of heat. The Y wire, which is typically yellow, connects the thermostat to your air conditioner. Finally, the C or “common” wire is used to carry power and is typically blue (think cerulean if you need a mnemonic). Our smart thermostat reviews

Fall is here and the leaves are beginning to drop.  Here are some reasons why fallen leaves should be removed from your landscape   –       Removing fallen leaves will give your landscape a neat uncluttered appearance. –       Accumulation of dead leaves can suffocate/damage your turf. –       Dry leaves can be a fire hazard. –       Leaves…

If you love the idea of having beautiful, healthy plants around your home, but can’t quite seem to get your plants to thrive, try this mayonnaise house plant trick!

OK, this mayonnaise house plant trick is going to sound downright crazy to some of you, but just hear me out! This trick is used by professionals and it just may be the thing to perk your plants up!

One mistake a lot of new plant owners make is that they think house plants are kind of a “set-it-and-forget-it” type of home decor item. Or maybe rather at, “set it, water it occasionally, but mostly forget it” type. This is especially true with all these super low-maintenance succulents that are so popular now.

The problem is that we often go a little too far in the low-maintenance direction and then are disappointed when our plants look a little lacklustre. So here’s what to do!

First of all, every 2 weeks or so, you need to wipe down your leaves. To do this, take a damp, slightly soapy cloth and gently wipe the underside and the top side of each leaf. Follow up with another damp, soap-free cloth to remove the soap.

Dust build-up on plants not only looks yucky, it can also clog your plant’s pores and prevent transpiration. Plants need their leaves to be clean so they can enjoy the sunshine as well!

Want your cut flowers to look great too? How to Make Cut Flowers Last Longer – The Creek Line House

The Mayonnaise House Plant Trick

Now here’s where the mayo comes in! This is especially good for plants with wide, smooth leaves.

Put a small amount of mayo in a dish and using another clean, dry cloth, wipe the top of each leaf of your houseplants. Not only will this give you those amazing super-shiny leaves that you see on plants at the florist’s, mayonnaise is also super effective at breaking down and removing any built-up sticky gunk like sap, so it will make sure your plant’s leave are really extra clean.

And wow does it ever make those leaves shine!

This may be just the ticket to keep your houseplants looking beautiful and healthy!

Have you ever heard of the mayonnaise house plant trick before?

If you enjoy little tips like this one, visit my subscribe page and I’ll keep you updated whenever I post a new one!

People who reside in places with a shorter growing season have come up with many clever ways to extend the harvest –from row covers to cold frames to greenhouses.

Succession planting is another way to maximize your vegetable garden’s productivity. Varying by approach, succession planting involves careful consideration of crop type, maturity dates, space, and timing.

Cut and come again gardening offers a similar boost to yields as succession planting, but without any extra planning. It’s definitely the easiest way to get a succession of harvests throughout the season, and all from a single plant.

Any plant that grows in a rosette is a good candidate for cut and come again. For example, leafy greens are terrific cut and come again plants. Snip the outer leaves while leaving the younger inner leaves intact for fresh salads throughout the summer. Many herbs can handle repeated harvests too.

Best of all, many cut and come again plants are super nutrient dense, providing you with plenty of vitamin and mineral rich foods throughout the summer.

20 Cut & Come Again Veggies For Endless Harvests

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.)

Grown for its edible leaves and seeds, amaranth also features a gorgeous display of tightly packed purplish flowers that grow in spikes.

Amaranth greens can be plucked as they grow. Smaller leaves will be tender and mild in taste while more mature greens have a deeper, nuttier flavor.

Arugula (Eruca sativa)

Arugula is a tangy leafy green vegetable, excellent in homemade mesclun mixes. It is a fast growing, cool season crop that can be harvested just four weeks after sowing.

Arugula leaves taste best when still young, so pick greens when they are 2 to 3 inches long, working from the outside of the plant in.

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

A perennial vegetable that returns year after year, asparagus takes two to three growing seasons to become established enough for its first harvest.

Once matured, check up on your asparagus plants every other day. When shoots are at least six inches tall, snip off at the soil line. Cutting asparagus will encourage more growth for new shoots.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Basil is a fast growing, heat loving herb that yields plenty of leaves for making pesto, soups, flavored oils, and more. It is also a fantastic companion plant for tomatoes and peppers, all while naturally repelling many garden pests.

To keep basil plants compact and productive, snip tops off ¼ inch above the node – like so.  

Beet Greens (Beta vulgaris)

Beets are fantastic producers in the garden. Not only will beet plants provide you with healthful root vegetables at the end of the season, they also produce an abundance of nutrient rich leafy greens as the beetroots grow.

For the tastiest beet greens, continually harvest throughout the season. Snip outer leaves when they are no more than 6 inches tall – the smaller the leaf, the more tender. Take a cutting or two from each plant, leaving an inch of stem still attached to the beetroot.

Bok Choy (Brassica rapa var. chinensis)

A shade loving Chinese cabbage, bok choy grows in a celery like habit with a bulbous base and broad green leaves.

Remove outer leaves for on the go harvesting. Or cut the entire plant back, leaving a couple of inches of growth – bok choy will resprout a new plant.

Celery (Apium graveolens)

Celery requires a longer growing period (130 to 140 days) in cooler summer temperatures. If you reside in a good climate for growing celery, you will be rewarded with a bountiful harvest.

Snip outer celery stalks and work your way inwards when the plant is 8 inches tall. Store stalks in the fridge and they will keep for several weeks.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

Great sautéed or eaten fresh in salads, leaf chicory very much resembles a dandelion in its growth habit. Since it forms rosettes as it grows, pluck a few outer leaves from each plant for a bountiful harvest.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)

Chives are an easy to grow perennial herb with a spiky grass like appearance. You can receive a multitude of harvests throughout the summer months by pruning the entire plant back, leaving an inch or two of growth at the soil line. Be sure to cut often and regularly to keep chives productive and prevent them from going to seed.

Collard Greens (Brassica oleracea)

Closely related to kale and broccoli, collard greens are a loose leaf cabbage with broad green leaves that grow in a rosette.

Like other cruciferous vegetables, collards are a cool season crop that can take more than 60 days to mature. In the meantime, take leaf cuttings by snipping them off at the base of the thick stalk.

Corn Salad (Valerianella locusta)

A pint sized leafy green, corn salad (also called mâche, lamb’s lettuce, nut lettuce, and rapunzel) is a tiny annual with deep green leaves and a distinctive nutty flavor.

Harvest outer leaves when they are 3 inches in length, working from the outside in.

Cress (Lepidium sativum)

Garden cress is one of the fastest growing foods, ready to be harvested in just two weeks. It is a spicy herb that adds a delectable zing to salads and soups.

Once cress is about 4 inches tall, you can take your first cutting. Leave a ½ inch stem behind and garden cress will quickly regrow.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

A wildflower with many uses, dandelions have long been considered a weed due to its amazing ability to persist. Thanks to its deep taproot, it can be cut all the way down to the ground and will happily regrow.

Harvest dandelions flowers to make tea and botanical oils, and use the green leaves for salads.

Kale (Brassica oleracea)

Available in varying shades of green and purple, kale is a type of non-heading cabbage with crinkly or flat leaves. Kale becomes bitter when exposed to too much heat so seeds should be planted in spring and fall.

Taking around two months to mature, you can pluck young leaves from the plant for fresh salads or wait for larger leaves to use in cooking.

Radicchio (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum)

A type of leaf chicory, radicchio is well known for its striking purple-red leaves and bright white veins. It has a somewhat bitter, spicy, and nutty flavor raw but becomes much sweeter when touched by frost or roasted.

Though the more common varieties grow similarly to cabbage, there are other types of radicchio that form upright heads that resemble romaine lettuce. Either type can be a cut and come again plant. Carefully peel back and remove the outer leaves for heading varieties.  

Romaine Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)

With tall upright heads and firm ribs, romaine (or cos) lettuce spans far more varieties than the common green leaf type used in Caesar salads.

Because they bunch together as they grow, cut the outer leaves for easy greens on the go.

Scallions (Allium fistulosum)

Also known as green onions or spring onions, scallions are quick growing plants with tubular, hollow green shoots that emerge from a small bulb.

Because they grow so rapidly, snip greens an inch or two above the soil line when plants are about six inches tall. Scallions will continue to send out shoots from the bulb.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea)

Spinach requires six weeks of cooler temperatures to thrive. As it grows, keep an eye on its leaves and pick them before they have fully matured. If you wait too long, spinach becomes bitter with age.

To get the most out of your crop, harvest outer leaves and let the center continue to grow.

Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris)

Swiss chard is essentially a beet, but without the edible bulb. It grows crinkly, deep green leaves on colorful stems.

Keep Swiss chard productive by snipping outer leaves as soon as they are mature.

Turnip Greens (Brassica rapa)

As with beets, turnips produce tasty and nutritious greens above the soil. Cut these when they are about 4 inches in length, taking just a couple leaves from each plant at a time.

Cut & Come Again Gardening Tips

There inevitably comes a time where cut and come again vegetables will have expended all their energy and exhausted their capacity to produce new growth.

Although you should be able to get several harvests per plant each growing season, you can help replenish their energy stores by fertilizing regularly. Use a well rounded fertilizer, such as compost tea.

Each time you take from a plant, give it a thorough watering. A good drink after cutting will aid in the plant’s recovery while also boosting growth.

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