By Vanessa Richins

As I proudly proclaimed to everyone, I’m a garden geek.

There are so many cool facts you can learn about the plant world that are quite surprising.

I think it makes gardening itself much more fun.

One of my favorite facts:

What do broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi have in common?

They are all the same species.

How can that be possible, you ask? All of these plants are too similar, as far as genetics go, to be sorted out into their own species.

Botanists sort out all the different plants according to how closely they are related. It starts with the Kingdom (which includes all plants) and gets more specific, down to the individual plant level of the Species. The levels of classification for these vegetables are all:

• Kingdom (Plantae)
• Phylum (Magnoliophyta)
• Class (Magnoliopsida) Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

The summer garden season is in full swing.

The plants are huge and lush, and you collect produce daily.

You wish the summer wouldn’t come to an end so your garden could keep thriving.

Never fear! It’s actually time to start planting seeds for your fall vegetable garden.

That’s right – you can still grow some vegetables even into the autumn months. The key is to choose the right ones.

Vegetables are divided into two different categories – cool season and warm season. Warm season vegetables are ones that grow best during Read the rest of this entry »