News Stories - Page 664

Cucumbers are members of the cucurbit family, which include many warm season vegetables. Watermelon, cantaloupe, squash and pumpkin are in this family. Interestingly enough, young cucumbers are almost indistinguishable from cantaloupes.

Gardening can be an expensive hobby. But, it doesn't have to be. You can have beautiful flower gardens or bountiful vegetable gardens without spending a fortune.

You know you're a gardener if ...

Sometimes I have to go digging through the books on my bookcase to prove things to people. Such was the case when my friend Willie dropped by to see me.

Plums are popular for cooking and jam making, and many people enjoy them fresh as well. The sweeter varieties are some of the most delicious dessert fruits we have.

Our friends to the north may not worry over the amount of winter "chill hours" they get. They get plenty. But here in the Southeast, it's critical in growing blueberries.

You can grow apples in most of Georgia, though the best varieties will differ within the state. Local growers, gardeners or nurseries, or your county University of Georgia Extension Service office, can tell you the best variety for your yard.

Spring is perhaps the one season we gardeners are most eager for. We've spent months poring over catalogs and magazines, exchanging seeds and cuttings with fellow gardeners, sharpening tools and promising ourselves that this spring our garden will be the neighborhood show-stealer.

To most folks, the word palm triggers thoughts of Florida, Hawaii or Georgia's coastal islands. But you don't have to live in any of these areas to enjoy palms.

A few cold-hardy palms will grow as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina, where the average winter may reach minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

My wife Toni and I have been gardening for hummingbirds for many years now and have learned a few things along the way.