A true award-winning celebrity in the vegetable world, this beginner-friendly classic red tomato variety is amazingly flavorful and high-yielding. Learn to grow ‘Celebrity’ tomatoes from garden expert and former organic farmer Logan Hailey. A winner of the All-America Selections award, ‘Celebrity’ tomatoes are paparazzi worthy. These classic, high-yielding red slicers are perfect for first-time gardeners. The plants are vigorous and reliable, producing fruits throughout summer and fall. The bushy growth is manageable and requires less pruning than many heirlooms. Better yet, ‘Celebrity’ hybrids are incredibly pest-and-disease-resistant. The strong plants are sure to yield with minimal effort. Let’s dig into everything you need to know about growing this classic slicer. History and Cultivation ‘Celebrity’ tomatoes were first released in the late 1980s. Bred by Colen Wyatt, this iconic hybrid was a game changer for gardeners and farmers alike. An early-yielding determinate variety with incredible disease resistance, ‘Celebrity’ brought deep red, firm fruits to growers in need of more dependable tomatoes. Still, the extreme durability and vigor of the plant did not compromise its flavor. The delicious tasting hybrid became so popular that it was judged by horticultural experts in 1984 and selected for the All-America Selections (AAS) award for extraordinary flavor and performance. What is It? ‘Celebrity’ is a determinate (bush) hybrid variety of tomato known for its plump flavorful tomatoes, disease-resistance, crack-resistance, and superior garden performance. This award-winning tomato is revered by gardeners, farmers, and chefs alike. After transplanting, it takes about 70 days to start producing firm, delicious fruits. The variety is adaptable to most growing zones and compact enough to grow in a container with a tomato cage. Where Do ‘Celebrity’ Tomatoes Originate? Evidence shows that domesticated tomatoes originate from the same ancestor, Solanum pimpinellifolium. This red-fruited wild nightshade originated in South America and was fully domesticated into a large-fruited garden tomato about 7,000 years ago. All modern cultivated tomatoes fall under the Solanum lycospericum, including ‘Celebrity’ hybrid tomatoes. Rest assured that no genetic modification was necessary to develop this plant. Instead, the gradual process of cultivation and variety selection occurred through plant breeding. Just as breeders developed Thoroughbred horses for racing or Clydesdale horses for hauling, plant breeders crossed many varieties together to develop ‘Celebrity’ specifically for quality fruits and disease-resistant plants. What do ‘Celebrity’ Tomatoes Taste Like? These globe-shaped, eight-ounce, four-inch plump fruits are worthy of celebrity treatment in the kitchen. The low-acid flavor is very sweet, with a classic tomatoey taste and dense, meaty texture perfect for sandwiches, burgers, and salads. At peak red ripeness, the tomatoes sweeten to a complex, decadent flavor that is also suitable for salsas, pasta sauce, and tomato soup. Propagation Tomatoes are almost always propagated by seed, though you can also source this popular cultivar from local nurseries. The seeds of ‘Celebrity’ must be purchased from a reputable seed catalog. Because this is a hybrid, saving seeds from year to year will not yield the same plants. Hybridization involves a special cross-pollination between two parental lines. If you replant the seeds from your hybrid tomatoes, they may have funky fruits that do not match the original plants. Planting Like all garden tomatoes, ‘Celebrity’ is best planted in late spring. The plants will eagerly yield all summer and into the fall. Wait until nighttime air temperatures are 45°F (7°C) or warmer. A plastic low tunnel, cloche, or layer of row fabric can be very helpful for protecting young seedlings from cold snaps. How to Grow ‘Celebrity’ is a beginner-friendly variety that is easy to please. As long as it has full sunlight, consistent moisture, and moderate fertility, these plants will reward you with tremendous harvests of firm, uniform red fruits. Maintenance While many indeterminate tomatoes require pruning and staking or trellising, ‘Celebrity’ is easygoing about maintenance. These plants can get by with a simple tomato cage. Pruning is not necessary for this bush variety, but removing a few suckers won’t hurt. Suckers are the side shoots that emerge in the 45° angles where stems connect to the main stalk. Determinates do not produce as many suckers as indeterminate types, but removing them can still help focus energy on fruit. When fruit begins ripening, harvest regularly to promote more production. Fruits left on the plant can pull energy away from new flowers forming.

Known as the edible honeysuckle, honeyberry shrubs are cold-hardy and easy to grow and maintain. They flower in winter when most other plants are dormant, and the creamy, tubular flowers have a lovely honeysuckle fragrance. They taste similar to blueberries, but with raspberry and blackberry undertones. This unique fruit is a member of the honeysuckle family and is easy to grow with few pests and diseases. The fruit appears in spring and is very high in antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients. Honeyberry is a good ornamental plant and an edible for the food garden. With very little care but for annual feeding and pruning after a few years, they will perform well for many years to come. Read on for more about this great perennial. What Is It? Lonicera caerulea is a member of the honeysuckle family and has various common names, including haskap (from Japan), zhimolost (from Russia), blue honeysuckle, and honeyberry. The Russian and Japanese varieties have some subtle differences. Honeyberry is a tough, deciduous shrub that is winter-hardy and produces a fruit crop in early spring. Native Area Honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea) has origins in the temperate regions of most of Europe, Asia, and parts of the US, including an area from California to Wyoming and north into Canada. Several hybrids have been bred, many Russian and some from Canada. Characteristics Honeyberry shrubs grow 4-6 feet tall and have a girth of about the same size, but they can be pruned to keep them more compact. There are also compact varieties to choose from. The flowers are a creamy yellow color, and a tubular shape, and appear in late spring and early summer. They also have the wonderful honeysuckle fragrance that permeates the air, especially at night. The fruits are used for jams, jellies, juices, and wine. They are great for eating fresh and melt in your mouth with their rich, unique berry flavor. They also make a unique sweet sauce for ice cream and cakes. To preserve them, they can be frozen but will burst through their skins when they defrost – good for winemakers, not so good for eating fresh. Honeyberries are also pickled and dried. One reason honeyberries are grown is their health benefits. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin B, as well as iron, calcium, phosphorous, and especially magnesium. These shrubs are not self-pollinating and require another variety to help pollinate the flowers. Before planting, ensure you have enough space for at least two shrubs. These extremely hardy shrubs can fruit for up to 30 years or more once you have them planted and look after them with some annual care. Planting Ensure plenty of space between bushes, at least five feet, to account for their mature size. Choose a position with full sun or partial shade. They will grow to around six feet high when mature, but there are also compact varieties that are perfect for container growing and smaller gardens. The best time to plant honeyberry bushes is spring, so they have time to acclimate to their soil and surroundings before the following season. Soak plants in water 30 minutes before planting to help release their roots from the nursery container. Dig a hole at least twice the width of the rootball. This will allow the roots to spread and secure the plant in the soil. Add plenty of compost to the soil and mix well before using it to plant the shrub in the hole and backfilling. Press down to release air pockets, make a basin around the plant, and water well. Add a layer of organic mulch around the plant, making sure to keep the mulch off the plant’s stems.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is an easy-care herb from the Mediterranean region that’s closely related to carrots and dill and is prized for its edible leaves and stems. Although most gardeners grow parsley as an annual, it’s technically a biennial herb that grows for two years before dying away. During its first year, parsley produces the majority of its flavorful leaves; however, these plants yield even more leaves, flowers, and seeds if they’re allowed to overwinter into their second year. Available in both curly and flat-leaf varieties, parsley grows well in pots or larger gardens, and it’s a must-have herb for garnishing and flavoring pasta, salads, soups, and sauces. Beyond its culinary uses, parsley is also a fantastic companion plant for most veggies and herbs, and it readily attracts pollinators and beneficial insects to garden beds, too. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to grow parsley yourself, indoors or outside. Parsley Care Tips Parsley is a delicious and attractive plant, not only to humans. Here's everything you need to know about caring for it yourself. You’ll get more use out of parsley if you overwinter your plants with mulch and let them go to seed. Second-year parsley flowers are highly attractive to predatory insects, like hoverflies, and parsley readily self-sows if you don’t deadhead old flowers. Parsley is also a top host plant for swallowtail butterflies and planting a few extra parsley plants can attract more of these helpful pollinators to your garden. Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more! Light Parsley grows best in full sun; indoor plants may need a grow light to prevent spindly stems. In hot climates, parsley will do better in a location that receives morning sun and light afternoon shade. Soil These plants thrive in rich, well-draining soils with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Amending gardens with compost before planting is recommended. Water Like other tender-stemmed herbs, parsley needs to be watered regularly and deeply with about an inch of water per week. For improved growth, add mulch around the base of your plants, and add liquid organic fertilizer diluted to half strength once or twice during the growing season. Temperature and Humidity Parsley isn’t fussy about humidity and established plants can handle light frosts. However, these plants are at their best when temperatures range between 50°F and 70°F, and second year plants bolt quickly in hot weather. Varieties to Grow Parsley comes in a few different varieties and each type of parsley shines in its own way. Italian flat leaf: The most popular parsley for cooking, flat leaf parsley has big leaves that are easy to chop. It also has a sweeter and stronger flavor than other parsleys and is slower to bolt in hot weather. Curly parsley: Commonly grown in garden bed borders and pots, curly parsley has a milder taste than flat-leaf varieties, but its curly leaves make a striking garnish. Hamburg (or root) parsley: A lesser-known type of parsley, root parsley is a multi-use plant that produces plump, parsnip-like roots and edible greens. How to Plant Parsley Seeds Although potted parsley can be purchased at garden centers, growing parsley from seed is surprisingly easy, and can save you money on your gardening budget. Just keep in mind that parsley is a slow grower and seeds take between two and four weeks to sprout. In a Garden Starting parsley seeds outside is the easiest way to grow parsley. However, parsley seeds should only be planted outdoors after your last spring frost date. Pick a spot. Choose a sunny location and prepare the planting site by removing weeds and amending the soil with compost. Soak seeds and sow. Soak parsley seeds overnight and then sow the seeds 1/4 inch deep and about 1 to 2 inches apart in rows spaced about 12 to 18 inches from each other. Water. Water the site well and wait for the seedlings to sprout. Pick the best seedlings. When the seedlings are 2 inches tall, thin out the weakest plants and leave about 8 to 10 inches of space between the remaining seedlings. Mulch and care. Add mulch and continue to care for your parsley until harvest. Indoors If you live in a cold area and want to harvest parsley earlier, start seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Soak seeds. Soak parsley seeds in water for 12 to 24 hours before planting to boost germination rates. Ready seeds in trays. Fill pots or seed starting trays with a pre-moistened seed starting mix, plant 1 to 2 parsley seeds per pot or seeding cell, and cover the seeds with about 1/4-inch of soil. Give light and water. Move the seeds under a bright grow light and water them just enough to keep the soil evenly moist. Adjust lighting after sprouting. Once the seedlings sprout, adjust the grow light as needed to keep it about 2 inches above the top of the plants at all times. Continue watering. Pick the best seedlings. When the seedlings are 2 inches tall, thin out the weakest seedlings and leave just one plant per pot or seed cell. Harden off seedlings and transplant. Harden the seedlings off over a 1 to 2 week period, and transplant the seedlings outside after your last frost date. Transplanted seedlings should be spaced about 8 to 10 inches apart in holes that are only slightly larger than the plant’s root ball. Then, water the seedlings in and add mulch. Or keep indoors. If you want to keep parsley indoors, just move your plants into a sunny spot and water regularly. Harvesting Parsley You can start harvesting parsley when the plants are about six inches tall and their leaves have three leaf segments. Harvest the outer leaves first by cutting the plant stems at the soil line with scissors and leave the center of the plant to regrow. You can harvest leaves little by little or in larger quantities, but never harvest more than 1/3 of your plant in one go and wait two to three weeks in between larger harvests. Storing Parsley Freshly cut parsley should last for about 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge if you place cut stems in a glass filled with a few inches of water like cut flowers. For longer storage, parsley can be frozen whole, chopped, or in oil. Or, it can be dried with hang drying, a food dehydrator, or an oven set on its lowest setting, and stored in spice jars in a cool, dark spot. Common Pests & Plant Diseases Aphids, leafhoppers, and carrot flies sometimes target parsley, but these pests can be avoided with crop rotation and row covers, and eradicated with organic soap sprays. Leaf spot and powdery mildew usually occur when parsley plants are grown too closely together or if they’re watered from the top down. However, you can avoid these issues by spacing parsley plants apart and watering at the soil line. Parsley also bolts quickly in hot weather, but bolting can be delayed by planting parsley in light afternoon shade and pinching flower buds before they open.