‘Contender’ peaches are large and sweet and tolerate colder temperatures than most varieties. In this article, gardening expert Melissa Strauss will tell you how to grow and care for these wonderful trees. If you live in a cold climate yet still want to grow peaches, ‘Contender’ peach trees offer ultra- sweet fruit to gardens as cold as Zone 4. This disease-resistant fruit tree doesn’t mind frigid winters and reliably produces peaches in late summer. Let’s take a look at these sturdy and cold-tolerant peaches. What Are ‘Contender’ Peach Trees? ‘Contender’ peach trees are a hybrid first introduced in 1988. They boast excellent cold tolerance and are highly disease-resistant. Finding a peach that will survive winter in Zone 4 is unusual. So, if you thought you couldn’t grow a peach tree in your cold climate, this is a great peach to try. This self-pollinating cultivar will grow fruit when planted independently, but a companion tree may increase your yield. Planting two peach trees near each other is a surefire way to have a bumper crop of fruit. Native Area The objective of breeding ‘Contender’ was to grow a peach tree with better cold tolerance. The hybridization of this tree took place in Raleigh, North Carolina. Introduced in 1988, this award-winning cultivar also boasts excellent disease resistance. Characteristics ‘Contender’ is a mid-sized peach tree, which makes it great for picking fruit. You can harvest this tree completely without too much hassle. It grows to a height and spread of 12-15 feet and produces tons of pretty pink flowers in the spring. This peach tree will take about two to four years from planting until it bears fruit. The peaches are medium to large, with sweet, yellow flesh. They are freestone peaches, meaning the pit comes away from the fruit easily. This tree is a great producer of large, tasty fruit. The peaches are non-browning, making lovely slices on a fruit platter or in the lunchbox. ‘Contender’ peaches need 1,000 chill hours. This is the amount of dormancy hours the tree needs to produce fruit. Chill hours need to take place between 35°-45°F (2°-7°C) or colder. Propagation You can propagate peaches by seed or softwood cuttings. A tree propagated from seed will typically take longer to bear fruit. But, the success rate of germination is fairly high.

If you’ve faced difficulty growing carrots in compacted or heavy clay soils, try growing Chantenay carrots. This group of carrots have short and stocky roots that grow well where other carrots will not. Farmer Briana Yablonski will share how to plant and care for these delicious roots. Even though I’ve grown over 50 different vegetables and herbs in the past few years, carrots remain one of my favorites. Biting into a sweet and crunchy homegrown carrot can make you wonder if the cellophane-wrapped roots you find in the grocery store are the same plant! And there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of pulling a well-formed carrot from the ground. However, these beloved veggies aren’t always the easiest to grow. If you’ve experienced spotty germination, a carrot bed swallowed by weeds, or misshapen roots, you’re not alone. Over the years, I’ve learned how to grow carrots that are a joy to harvest. Start with strong Chantenay carrot seeds, follow the care tips I’ll outline below, and you’ll soon be harvesting beautiful carrots. What Are Chantenay Carrots? Chantenay carrots are grown for their short and fat roots with blunt ends. Since the roots only grow six inches long, they’re a great option if you’re working with compacted or heavy soils. Characteristics Carrots are biennial plants. That means they spend their first year producing a strong tap root and produce flowers in the second year. Although these plants can survive multiple years, we grow them as annuals in order to enjoy their tasty roots. Chantenays are known for their short and stocky roots and blunt tips. The roots rarely grow over six inches long, but their chunkiness means they still provide a sizable harvest. You can find multiple cultivars of Chantenay under various names, but they all feature roots with the same shape. Native Area and History Humans began cultivating carrots over a thousand years ago from the wild carrot, Daucus carota. Growers in the Middle East and Central Asia selected plants with flavorful and tender roots. However, the Chanetay type didn’t arrive until over 500 years later. Growers in the Chantenay district of France created these unique crops in the 1700s and first used them to help with medical issues. Eventually, the roots grew in popularity and became widespread by the 1960s. While you can grow Chantenays anywhere you would grow other varieties, their stocky roots make them especially well-suited for areas with heavy clay soil. Planting Chantenay carrots grow best when you direct sow the seeds in your garden. Although you can plant them from spring through fall, the roots grow best in cooler temperatures. You can even overwinter fall roots in the field and harvest them throughout the winter. How to Grow Chantenay carrots are moderately difficult to grow. Although the plants don’t require much maintenance, providing the proper type of soil and staying on top of weeds can be challenging. Maintenance Carrots require little maintenance beyond regular irrigation and weeding. Since the small, slow-growing seedlings compete poorly with faster-growing weeds, remove any weeds that appear in the first few weeks.

Have you ever wanted to grow tender white asparagus in your garden? Growing these albino spears is easy with just a few simple steps. In this article, plant expert Matt Dursum shows you how to plant, grow, and care for white asparagus. If you’ve ever tasted white asparagus spears, you probably know why they’ve become a culinary craze. They have a delicate, nutty flavor and refreshing texture. Like green asparagus, they’re also packed with nutrients. What you may not know is that these unique looking vegetables are from the same plant as their green lookalikes. In fact, you can grow white asparagus in your garden by changing one simple process. Read on below to learn how to plant, grow, and care for this novelty type of asparagus. Soon, you’ll harvest bountiful white spears at home without paying extra at the market. What Is It? White asparagus is essentially the same plant as the regular green varieties. To get its appearance, farmers cover its spears with soil to prevent photosynthesis, a process called etiolation. As the spears grow, they cannot produce chlorophyll, which is the pigment in plants that makes them green. All asparagus are dioecious plants. This means that each plant has either male and female flowers. The white varieties you find at the grocery store and market are most likely the male spears due to their productivity. Characteristics In the garden, white asparagus will eventually turn green once exposed to sunlight. Male spears will grow to be larger than the female spears. When they mature, they produce beautiful bell-shaped flowers ranging from yellow to white. There are tons of varieties and hybrids to choose from. You can produce delicious and tender white spears from any type of asparagus. Some are more disease resistant and flavorful than others. Below are some common varieties to choose from. Native Area These perennial vegetables evolved in Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, and the Middle East. Asparagus developed a deep taproot system to survive various climates. It was first cultivated around 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Mediterranean basin. The ancient Greeks thought it was an aphrodisiac while the Romans used it as a main course for their legions. In its native habitat, it flourished in sandy soils and mountainous terrain. In places such as the Middle East, it evolved in arid soils and developed a tolerance to drought conditions. White asparagus was first cultivated in Europe in the 17th century. It was a popular dish in French aristocratic households. Today, it usually costs more than green asparagus. Chefs and foodies tend to agree that its sweeter and richer taste and delicate texture are worth the hype. Planting Asparagus is a perennial that grows best in well-drained soil and full sun. It should go in the ground in early spring. Once it establishes itself in the soil, it will give you a bountiful harvest for 20 years or more. The location you plant your seedlings or crowns is very important. You want well-drained soil with plenty of nutrients and direct sunlight. It should be deep and porous, with no barriers for the taproots. Personally, I’ve always grown my plants in tall raised beds like this one. They bring the plants closer to eye level. When you’re producing white spears, it makes it easier to keep an eye on the spear as they grow. How to Grow White asparagus is relatively easy to grow, as long as you have the right location, lots of light, and enough soil to keep the spears covered. As the spears get larger, the trick is to keep covering them with soil so they never see the sun. Harvest them just before the heads of the spears appear to open up. Alternatively, you can cover your plants with black plastic or cloth while their spears grow. This will also block the sunlight and keep the spears white and tender. Maintenance Use disinfected pruners to harvest the spears in late spring or early summer, two years after planting your crowns. Let a few grow into mature flowering stalks. When your plants turn brown, they’re storing energy in their roots for their winter dormancy period. During this time, use your clean clippers to remove the brown stalks and compost them. Add another layer of mulch and fertilizer. After winter, just make sure your garden bed is weed free and you should have another bountiful harvest the following year.