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2020 The Old Farmer’s Almanac 89

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O N L Y T H E B E S TManufacturers are targeting pets by age, weight, breed characteristics, or specific health issues.–Jacinthe Moreau, World Pet Association

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C U R E - A L L S• Pet products will mirror human health care trends.–Tierra Bonaldi, pet lifestyle expert

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O H . T H A T .•Coming for cats: litter boxes that monitor cats’ weight and frequency of litter box use

• In development for dogs: indoor toilets that package waste

(continued)

WE LOVE OUR PETS

High-tech pet products are adding health features, including trackers for exercise

and food and water consumption.–Phillip Cooper, president, Pet Industry Expert

12

BY THE NUMBERS:CANADA

8.2 million: household dogs

(2018)

8.3 million: household cats

(2018)–Canadian Animal

Health Institute

BY THE NUMBERS: U.S.

26% of pets have had massages,

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G A R D E N I N G

28 Photo: Vladimir Wrangel/Shutterstock

Pansy, spring’s vibrant and ubiquitous bloom, has a colorful place in history and commanding presence in today’s gardens.

PANSY’S PASTPansies are descendants of the wild violet (Viola tricolor) and the sweet violet (V. odorata). Violets were grown in Europe as early as the 4th century B.C.

In medieval times, the blossoms were mixed into pot-pourri, added to both sweet and savory dishes, and used both to flavor alcoholic drinks and to perfume linens.

It is said that Napoleon gave Josephine violets on their wedding anniversary. “Violet” was a password during the Emperor’s exile, and his loyalists made it their symbol of hope for his return.

In Britain, Adm. James Gambier (1756–1833) and his gardener, William Thompson, began crossing various wild species of the Viola family in the early 1800s. Lady

▼

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INDEPENDENTLY MINDED. TRUSTED BY MILLIONS.Our 2021 print edition marks 228 years of continuous publication. The Old Farmer’s Almanac in print acts as an annual resource for millions of readers who turn to the book continually throughout the year. Our readers are active, informed, resourceful, and independently minded individuals. They value our content and trust our brand and advertising partners.

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC MEDIA GROUP MEDIA KIT 2020–2021

SEPTEMBER 2019 THE ORIGINAL FARMER'S ALMANAC • ALMANAC.COM

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The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide 39Photo: wragg/Getty Images

E D I B L E S

38 The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide

E D I B L E S

VEGGIES THAT WILL

R O O T F O R Y O UMAKE ROOM FOR THESE HEALTHFUL HEROES.

B Y R O B I N S W E E T S E RRoot vegetables—carrots, beets, parsnips, ruta-bagas, sweet potatoes, and turnips—are a gar-dener’s champions. They are easy to grow; most start from seed. They spend the season under the soil. At harvesttime, unearthing each is like finding buried treasure. They are nutritional powerhouses full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Most can be eaten fresh all summer or stored to use over the winter months, and some also produce tasty, nourish-ing tops (leaves). Treat roots right, and they will award you with a winning season.

L A Y I N G T H E G R O U N D W O R KRoot crops are perfect for the small garden, and most have similar needs, including well-drained and friable soil. Fast-growing turnips prefer lots of organic matter. Sweet potatoes like soil on the acidic side, in the 5 to 6 pH range; the oth-ers are quite happy with a pH of 6 to 7. Full sun is best, but they will grow in partial shade, and 1 inch of water a week is recommended to grow succulent roots.

Check your frost dates at Almanac.com/frost. Prepare the beds well before planting. Remove any stones and break up compacted clay and clods of soil so that those roots will be able to develop fully. (If you’re planting parsnips, loosen the ground to a depth of 12 to 15 inches.)

Follow the guidance on the seed packet when sowing, and practice some tough love on your seedlings; thinning will give them room to grow.

Keep the bed weeded and use a light layer of mulch both to keep future weeds at bay and to conserve moisture.

T H E S E C R E T S T O T H E S O I LFor good root veggie formation, pH is only part of the story; you need soil that is rich in potassi-um and phosphorus. If your soil test shows that these elements are lacking, bone char (charred animal bones), commonly used by organic farm-ers, can add extra phosphorus; granite meal or dust will provide phosphorus and potassium; greensand (a naturally occurring silicate) can be a great source of slow-release potassium; and Sul-Po-Mag will add a quick hit of sulfur, potassi-um, and magnesium. Carefully follow the recom-mendations made in your soil test results when adding supplements.

Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer; it will encourage only top (leaf) growth.

S T O R A G E T I P S For carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabagas, and tur-nips, cut off the leafy tops, leaving just a 1-inch stub. Carefully brush off any loose dirt and place in perforated plastic bags or pack in damp sand or sawdust to retain moisture and keep them from shriveling. Store in the refrigerator or a cold but frost-free area of the basement that stays close to 32°F and has a relative humidity of 95 percent.

After curing sweet potatoes, store them at 55° to 60°F in a dark, dry place. Their flavor im-proves after 2 months in storage. (continued)

4 The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide

D O - I T - Y O U R S E L F

If you look at any of the rooms in your home and think that one needs a little something, chances are that what it needs is a sea-sonal change or a plant. And maybe an additional 200 square feet, but I can’t help you with that.

Plants immediately add life to your space, plus they can evoke a sense of the upcoming season like nothing else can. To take your plant decorating up a notch, ditch the pots and grow your home greenery in these unique ways to ring in each new season.

H OW T O D O I T1. Line your basket with plastic and then fill it with soil.

2. Trim the plastic so that it’s level with the soil or just a bit above it.

3. Load the soil up with seed. Overseed!

4. Scratch and press the seeds so that they’re all in contact with the soil.

5. Spray the seeds until they’re damp. Don’t pour water on—just spray. If you pour water onto the soil, it will wash the seeds in all different directions and you’ll have patchy grass.

6. Cover the top of your basket with something plastic, a plate or a baking sheet—anything that will trap the moisture so that the seeds will germinate. As soon as the seeds germinate (in as little as 2 days!), remove the plastic and keep the grass watered, first by spraying and then, once it’s established, by using the watering can.

7. Within 5 days, you’ll have thick, tall grass that needs to be cut! Luck-ily, it’s even too small a patch to require a push mower. A sharp pair of scissors will do the job.

G R A S S B A S K E T T I P SHonestly, if you can throw seeds on dirt, you will be successful with this.

There is no need to fuss about the soil. Potting soil is fine, but the truth is that this technique would work in anything, garden dirt included. Just remember: When you bring in garden soil. you’re also bringing in bugs.

G R A S S B A S K E TS

PR

ING

! A grass basket is just about the cutest Easter basket on the planet, but you can also use this technique in low rectangular planters or dishes to make a living table runner for the spring or as the base for flo-ral arrangements anytime (use water picks for each stem and stick them deep into the grass and soil).

YO U W I L L N E E D :basket/containergarbage bag or other plastic to line the basketsoil (see “Grass Basket Tips”)rye grassspray bottle

Cost: $0 to $15, depending on what you have on hand

FEATURES

2 The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden GuideCover photo: sarsmis/Shutterstock. Photos, this page, clockwise from top left: kessudap/Getty Images;

Stockfood images/Getty Images; HannamariaH/Getty Images; stocknroll/Getty Images; Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

E D I B L E S

38 VEGGIES THAT WILL ROOT FOR YOUMake room for these healthful heroes.

46HARVEST PLANT-BASED PROTEINS

52GROWING FOR THE GREATER GOODIn the City of Brotherly Love—and beyond.

58FLOWERS WITH FLAVORA bouquet of blossoms for your taste buds.

O R N A M E N TA L S

66GROW BOUQUETS!A well-planned flower-cutting garden promises beautiful blooms all season long.

74WHICH HOUSEPLANT ARE YOU?Whether you’re a wild child, a do-it-yourselfer, a neatnik, or a nurturer, there’s a plant to match your personality.

L A N D S C A P I N G

82THE GREEN EFFECTHow to create a serene and leafy oasis—and why you should

90EXTREME WEATHER WARRIORSPlants that triumph over nature’s rage.

C O O K I N G F R E S H

98 WINNERS IN THE 2018 PEAS RECIPE CONTEST

52

46

82

74

38

The easy-care rose!• Perfect for pollinator gardens• No chemical spraying or fussy pruning required• Non-stop blooms from early summer to late autumn• Glossy green foliage adds interest in eary spring

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The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide 5

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IN PRINT: THE GARDEN GUIDEOur community is full of avid gardeners, so each year at the start of spring, we come out with our annual Garden Guide magazine. Distributed through major retailers and garden centers, the Garden Guide is THE resource that hundreds of thousands of gardeners rely on each spring for inspiration, do-it-yourself ideas, and practical solutions for every experience level.

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GROW BETTER, NATURALLY!

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THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC

Garden Guide

2019 Edition

GROW BETTER, NATURALLY!

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C O M M U N I T Y G A R D E N S : A G R O W I N G T R E N D

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2 The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Guide 3Photo: Friederich Strauss/GAP Photos

O R N A M E N T A L S O R N A M E N T A L S

THE

ENDURINGCHARM

OF

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If you really love these treasures, you’ll

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SNOWDROPS BEING DIVIDED FOR SHARING