Cutting amaryllis leaves back at the right time is a key part of amaryllis care and essential to make the plant rebloom. The leaves should remain on the plant while they are still green. Knowing when to cut back the leaves lets you enjoy the bloom of amaryllis year after year instead of treating it like an annual flower that is discarded after it flowers (usually around Christmastime). Learn why the timing of cutting back amaryllis leaves is so important for the bloom and how to do it. When Should You Cut Back Amaryllis Leaves? Only cut the leaves of your amaryllis back when they have turned yellow and brown, after the plant has finished blooming. Even if they look a bit unsightly, resist the urge to remove the leaves while they are still green. During that stage, photosynthesis is still taking place and the plant is still growing, storing energy for future leaf growth and flowers. After the leaves have turned yellow and brown, the plant enters a brief rest period during which it stops growing before it restarts growing new leaves. 7 Essential Tasks to Do After Amaryllis Blooms After your amaryllis blooms, remove the faded flowers promptly so it does not form any seeds, which would unnecessarily deplete their energy. However, do not remove the thick, sturdy flower stalk; leave it on the plant until it has turned yellow. Just like the leaves, the flower stalk is important for photosynthesis while it’s green. Once the flower stalk has turned yellow, cut it off with sharp pruners or a knife sterilized with alcohol. Cut the flower stalk to a height of about a half inch and one inch above the bulb. Place your amaryllis in the sunniest possible location, preferably a south- or west-facing window. Continue to water it so the soil is consistently moist but not wet. Water whenever the top two inches of soil feel dry. Keep fertilizing it every two to three weeks with an all-purpose houseplant plant fertilizer, diluted to half strength. The plant will continue to grow leaves for a while. Once the leaves turn yellow or brown, let them fall on their own or cut them off. At this point, the plant has entered its brief rest period. Stop fertilizing the plant and cut back on the watering. How to Prune Amaryllis Leaves If you get the timing right, cutting back the yellow or brown amaryllis leaves is very simple. Cut the leaves 2 inches above the bulb, using sharp sterilized pruners or a knife. Afterward, you have two options for what to do with the bulbs. You can either remove it from its pot, clean it, and store the bulbs in a cool and dark place for a minimum of 6 weeks, or leave it in its pot and let it undergo a longer, more natural process to rebloom. What Should You Do With Amaryllis Plants in the Summer? Amaryllis thrives in the sun. If possible, move your potted amaryllis outside on your patio or deck during the summer, which will help it bloom more fully later in the season. In the spring, after there is no more danger of frost, slowly acclimate the amaryllis to outdoor conditions. Start by placing it in a location with partial shade or dappled light, such as under an umbrella. Gradually move it to a location where it gets full sun for at least 6 hours every day.1 Outdoors, the soil dries out much faster than indoors. Adjust the watering accordingly. Fertilize the plant monthly with an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer. Make sure to return the plants indoors before the first fall frost. If you cannot move your amaryllis outdoors for the summer, place it in a window where it gets maximum sun and follow the same watering and fertilizing routine as described above.

How to Harvest Watermelon Seeds Harvesting watermelons for seeds is simple, but it's important to follow a certain procedure to ensure food safety: Remove the melon: Cut the watermelon from the vine with shears or a sharp knife. Cut close to the stem but leave some of the stem on the melon. Wash the melon: Gently scrub the watermelon with a vegetable brush under clean, running water. Do not use soap.1 Dry the melon: Pat the melon dry with a cloth or paper towel. Hand-drying removes more bacteria from the rind than air-drying. Remove the rind: Cut off each end of the melon, stand the melon upright, then cut away the rind. Use a sharp knife and cut along the melon's curve. Cut the melon: Cut the melon lengthwise into slabs, each slab about half an inch thick. Pick out the melon seeds: Scrape out the melon seeds with a fork. How to Save Watermelon Seeds Wash, dry, and store the watermelon seeds until the next planting season. Remove the flesh: Remove as much of the watermelon flesh or pulp by hand. Wash the seeds: Place the watermelon seeds in a kitchen colander or strainer and wash them with cool water. Remove all of the remaining watermelon flesh. Dry the seeds: Air-dry the melon seeds on coated paper plates, waxed paper, or on clean mesh window screen material. Store the seeds: Store the seeds in airtight, waterproof bags, jars, or containers in a cool, dark location. When to Harvest Watermelons for Seeds Harvest watermelon seeds when you harvest the watermelons for eating, usually in spring or summer. You can also harvest watermelons for seeds only, which affords a broader harvesting period. Watermelons for Eating and Seeds Watermelons should be harvested at just the right time. Watermelons do not ripen off the vine. If you harvest them too early, they will be watery and not sweet. Signs that it's time to harvest the watermelon seeds: Dry tendril: Dried curlicue on the vine closest to the watermelon Hollow sound: Resonant, hollow sound when gently rapped Heaviness: A heavy, dense feel when picked up Yellow underneath: A yellow (not white) oval under the melon, where it rests on the ground Watermelons for Seeds Only When harvesting watermelons only for their seeds, they can be harvested when ripe or left on the vine. When reserving some melons on the vine, let the melons soften slightly but do not let them rot. Leaving seed-only melons on the vine can improve the quality of the seeds. Do not eat the melon's flesh. Types of Seeds to Plant Harvest and save black watermelon seeds for planting. Do not use white seeds. Types of watermelons to plant include: Black Diamond: Popular for their enormous size, Black Diamond watermelons are juicy and sweet but require consistent watering. Charleston Grey: Modestly sized, Charleston Greys top the scales at around 40 pounds and have thick rinds often used for watermelon rind pickles. Crimson Sweet: Crimson Sweet watermelons grow easily in a wide range of melon-friendly climates, and the flesh is uniquely sweet. This melon produces few seeds, so more melons must be harvested to gather the seeds. How to Plant Watermelon Seeds Grow watermelons from seeds either by starting the seeds indoors in pots or flats or by planting the seeds directly in the ground. Watermelons need warm weather without intermittent cold spells, so plant the seeds after the last spring frost. In the U.S. south and southwest, the last spring freeze occurs as early as January. In western mountainous regions, it can be as late as May.34 Watermelon seeds germinate fastest in soil that's between 70 and 95°F. At the very least, the soil should be 65°F, and the seeds should be planted four inches deep. Consult the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to learn the optimal watermelon growing season for your area.

Autumn is the best time for planting garlic. But if you missed your fall planting window, you can still plant garlic in spring and harvest an impressive crop of garlic by the end of its growing season. Whether you want to grow hardneck garlic, softneck garlic, or garlic scapes, this guide will teach you how to cold treat spring garlic to get more cloves and introduce you to the best types of garlic for spring plantings. Can You Plant Garlic in Spring? Yes, you can definitely plant garlic in the spring. Although most growers plant garlic in fall, you can plant it in spring as long as you chill or “cold treat” seed garlic before planting. Like daffodils and tulips, garlic needs a period of cold exposure to grow; garlic bulbs won’t produce multiple cloves without it. Garlic that’s planted outdoors in autumn is naturally exposed to the cold during winter. But spring plantings of garlic need to be intentionally chilled or they’ll produce one large garlic clove instead of a full head of cloves. How to Cold Treat Garlic There are two main ways to cold treat garlic before spring planting, and the method you choose will depend on where you live and your climate. Plant garlic as early as possible. If you live in an area where the ground thaws in early spring, you can cold treat garlic by planting it outdoors as soon as the soil is workable. If your soil doesn’t thaw until late spring, plant garlic in weather-proof pots instead, and put those cold-hardy cloves outside while it’s still cold. Chill garlic indoors. Alternatively, you can chill garlic inside by placing seed garlic in perforated bags and chilling them in your fridge for a few weeks before planting. During this process, regularly check the cloves for mold and sprouting and immediately plant any cloves that start to grow. When to Plant Garlic in the Spring Hardneck garlic needs to be chilled for 4 to 8 weeks before planting, while softneck garlic only needs about 3 to 4 weeks of cold treatment. This means that you’ll usually need to start chilling garlic by late winter to early spring and plant garlic outside when the soil is workable. Remember, garlic is cold hardy and you don’t need to worry about it freezing. Types of Garlic Both hardneck and softneck garlic are appropriate for spring or fall plantings. However, there are a few types of garlic that are particularly popular in spring. ‘Early Italian’ softneck garlic is known for its long storage life. It produces up to 15 cloves per bulb and is ideal for braiding. ‘Elephant’ garlic is actually more closely related to leeks than garlic, but its jumbo cloves have a mild, garlic-like taste and excellent crunch. ‘Chesnok Red’ hardneck garlic yields big cloves with purple striping and tasty scapes perfect for pesto. How to Plant Garlic Spring garlic can be planted in in-ground gardens, raised beds, or pots that are at least 6 to 8 inches deep. Just make sure your garlic is planted in a location that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of sun per day and follow these planting tips. Prepare soil. Before planting, amend your soil with compost and organic granular fertilizer. In containers, use 3 parts potting soil mixed with 1 part compost. Separate cloves and plant. Divide garlic cloves carefully, leaving the papery skins on, and plant them pointed ends up about 1 to 2 inches deep. Cloves should be spaced about 4 inches apart to get large bulbs or 2 inches apart for smaller, green garlic. Water well. After planting, water well and add 2 to 3 inches of lightweight mulch to keep weeds down. Continue watering when the top inch of soil feels dry and fertilize every 2 to 3 weeks with an organic fertilizer from the time the garlic cloves sprout until a few weeks before harvest. How to Harvest Garlic Whether you plant garlic in spring or fall, garlic bulbs should be ready to harvest around mid- to late summer, or when the garlic leaves have mostly turned brown. However, you can harvest “green garlic” when the plants are about the size of scallions or harvest garlic scapes when they start to curl. When harvesting, follow these best practices: Stop watering garlic plants several days before harvest and harvest bulbs in dry weather if possible. Use a shovel or gardening fork to gently lift the bulbs from the soil and shake away excess dirt. Cure the bulbs in a warm, dry spot with good airflow for 2 to 4 weeks until the skins are papery. Cut the leaves off hardneck garlic or twist softneck garlic leaves into braids and store your harvest in a warm, dry spot.

Dozens of pepper varieties can be grown in the home garden. Once you find your favorites, you may never have to purchase seeds again—turns out, you can save pepper seeds easily to plant next year. Follow our simple steps on how to save pepper seeds for a huge haul of future pepper plants. Which Peppers Can You Save Seeds From? Saving pepper seeds requires a bit of planning to get the best and most viable seeds for next season's planting. If you are growing hybrid peppers (F1 is printed after the name on the seed packet), the seeds will not produce the same pepper next year. When saving pepper seeds, open-pollinated, will produce new plants of the same variety. When Should You Collect Pepper Seeds? Seeds should only be collected from mature peppers. Unripe fruit does not produce viable seeds. The peppers should be mature but not overly ripe, diseased, or beginning to mold. Seeds can be collected from freshly picked peppers or from peppers that have been allowed to dry for several months off the vine. How to Remove Seeds from Peppers To remove the seeds, cut open the pepper and gently rub or shake the seeds from the center of the fruit. You can use a fine mesh or paper towel to catch the seeds. How to Dry Pepper Seeds Dried Peppers If the seeds have been removed from peppers that have been allowed to dry off the vine for three to four months, they may not require any additional drying. If they feel slightly damp, spread the seeds on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at 100 degrees F. for two hours. Fresh Peppers If you have saved seeds from a fresh pepper, the flesh should be rinsed away from the seeds. You can do this by placing the seeds in a bowl of cool water and gently swishing them around with your hands. The loose pepper flesh and immature seeds will float the top and can be skimmed off. You can also place the seeds in a fine mesh colander and rinse them under water. After rinsing, allow the seeds to dry on a paper towel or a mesh screen in a cool location until the seeds are dry enough to break when pressed with a fingernail. To speed drying, spread the seeds on a clean baking tray and dry at 100 degrees F. for about six hours. Where to Store Pepper Seeds When the seeds are dry, they can be stored in small glass jars, paper bags, or any moisture-proof container. Always label the container with the date and the type of pepper. Store seeds in a cool, dark, dry location or a freezer. If they are stored in an area that is too warm or moist, the seeds may begin to germinate or mold and become no longer viable. How to Know If Pepper Seeds Are Still Good Pepper seeds will produce the best results if planted the next year but can be viable for up to five years. You can do one of these tests to predict if the seeds are still good. Germination test: Place 10 to 15 seeds with plenty of space between each seed on several layers of damp paper towels. Fold the towels and place them in a sealable plastic bag. Put the bag in a warm spot for two weeks. Remove the towels from the bag and count how many seeds have sprouted to get a percentage of viable seeds for planting. Floater test: Place the seeds in a bowl of water and remove any that float. Floating seeds are less viable than the dense seeds that have developed a seed embryo. Plant immediately or allow to dry thoroughly if storing longer.