1. Save an avocado pit (without cutting or breaking it) and wash off any residue. Let dry, then insert 3-4 toothpicks about halfway up the side of the pit.

2. Suspend the pit broad end down in a drinking glass or jar. Fill the container with enough water to submerge the bottom third of the seed, the Missouri Botanical Garden advises.

3. Place the glass in a warm spot out of direct sunlight and change the water regularly. Roots and a sprout should appear in about 2-6 weeks. If not, start with another seed.

4. When the sprout gets about 6 inches tall, cut it back to about 3 inches to encourage more root growth.

5. Once the stem grows out again, plant the pit in an 10-inch pot filled with rich potting soil. Now it's time to let your avocado tree grow, grow, grow!

• Peanuts have a long growing season (ranging from 100 to 130 frost-free days); they’re planted a few weeks after the average last frost date in the spring and often dug up anytime after the first of September.
• The trick to raising them in the North is to choose an early-maturing variety such as “Early Spanish” (100 days) and plant on a south-facing slope, if possible. You could also get a head start to the season by sowing peanuts indoors 5 to 8 weeks before transplanting outside.
• It’s important to select a site that receives full sun.
• Plastic row covers are recommended to protect the young plants from spring frosts.
• To grow peanuts, you will actually need to start with fresh, raw, uncooked peanuts still in their shells.
• To start inside, fill a large, four-inch-deep plastic bowl ⅔ full of moist potting soil. Shell four peanuts and place them on top of the soil; then cover with one inch of soil. Plants will sprout quickly. Transplant seedlings outside after the threat of frost has passed.
• To plant outside, place the peanut seeds two inches deep and eight inches apart in loose, well-drained soil. (Add sand and aged compost to soil to loosen.)

• You can plant kale at any time, from early spring to early summer. If you plant kale late in the summer, you can harvest it from fall until the ground freezes in winter.
• Mix 1-½ cups of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 25 feet of row into the top 3 to 4 inches of soil.
• Plant the seeds ¼ to ½ inch deep into well-drained, light soil.
• After about 2 weeks, thin the seedlings so that they are spaced 8 to 12 inches apart.

Watermelon is a space hog; vines can reach 20 feet in length. So plant where there is plenty of open ground. Amend soil with organic matter such as compost or composted cow manure. Add a balanced fertilizer that is high in nitrogen. Sow 8 to 10 watermelon seeds in a hill, and push seeds 1 inch into the soil. Space hills 3 to 4 feet apart, with at least 8 feet between rows. Thin plants to the 3 best in each hill. Keep soil free of weeds by shallow hoeing or with a layer of mulch.

Spinach is grown commercially on deep, loam soils. If your garden soil is acid (pH below 7), then be sure to lime the soil based on a soil test to raise the pH to 7.0. Many gardeners opt for raised beds, 6-8 inches above the existing soil, especially if they have a heavy clay soil to deal with. Working 2-4 inches of compost into the soil prior to planting is always a good idea and while you're at it incorporate 2 pounds of a complete fertilizer per 100 square feet.

There are a number of kidney bean varieties to choose from. Some of them, like Charlevoix, are more prone to viruses and bacteria, so do your research. They come in both bush and vine varieties. In the same family as black beans, pinto and navy beans, these big red beans are a staple in most chili recipes. They are only used dried and then cooked, as the raw beans are toxic. A few minutes of cooking time, however, neutralizes the toxins.

• Start broccoli seed indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the last frost in spring for spring planting.

• Start broccoli in the garden in mid to late summer to grow a late fall or early winter crop. In mild winter regions, plant in fall for winter harvest.

• Transplant broccoli seedlings to the garden when they are 4 to 6 weeks old, as early as the last frost in spring, after hardening off the seedlings for 4 days.

• In mild-winter regions, start seeds indoors in late summer and set them in the garden in autumn for winter harvest.

• Broccoli will come to harvest in 55 to 85 days when grown from transplants and 70 to 100 days when grown from seed.

1. Gather some walnuts that have fallen out of a tree nearby your home. ...
2. Place the walnuts you've collected on a covered work table. ...
3. Dig a hole only a couple of inches deep. ...
4. Plant the seeds right away and cover them with dirt. ...
5. Leave them alone for the winter.