What’s the difference between a flower and a weed? It’s obvious. The flowers are the easiest ones to pull out of the ground.
So, what’s the difference between nectarines and peaches?
I could say that they’re both pit-iful, but then you guys would groan and do eye-rolls. I know how you people are.
Genetically, peaches and nectarines are nearly identical.
Nectarines have smooth, shiny skin, firmer texture, and are a little smaller and sweeter than a peach.
Peaches have fuzzy skin. However, peach farmers have been crossbreeding their peaches to make them less fuzzy. Now, peaches and nectarines have become even more similar.
Peaches and nectarines both can be freestone (the pit easily falls away from the flesh) or clingstone (the pit clings to the fruit). Both fruits also come in white and yellow varieties. White peaches and nectarines are less acidic and taste sweeter.
Now, don’t get me started on demystifying apriums, pluerry, pluots, plumcots, nectaplums, and peacotums (a peach, apricot, and plum hybrid). Sorry, but I don’t like it when scientists play with our food.
What’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?
According to the Library of Congress (https://loc.gov/), “although yams and sweet potatoes are both angiosperms (flowering plants) they are not botanically related.”
Both are root vegetables, but the sweet potato is from the morning glory family while the yam is related to the lily. And a unicorn resembles a goat.
Yams have rough brown skin, but soften when baked. Compared to sweet potatoes, yams are starchier, drier, and contain less sugar. Yams have rounded ends.
Sweet potatoes are orange-colored and have elongated, tapered ends. Sweet potatoes are more nutritious than yams.
Occasionally, I hear people calling a spade a shovel and a shovel a spade. But, they’re actually very different tools.
A shovel’s blade is curved with a rounded or pointed tip. It has a long straight shaft for greater leverage when hole digging and turning soil. The blade size is larger than a spade’s blade.
A spade’s blade is relatively flat with a straight, rectangular edge, ideal for edging garden beds and lawns. The shaft is shorter than a shovel’s and often has a “T” or “D” handle. It’s best for slicing through soil and roots, and moving soil. I consider it to be a groundbreaking invention.
Here in the U.S., we rarely use the word “spade.” And to think…all these years of playing cards and I should have been hiding an “Ace of Shovels” up my sleeve.
Botanist vs. horticulturist: what’s the difference between them?
Botanists study the science of plants, including their classification, genetics, structure, physiology, and environment. They study plant diseases and pests, and work on ways to deal with them. Botanists are the researchers who analyze plants, test soils, document crop productivity, and identify new plant species.
Horticulturists cultivate flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They are involved with plant management and conservation, crop rotation, soil management, and landscape and garden design. Their jobs include greenhouse managers, garden managers, landscapers, and community garden planners. Horticulturists oversee the growth, harvest, packaging, storage, marketing, and distribution of ornamental plants and crops. They provide technical information to gardeners, nurseries, and farmers.
What’s the difference between bone meal and blood meal?
Blood meal is derived from cows and is a fertilizer that adds nitrogen when mixed into the soil. If you’re replanting the same garden bed year after year, blood meal will be beneficial, as plants can deplete the soil. Blood meal will also make your soil more acidic.
Bone meal is fertilizer derived from ground-up beef bones that add phosphorus and calcium to the soil. In powder form, it can be dissolved in water for a fast-acting fertilizer, whereas granular bone meal is a slow-release additive. Unlike blood meal, bone meal won’t burn your plants if you add too much. Keep bone meal away from pets.
What’s the difference between topsoil and garden soil?
At garden centers, topsoil refers to surface earth that has gone through a screening process to remove debris and create a consistent texture. Topsoil contains natural organic matter from leaves, grasses, weeds, and tree bark that can help sustain plant life. However, topsoil is not amended at all, which limits its use as a growing medium. Topsoil is a general-purpose landscape material and is often used to level low spots in the ground
Garden soil is enriched with compost and other organic matter to make it better suited for plant growth. Gardeners use it for raised bed planters and container gardens, and for vegetable, herb, and flower garden beds.
Of course, we all know the difference between a hippo and a Zippo?
One is really heavy, the other’s a little lighter.
Go ahead and do your groans and eye-rolls.
