Is it time to add a new tree to your landscape? There are many more considerations than “I’ve always wanted a maple tree.” Not to discourage you from planting a tree – it is a noble undertaking – but below is a list of items to consider before you start. Putting the right tree [Continue]
Four practices can help prevent the spread of disease in vegetable and flower gardens. They include mulching, good clean-up, crop rotation, and making sure there is good air flow between plants. Mulching prevents diseases that splash up from the soil during rain or overhead watering and is especially important for tomatoes. Place mulch [Continue]
Several years ago, I told my husband that my vegetable garden was too big and too much work and that I wanted to make it smaller. A few weeks later he asked if I thought I could grow enough vegetables and fruits to keep us alive throughout the coming year if necessary. So, of [Continue]
Last year the pandemic inspired many people to plant their first vegetable garden. This year, people may feel able to take a vacation but are wondering how to leave for a period of time without coming home to find zucchini the size of watermelon, broccoli and lettuce gone to seed, and weeds overgrowing everything. [Continue]
Have you ever walked along a country road and looked closely at the vegetation growing alongside? Most every country road I’ve known has distinct lines of differing vegetation between the road and the ditch and then another type of vegetation across the ditch. My road has a strip of about four inches of plantain [Continue]
It’s planting time! You might think that a strange beginning for an October article, perhaps more appropriate for May. But there is no mistake. Mid-October is the time to plant bulbs of many spring-bloomers as well as garlic. Perhaps more planting is the last thing you feel like doing at the end of a [Continue]
“In the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.” Ecclesiastes 11:3 A dead tree is never entirely dead even though it may seem that way at first glance. Observe a dead tree for a while and you’ll see that it is teeming with life. The healthiest, most biologically diverse forests have a [Continue]
It’s time to begin harvesting the heavy-hitters of the vegetable garden. Garlic, onions and potatoes will last throughout the coming winter and into next spring with proper curing and storage. They each need a slightly different curing strategy but none are difficult. Garlic is ready to harvest when there are five green leaves remaining [Continue]
It’s no secret that the world is suffering from a lack of pollinators. One out of every three bites of food we eat is provided through the work of animal and insect pollinators and our food supply is at risk if pollinators continue to disappear at the rate they have been. Here are some [Continue]
Since the advent of COVID-19, I’ve written a few articles about stocking up and self-sufficiency through gardening. Yet another way to ensure that in the future you will have food, or at least the potential for food, is through saving seeds from this year’s garden. As a bonus, you’ll also avoid the cost of [Continue]