Fertilizer teas are easy to make and are as good for your garden’s health as the tea you drink is for yours. Fertilizer teas are used when planting or transplanting or any time the plants appear to need a boost. Some people use fertilizer teas every time they water. The only supplies needed [Continue]
Every year I plant a flower, vegetable or herb that I’ve never grown before in an effort learn something new and challenge myself. This year my gardening challenge comes in the form of a five-month-old golden retriever puppy named Lucy. Unlike her predecessor for whom the word “No” actually held some meaning, Lucy’s [Continue]
Seed catalogs continue to fill mailboxes and gardeners everywhere are checking seed packets left over from last year to see what they need to order this year. But how can you be sure that the seeds from last year or even two years ago will still germinate? A simple test you can do [Continue]
The zinnias that grow in my garden are the grandchildren of those that grew in my mother’s garden forty years ago. She saves seeds every year to plant the next year and when I planted my first garden eighteen years ago she gave me some zinnia seeds to get me started. I have continued [Continue]
My first, and still favorite, gardening book, Wisconsin Garden Guide, by Jerry Minnich, devotes a full page to preparing your garden so you can have a worry-free vacation and return home to find your garden doing just fine. With just a few hours of preparation before leaving on vacation you can avoid coming home [Continue]
There is more to watering your flowers and vegetables than sprinkling a little water on the leaves. For healthy growth, most plants need about one inch of water per week and they need that water at root level. You must use a rain gauge to determine if your plants are getting the required amount [Continue]
Call me strange, but I love to weed. There is nothing so satisfying as tugging on a big weed and feeling the roots loosen in the soil to emerge from the ground intact. Unless it’s the neat, clean look of the flower bed or garden when the weeding is finished. I also enjoy walking around [Continue]
Seed packets contain a wealth of information which if attended to will make your garden much more successful. There is almost always a year imprinted on seed packets. The best germination will come from seed packets stamped with the current year. That’s not say that you should throw away old seeds; many are [Continue]
Many people dream of building a home in the woods. As cities and suburbs expand, more and more wooded areas are being developed into residential lots. But the construction process can be deadly to nearby trees. And unless the damage is extreme, instead of dying immediately, the trees could decline over several years, making it [Continue]
There’s no doubt that August and September were drought months in our area. With global warming, there are likely to be more years like this in the future. As Master Gardeners we need to educate ourselves as to how to help our plants through drought conditions as well as learn what plants are best suited [Continue]