Leaves If you’re harvesting leaves, the best time to pick is before the plant begins to flower. Flowers If you’re harvesting flowers, harvest the blossoms just before they are in full bloom. Seeds If you’re harvesting seeds, the seeds should remain on the plant until they are fully mature and begin to dry. Here […]
Saving Water by Heather Stone No matter where you live reducing your water use is important. Water is a finite resource and we are using more of it than ever. Did you know that the average American uses 88 gallons of water a day at home? In comparison, Europeans use about half that and in […]
Supporting Tomatoes by Heather Stone The ways in which to support tomatoes are as varied as the gardeners who grow them. Staking your tomatoes is important for many reasons. Keeping your plants upright and off the ground helps keep not only insects and critters at bay but can prevent many tomato diseases as well. Click […]
Recipes for Beets The National Garden Bureau has proclaimed 2018 as the year of the beet and you can enjoy them in so very many ways. Try some new recipes to enjoy this nutritious and underused vegetable this year. Beets can be dried and made into chips, juiced, roasted, baked, pureed into soup, glazed, pickled […]
Gardening in a Limited Space by Greta Dupuis Do you have limited space to grow your vegetables in? Small yard, only one raised bed, or even just containers on a porch or deck? Way back when (1981, in fact), PBS ran a series of shows with Mel Bartholomew which showcased how he divided a 12-foot […]
Spring Solutions for Yellow Jackets By: Sandy Swegel Is Spring about to happen in your neighborhood? Before you start getting pansies or collecting daffodils, stop and put out your yellow jacket traps…if yellow jackets are a problem for you in the summer. The yellow jacket life cycle is pretty simple. Almost all the yellow jackets […]
Garden Problems We All Have By: Sandy Swegel “My garden is illiterate. It didn’t read the book about what it can’t do.” That was the wisecracking opening remark at a gardening talk I attended recently. We all laughed and during the break we started talking about some of the stupidest plants we know. Looking at […]
by Sandy Swegel As a gardener I often say “Thank God.” The growing legality of growing marijuana has meant a proliferation of stores that sell amazing tools and new agricultural products that make gardening easier and cheaper. Despite living in Colorado, I’ve never been interested in smoking pot. Even as a decadent college student I […]
Plant of the Month February 2017 Common Name: Scarlet Nantes Carrot Scientific Name: Dacus carota var. sativus Native Range: Mediterranean Region Hardiness Zone: 4 to 10 Days to Maturity: 65-75 General Description: Scarlet Nantes Carrot is a standard market carrot that has a long, cylindrical shape and a rich reddish-orange color. The flavor is […]
Plant of the Month February 2017 Common Name: Detroit Dark Red Beet Scientific Name: Beta vulgaris var. crassa Native Range: Europe & Asia Hardiness Zone: 2-7. For zones 8-11 grow as a fall crop Days to Maturity: 55-65 General Description: The Detroit Dark Red Beet is the most popular all-purpose red beet. It is globe-shaped, […]