Entries by Mike Wade

Feed the Tomatoes and Veggies

Heirloom Vegetable Seeds By Sandy Swegel So more of them will feed you.  Last week we talked about being on the home stretch for the vegetable garden (at least here in Zone 5.)  Lots of plants are super stressed this year by early rains and now intense heat.  In Colorado, some farmers are only now […]

The Honey Bee Colony

How to Handle These Valuable Pollinators It’s the stuff of Hollywood movies and spine-chilling stories — a swarm of bees attacking everything in their path. Mad, ruthless, and vicious buzzing creatures covering whatever strikes their fancy (usually a person) until they succumb to the deadly stings! This is how a swarm of bees behaves, right? […]

Bats are beautiful and essential

Why Bats Are So Important There are so many misconceptions out there about bats. Bats are not evil, blood-thirsty creatures that fly around at night trying to get caught in your hair. They are graceful and fascinating nocturnal creatures, which benefit humans by pollinating plants, dispersing seeds, and feeding on insect pests. In fact, over […]

The Native Bumble

All About the Bumblebee by Summer Sugg It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s—it’s…a bumblebee? This seems to be more than fitting, seeing as this pollinator’s genus name, Bombus, literally means “booming”, or “buzzing” in Latin. Anyone who’s had a garden in Colorado, or hiked in its wildflower filled landscapes can testify to the astounding […]

It’s dandelion season!

Dandelion Love by Sandy Swegel Let them grow, let them grow, let them grow. Warm sun after a winter rainy day means dandelions arise from the deep and fill the neighborhood with bright yellow cheer. In the olden days, gardeners might panic at the sight and rush out with their dandelion digger (imagine how primitive […]

No Neonics: Three Easy Ways to Help

Protecting Yourself and Creatures from Pesticides by Sandy Swegel Just a moment to be serious now. Spring has arrived and stores are filling with bedding plants and seeds. At the same time, homeowners are noticing all the weeds in yards and some still go out to buy weed killer. There are three easy quick things […]

How to Become a Plant Nerd

How to Become a Plant Nerd by Sandy Swegel You know you are a Plant Nerd When… (Or How to Become a Plant Nerd) You know every garden starts with graph paper. You draw a scale drawing with trees and fences. You create an Excel file listing the times to seed and days to harvest. […]