NOW IS THE TIME TO PLAN Spring is now officially here. April is the first full month of spring. Our temperature is warming. As of this writing our soil temperature is warming up as well. As we get farther into April and we warm more consistently then our butterflies will become more noticeable and more … Read more
I’m forever trying to get an earlier tomato. I start my seeds indoors no later than the middle of March. Lacking a greenhouse or cold-frame, I start them indoors in a sunny window in my spare bedroom and have nice sized transplants ready to plant outside—but when? Most people say our last frost is around … Read more
SPRING IS IN THE AIR Finally, April has arrived. March was good to us this year. We had some cold days and nights, but it was winter. Conversely, we had some very nice warm days as well. The bottom line is that March was kind to us gardeners—unlike the other winter months. This year is … Read more
Over the years, I’ve learned some weird, wacky, and strange facts about plants, so I thought I’d share some with you. Did you know that some of our favorite fruits are related to roses? That’s right—apples, peaches, pears, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and almonds are all members of the rose family! That broccoli you had … Read more
WAYS TO ATTRACT MORE BIRDS, BEES, AND MANY OTHER BENEFICIAL INSECTS There is a definite connection between birding, beneficial insects, and gardening. This connection is called native plants. Over the past few years, there has been an increasingly popular gardening trend of being more connected with nature and appreciating nature in our landscape. Have you … Read more
So, this past Thursday was the Spring Equinox! What does that mean for your garden? Important – Keep This in Mind We must remember that our last REGULAR frost here is usually between April 9th and April 20th. However, according to the National Weather Service, we got down to 32 degrees five years ago on … Read more
THIS IS THE TIME TO PLAN YOUR STRATEGY It’s early March now. February was a cold and wet month that kept most of us out of our gardens. Now is the time to consider how you can be a part of this growing gardening trend. This trend is simple on paper – REDUCE YOUR LAWN … Read more
Today is St. Patrick’s Day! Did you get a shamrock as a gift or treat yourself to one? Here are five interesting facts about them: The average of finding a four-leafed clover is about one in 10,000! A Japanese farmer, Shigio Obara, bred a clover with 56 leaves. “I never dreamed of seeing this many … Read more
It’s mid-March. Spring will officially be here in less than two weeks. Up to this point, we have been experiencing a harsher winter than we have had in the past few winters. Our plants have broken dormancy in the last couple of years, and many early spring bloomers—such as forsythia—have been in bloom. But, not … Read more
The first plant I ever got was a division of a plant from my great-aunt Flora. It was called a Stapelia. Aunt Flora told me it was a cactus. I had no clue how to take care of it, but she gave me instructions. So how do you take care of a cactus? Cacti or … Read more
