Your soil is where your plants live. It’s where they eat, breathe (actually, transpire), fight diseases, and anchor their location in this world. Nothing is more important to your plants, and to your gardening, than your soil. Soil is a fascinating mix of mineral and organic matter, air, and water. The mineral components come from
Feeding Your Garden Naturally
There are two very compelling reasons to feed your garden naturally. Long term you’ll build better soil and a healthier ecosystem. Short term and long term you’ll save money. Building Better Soil If you’ve been reading most of our newsletter articles, you know that we consider good soil to be the absolute foundation to good
Composting in Winter – The Answers
Here we answer some common questions about composting in winter months. Composting in Winter – Can I Do It? Composting in winter is possible depending on where you live. Active composting requires a consistent outside temperature of 40 degrees or more. So, if you live in an area with temperate winters (southern most states of
Composting for Next Year
One of our gardening friends says that there are only two kinds of serious gardeners: those who compost, and those who don’t compost yet! Those Who Compost If you’re one of those gardeners who enjoys the many rewards of composting, now is the time to make significant contributions to next year’s compost harvest. Divide and
Composting
What is Compost? Compost is decomposed organic material. The organic material can be plant material or animal matter. While composting may seem mysterious or complicated, it’s really a very simple and natural process that continuously occurs in nature, often without any assistance from people. If you’ve walked in the woods, you’ve experienced compost in its
Garden Clean-Up
If you spend a few hours this fall properly cleaning up your lawn and garden, you’ll be rewarded with a prettier landscape this winter and have a head start on next season’s gardens. Vegetable Garden Clean-up Remove all dead or spent vegetable plants, imperfect or unripe fruits and vegetables. Shred and compost any plants or
Hedge and Shrub Care
Why, When, How to Prune Shrubs and Hedges There are three major types of pruning aesthetic, productive, and practical. Aesthetic pruning is done to improve the appearance of a tree or shrub. Most aesthetic pruning is done to create or maintain both symmetry and a desired shape and height. Artistic aesthetic pruning can also be
Removing Thatch From Lawns
Thatch… recognizing it, and removing it! Thatch is a communion of dead grass, roots and other matter that builds up in grass over time. Its very common and collects on most lawns at some time or another. Thatch collects above the soil at surface level and becomes intertwined in grass stems. When the cycle of
Lawn Care Made Easier
American lawns range from golf course spectacular to weed infested, bare patch ugly. And lawn care treatment ranges from chemical assault, to doing nothing, to organic purist. You can have a better lawn, without constantly attending to its needs and without spending a fortune. While many of us coddle our ornamental plantings and our vegetable
How and When to Aerate Your Lawn
In this article, we use the Mantis Tiller to aerate a lawn. Difficulty Estimated Time An Hour or Two Things You Need Mantis Tiller Aerator Attachment Safety Glasses Garden Gloves A Little Bit of Background If you have heavily compacted soil or if your turf has a lot of thin or bare areas, you should
How to Have a Great Lawn
Overview Most homeowners would like to have a thick, green lawn that is free of weeds, diseases, and bare spots. The good news is that it is possible to have a very attractive lawn without spending a fortune on a lawn care service and without using a lot of potentially harmful chemicals. But you do
Our Favorite Tomato Recipes
One recent survey indicated that 98% of American vegetable gardeners grow tomatoes. And, to many gardeners, the appearance of the first fresh ripe home-grown tomato is a significant annual event that arrives after much anticipation. Soon, however, many of us have all of the tomatoes we can use… and then some. Here are a few
How About a Garden Party?
According to Wikipedia, a garden party is a gathering with food in an outdoor park or garden. The connotation of “garden party” is that it is more formal than a cookout or picnic; indeed, the official garden parties at Buckingham Palace are quite formal and prestigious. Of course, yours can be much more casual. Many
Gardening With Kids
Most of us who enjoy gardening also enjoy sharing our gardening ideas and information with others. One of the special joys of gardening is that we can share it with our kids, our grandkids, or our neighbors’ kids. The Benefits of Gardening with Kids Here are a few reasons why gardening with kids can be
Gardening Benefits
Gardening Benefits Your Wallet and Your Health Grow What You’ll Eat. The USDA estimates that every $100 spent on vegetable gardening can yield $1,000 to $1,700 worth of produce. Examples: Tomatoes: A packet (30 seeds) of Big Beef Hybrid tomato seeds costs $3.45. If you start 6 seeds, and plant the 5 healthiest seedlings, the cost
Easy Ways to Save Your Garden Bounty
Vegetable Storage There are four basic ways to save extra vegetables from your garden for later use: Canning Many fruits and vegetables can be preserved by canning them. Pears, apples, tomatoes, pickled cucumbers, and beans are among the most popular garden produce that can be preserved this way. For home gardeners, canning involves the use
How to Build a Rain Garden
Rain gardens are becoming increasingly popular as more homeowners become aware of their impact on the overall environment. Simply put, rain gardens are planned gardens that capture and filter rain water that would otherwise run off or through your property. The benefits of rain gardens are: Decreased pollution of streams and water supplies, because rainwater runoff
Win Over Weeds
Weeds. They’re everywhere. And they sprout up overnight at least it seems that way and grow twice as fast as your garden plants. The biggest challenge facing many new and experienced gardeners alike is controlling weeds. Understand the “Enemy” Weeds really aren’t the enemy. They’re simply nature’s way of protecting her precious soil. Exposed topsoil
Managing Water in the Garden
How to Manage Water in the Garden While most animals (including us humans) and plants can tolerate a range of water and nutrient consumption, there are times when there’s simply too much or too little. This article will address some solutions when your garden has too much or not enough water. Too Much Water The
Companion Planting
Companion planting is simply planting different varieties of plants next to – or close to – each other to achieve better results. Companion planting can be used to: Deter harmful insects Provide useful nutrients Provide structure or shade Attract beneficial insects Attract and trap harmful insects Background The concept of companion planting for backyard gardeners
