Thursday, September 30, 2021

Iron Chlorosis by Vicky Vahling

 

Lilac leaf
Photo by Vicky Vahling

I have lived in my house for 20 years and have never really spent any time maintaining my Lilac bush. This spring I pruned all the dead branches out and dug out all the new suckers that had started to get out of hand. The Lilac bush looked great and was really starting to flourish until the middle of summer when the leaves started turning yellow on all the new growth with the leaf veins staying green. Then the leaves started to turn brown around the edges and began dropping from the plant.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Preparing and Storing Pumpkins and Winter Squash By Joyce D’Agostino

Pumpkin, Big Max
Photo:  Joyce D'Agostino

It’s that time of year when pumpkins and winter squash are reaching their peak maturity. These vegetables are not only highly nutritious, but they make wonderful fall decoration displays.

Monday, September 20, 2021

Top Ten List for Growing Garlic by Briana Gerou

Photo:  Briana Gerou

I like to try new crops each year to keep things interesting. This year, I grew garlic and it was a huge success. In this blog, I will share the top ten reasons you should try growing garlic. 

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Making Your Own Compost by Anne Kinney

Photo: Anne Kinney

Making your own compost is fairly simple and gives you the added benefit of being able to enrich your soil. You can do that with bagged compost but by making your own you also prevent large amounts of biodegradable material from being tossed into the landfill. 

Monday, September 13, 2021

Gardening with Kids: Collecting and Storing Seeds by Carol Martin

Photo: Carol Martin

Autumn can be a challenging time for gardening with kids. The excitement of Spring planting has long faded and the start of a new school year is top of mind. However, collecting seeds from the garden is a fun, relatively easy task that can re-engage kids of almost any age. 

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Protecting Your Fruit Trees from Pests – Part 2 By Joyce D’Agostino

Photo by Joyce D'Agostino

Earlier this year, I began an experiment using heavy duty netted tree bags to try to preserve our apple harvests. Refer to the original blog dated 6/28/2021. In the past, we have had the entire crop of any tree fruit quickly wiped out by squirrels and also significant damage from birds. 

Monday, September 6, 2021

Choosing the best sunflowers for your garden By Joyce D’Agostino

Sunflower, Pastiche
Photo by Joyce D'Agostino

Most of us are familiar with the bright and cheerful sunflower. These North American native flowers are easy to grow and provide not only beautiful flowers but a wealth of pollen and nectar for beneficial insects.