Pruning Fruit Trees

Carol O'Meara, CSU Extension agent from Boulder explains fruit tree pruning in these excellent articles.

Pruning fruit trees, part 1: the basics, plus peaches  

Pruning fruit trees, part 2: apples and pears

Home and Garden Show Provides a Wealth of Information by Heirloom Fan

If you have never attended one of the Home and Garden shows, you must give yourself a treat next year and plan to attend. The garden displays are well planned and give inspiration to those who want suggestions or help in choosing the right plant for their location.
This year, I volunteered as a Master Gardener at the CSU Extension Service booth. There were four of us as volunteers, and we were all kept busy for the entire 4 hour shift, answering questions and providing Garden Notes and Fact sheets for the many people who came to our table. It was fun to meet so many enthusiastic gardeners who want to improve the beauty of their home and yard with Colorado tested plants, trees, shrubs and lawns.

Building a Straw Bale Greenhouse: Phase 5 by Gardener Cumax

After the roof and side walls were up, we got snow again. I put my remote thermometer out in the greenhouse and it was no warmer than the outside. It made me think I made a wrong choice of roof material, but I brushed that concern aside and got busy with filling in that ridiculously ugly gap between the RBA and sill plate. I filled that gaping maw with a combination of insulation foam and spray foam. It's uglier than ever because the foam expands over several hours. That's a good thing because every single little crack needs to go bye bye.

Building a Straw Bale Greenhouse: Phase 4 by Gardener Cumax

Before I could even do the work I had to treat the lumber. Monday found me at Natural Interiors on Wadsworth purchasing a gallon of linseed oil based wood treatment. Tuesday-Thursday was spent oil each piece of 2x6x16' and 2x6x20' lumber with the oil. By treating the lumber this way I would ensure it doesn't rot. Water can cause rot, yes, but having the wood in contact with dirt is how soil organisms start slowly chomping away on your wood - which they view as food. Food, Wood, Whatever.

Building a Straw Bale Greenhouse: Phase 3 by Gardener Cumax

Editor’s Note: In September, 2009, Peter Bockenthien (aka Gardener Cumax) began construction of a straw bale greenhouse and shared his initial work on this blog. The next three blog postings will chronicle his successes and challenges in completing the project.

I'm happy to report that my greenhouse is 97% complete. I would be happier if we had some actual sun to warm it up but I don't control the weather. Let me explain what has transpired since November 2009.

In November I didn't get the stucco done because it was turning too cold. As a result the stucco I did complete cracked here and there. But that's normal for stucco that is drying in a freezing climate. I covered the entire greenhouse's lower straw bale walls in a large tarp I found on craigslist. Heavier snow dumped into the greenhouse interior onto the dirt. Not wanting the exposed strawbales to attract any moisture, I covered the entire wall system with black plastic. That's where I left off.

True Cost of Colony Collapse Disorder to Beekeepers

 

Here's an interesting article on the monetary cost of colony collapse disorder to the nation's bee keepers.  It is enormous!

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Colony Collapse Disorder - True Cost of Colony Collapse Disorder to Beekeepers - thedailygreen.com

Starting Plants Indoors From Seed

 Yes, dear gardener, it is FINALLY time to start thinking about starting your plants from seed.  Here's a great article with lots of good advice for the gardener.

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Starting Plants Indoors From Seed : Planet Green

Prison Gardens a Growing Trend

Nelson Mandela may have started it all when he was in prison—"A garden is one of the few things in prison that one could control," he wrote in his autobiography. "Being a custodian of this patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom."


Prison Gardens a Growing Trend, Feeding Inmates on the Inside and Food Banks on the Outside : Planet Green


Right here in Jefferson County, we have an inmate rose garden that is accredited through the All American Rose Selection!  While it's not vegetables, it is something to be proud of.  It is  the only public rose garden in the United States to be planted at a jail and maintained by inmates. Gardening redeems us.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Public Rose Garden

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Are You Unknowingly Harboring a Noxious Weed in Your Garden? by Donna Duffy

It’s easy to get hooked on flowers that are easy to grow, especially those that seem to be refreshingly trouble-free. Unfortunately, some of these qualify as noxious weeds, and their rapid growth causes a multitude of problems. These undesirable plants reduce habitat for wildlife and native plants, alter riparian areas, and cause problems in agricultural lands. Colorado Noxious Weeds are illegal to grow, even though they may be available on the internet and in some “big box” stores. Following are three Noxious Weeds to watch out for, and native and non-invasive alternatives you can grow in their place.

The end of the squashy tomato?

 Dear gardener, scientists in Britain  have created a fruit which is said to stay fresh for 45 days  -  three times longer than the conventional tomato. But do you really want to eat it? This is not your father's heirloom variety!

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Read more here:
The end of the squashy tomato? Genetic breakthrough could let fruit last a month longer | Mail Online

Lawns May Contribute to Global Warming

Perhaps, dear gardener, you are considering getting rid of your lawn. Putting in a meadow  or a vegetable garden. Some studies conclude that this is a good thing! Ponder this one.

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Lawns May Contribute to Global Warming - Yahoo! News

Installing a Drip Irrigation System

Now might be the time to plan for an irrigation system if you do not have one. Garden Girl takes us through the steps in this video.

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