As we celebrate National Indoor Plant Week, my question turns to can we grow food indoors? The answer is emphatically, yes! Perhaps the simplest option for indoor food production would be to grow some container plants that would work well. Crops like lettuce, arugula, and some of the other leafy greens have lower light requirements…
Category: Herbs
Fall is For Planting
A term in the green industry – an oldie, but a goodie – is “Fall is For Planting”. The term sort of begs the questions: Planting what? And why? Good questions, because some things are more suited than others. In short, the items for planting are: trees, shrubs, turf, perennials, some veggies and even transplanting…
Late Summer in the Landscape
Late summer/early fall brings us a host of “to-do’s and not to-do’s” in the landscape. First, a couple of not to dos: *Avoid fertilization of trees, shrubs and perennial flowers. Fertilization at this time tends to promote new growth, which would likely be injured by upcoming fall frosts. *Don’t water with the same frequency and…
Grasshoppers
They are cute. They are little. So what is the big deal if there are lots of grasshoppers? These seemingly innocuous little guys and gals can be quite harmful to our landscape plants and vegetable gardens. As grasshoppers grow, their appetites become larger, making the damage they do even more severe. Floating row covers and…
Herbicide Damage to Vegetable Plants
Twisting, curling, and cupping of leaves are often symptomatic of herbicide damage on vegetable plants. The culprits that most readily cause this type of damage include 2,4-D (used to kill broadleaf weeds in lawns and pastures), dicamba (lawn and crop broadleaf weeds) and picloram (pasture broadleaf weeds). These herbicides are plant growth regulators, killing weeds…
Pollinators and their Health
One third of our food supply exists because a pollinator moved pollen from one flower to another. Their quest for nectar and pollen means we reap the benefits by harvesting fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Despite the necessity of pollinators for a reliable food supply for humans, pollinator habitat is in jeopardy because of reduced food…
Soil Tests
T’is the season when many gardeners are thinking about soil tests. Especially in instances when plants won’t grow, won’t flower or won’t respond to our best efforts, soil tests can be the logical next step. Bear in mind, however, that while the soil test results contribute to an overall understanding of the health of the…
Creating a Community Garden
A community garden is a collective place where local people grow vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers for local people. There are many types of community gardens, ranging from neighborhood gardens to child care center gardens to food pantry gardens, and everything in between. The reason community gardeners garden is varied, with access to fresh food,…
5 Things to Know When Choosing a Spot for Your Vegetable Garden
Choosing the right place for your vegetable garden is an important first step in making gardening fun and productive. Here are 5 simple things you can do when selecting a site. 1) Vegetable gardens should be planted in full sun, but what exactly is “full sun”? To be productive, vegetable gardens should receive 7 or…
The First Thanksgiving: A feast of native and local foods
Turkey, dressing (or stuffing, depending on where you put it or what you call it), potatoes, fresh bread rolls and pumpkin pie are the traditional fare for the celebration these days, but they are a far cry from what the original feast shared by the pilgrims and American Indians would have featured.