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Organic Seed Starting from a CSA
Yesterday I watched and shared this video from Quiet Creek Farms and the Penn State Extension Service on the Growing The Home Garden Facebook page. The video has some great techniques for seed starting including a recipe for their seed starting soil. It has a business slant geared toward developing a CSA but the techniques described are very usable in…
Propagating Grape Vines with Greenwood Cuttings
I’m always looking for new plants to experiment on to see if I can get them to root. Yesterday I took some cuttings from a grape vine at my mom’s house. Grape vines are pretty popular with home gardeners who want to grow their own food in the backyard so I thought I’d give them a try. I haven’t successfully…
Fall Seedlings
The fall vegetable garden is coming along! It never fails to fill me with excitement when those freshly planted seeds grow into seedlings. Especially when the seedlings were planted naturally through self-sowing as is the case with my cilantro. Cilantro is one of those expensive to buy but easy to grow plants. It likes it when the weather is cooler…
How to Treat and Prevent Early Blight on Tomatoes
Brown or gray spots on your tomato plants? It could be early blight. Here is what causes it, how to prevent it, and what to do once you have blight on your tomato plants.
Another Episode of Dealing with Deer
For while I thought the deer were gone. Then this spring we saw the telltale signs of the whitetail deer. The hoof prints, the nibbles and the um…other signs. Then came the sightings. A single doe came strolling through the backyard taking nibbles of various plants. Fortunately most of the plants in our garden are deer resistant so the deer…
Caryopteris for September Blues (Fall Flowers)
Do you want an easy to grow shrub that has very few pest problems, isn’t munched on by deer or rabbits, and looks great at the end of summer? No it’s not impossible, think caryopteris! Caryopteris (Caryopteris x clandonensis also called blue mist shrub, bluebeard, or blue mist spirea) is deer and rabbit resistant if not proof, blooms in the…
Black Blister Beetle Battles
Another unforeseen issue has arisen in my garden: blister beetles! These voracious beetles are systematically devouring the foliage of our plants. So far they’ve taken turns tasting our tomatoes, tomatillos, and even a clematis. I’m not heartbroken over the clematis as it’s a sweet autumn clematis that grows like a weed – it will come back. But I do want…
October Tomatoes
We had another harvest of tomatoes this week! We’ve been loving the sheer volume of tomatoes this summer and are sadly lamenting the end of the harvest that will be coming soon. The weather is still warm enough for the tomatoes to produce and there will probably be another crop before the frosts but the end is near! Most of…
Light Up the Night with a Backyard Fire Pit and Solar Lights!
In the fall there are several iconic thoughts that spring to mind of most people. Cool crisp days evoke good feelings and memories created around fall festivals, apple cider, holidays, and other fall activities. One way to share the fall experience with your family is to add a backyard fire pit. What could be better than a cool crisp evening…
How to Remove Aphids from Ornamental Peppers!
Insect pests (like aphids) are always frustrating to find on your plants. I’ve dealt with aphids many times before but I still never like to find them again. Inevitably I do. Aphids are one of the most common insect pests in every garden. If you garden you will eventually find them on one of your plants. I’ve had them on…
Tomato Seed Starting in Plastic Cups Update
Last week I wrote about my seed starting “mini-greenhouses” made from clear plastic cups so I thought I would share how my tomato seeds are doing so far. To sum things up I am very pleased with the results as I have very strong and healthy growing tomato seeds are in the mini-greenhouse cups. Some of my tomato seedlings are already…
My Front Porch Garden Design Project Part 1
One area that I’m extremely unhappy with in my yard is the front porch garden. To put it simply, it’s a mess! It’s not just the weeds that I haven’t had time to pull it’s the plantings and the way they are arranged. In the front of the beds I’ve planted severla things over the last three years that I’m…
Fall Color Project Sponsors
I wanted to put together a quick post to thank all those garden bloggers who have taken the effort to post the Fall Color Project Banner somewhere on their blog. It definitely is not required to participate but I wanted to pass on my appreciation for the extra visibility. So … thank you! Here are those who added the banner…
Cutting Back Miscanthus in the Spring
Among many garden chores that come in spring perhaps the biggest is the trimming of the ornamental grasses. Trimming back perennials can be time consuming but the ornamental grasses can be a bear. It’s not the tiny little hair-like strands of the Nassella tenuissima (Ponytail grass), or the tall and narrow ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grasses. The panicums aren’t a…
Do You Have The Right Stuff to Propagate Plants?
Plant propagation sounds like something very complicated. A lot of gardeners are intimidated by the idea of getting something to root. It looks challenging but in reality there are a great number of plants that are very easy to propagate. That’s not to say that a cutting will grow roots each and every time. In fact I’ve lost many cuttings…
Finally, the Sun
It’s been days since we’ve seen any sign of the sun. He was back today and even a little yesterday. I don’t think I’m alone in missing my friend the sun, am I?
Plant Holding Bin and a Birdhouse (Weekend Projects)
This weekend I worked on two garden projects. One took a a good deal of time to complete while the other only took about an hour and a half. The big project was a plant holding bin to hold my propagated plants that aren’t ready for in the ground planting yet. Fortunately I was the recipient of some old deck…
Starting a Nursery Business: Consider The Workload
One of the many things to consider when starting your own nursery business is the workload. You probably really enjoy gardening (or else you wouldn’t even consider a nursery business!) but do you realize how much work goes into producing a plant for sale? We aren’t just talking about one plant either. We’re talking about lots of plants to make…
