by Melinda Myers Each gardening season seems to offer new growing challenges. Our gardens are exposed to more drastic and variable weather with changing weather patterns. Floods, droughts, wind, temperature extremes, and unseasonable weather episodes can have immediate and long-term impacts on our plants. Monitoring and noting these occurrences will help you diagnose immediate and […]
by Melinda Myers Soil is the foundation of a healthy garden, but let’s be honest, most gardeners don’t like spending time, energy, and money on it. It’s more fun to show off pretty flowers or share tasty vegetables. But creating a healthy soil foundation will increase your growing success which means more beautiful flowers, larger […]
by Melinda Myers You’ve probably read you should remove and dispose of insect pest-infected and diseased plant material to reduce these problems in next season’s garden. This is not as easy as it seems. Most compost piles do not heat up and maintain hot enough temperatures to kill weeds, weed seeds, disease organisms, and insect […]
by Melinda Myers Welcome spring and create continuous color for several months with a collection of spring-flowering bulbs. After planting in the fall, you’ll enjoy an array of flower colors that combine nicely with other spring-flowering trees, shrubs, and flowers. Start the season with early blooming snowdrops. As winter fades watch for the dangling white […]
by Melinda Myers No matter where you garden there never seems to be enough time to grow and enjoy all your favorite vegetables. Start preparing now to extend your growing season and continue enjoying garden fresh vegetables even after the first frost. Some vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts tolerate frost and […]
by Melinda Myers Low in calories and versatile, cucumbers can flavor beverages, perk up a salad, served as a snack, or made into pickles. This popular vegetable is a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin K. Plus, they have a high water content, making them a mild diuretic to help in weight loss and […]
by Melinda Myers There never seems to be enough room for all the plants you want to grow. If space allows, create new garden beds to expand your planting space and increase the beauty of your landscape. Start by evaluating your current landscape design and plantings. Perhaps, expanding an existing garden bed or connecting two […]
by Melinda Myers A bit of summer pruning goes a long way to keeping your raspberries healthy and productive. So, get out the mosquito netting, long sleeves, and pruners and get busy. The summer harvest is produced on 2-year-old canes called floricanes. Remove those that bore fruit to ground level once your harvest is complete. […]
by Melinda Myers Add long-lasting beauty and pollinator appeal to your garden with this year’s Perennial Plant of the Year, Jeana garden phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘Jeana’). Selected for its tall sturdy habit and fragrant dense flower heads it is a welcome addition to perennial, meadow, and pollinator gardens as well as mixed borders. Grow this […]
by Melinda Myers Have fun and enjoy picking fresh fruit right outside your door thanks to compact varieties you can grow in containers. Just clear some space on your patio, deck, balcony, or front steps that receives at least six hours of sunlight and get busy planting. Consider starting with strawberries. They provide seasonal interest […]