One of the phrases we hear a lot is “sustainable” gardening. So what is sustainable gardening exactly? My definition is to leave my environment in the same or in better shape than it already was—and to try to use as few products as possible to keep it that way. How to Apply to Your Yard…
AUGUST CAN BE A TOUGH MONTH FOR GARDENERS Yes, August can be tough for gardening mainly because of the heat and high humidity that makes being outside and working in the gardens a little unbearable. This may be the main reason to look at August as a planning month for the upcoming fall planting season….
Last week I wrote about one of my favorite veggies—broccoli. This week I’ll talk about the other fall veggies—and chores we need to think of now. What are you going to do when the tomatoes, squash, and green beans finally give their last? Do you let your garden lie fallow over the winter or do…
BLUEBERRIES ARE OFTEN LABELED A SUPERFOOD – FOR GOOD REASON! I am a nut when it comes to blueberries. I LOVE BLUEBERRIES!! I eat blueberries every morning mixed with my oatmeal and have been for years. And, I love buying fresh, locally grown blueberries that are available at our farmers’ market. Blueberries are labeled a…
Seeds for cool season veggies are in and I’ve already picked out my favorites. I always plant spinach and kale—they even make it over the winter here. I always plant Little Finger carrots—in a window box, no less. They’re a crunchy sweet mini-carrot that does particularly well in containers. I always do either lettuces or…
NOW IS THE TIME TO EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS AND GET READY FOR THE UPCOMING FALL PLANTING SEASON I can’t believe that I have not done a blog on this topic. Dealing with heavy clay that holds water is very frustrating for homeowners who are planting their landscape. So many plants struggle and may eventually die…
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ESTABLISHING A GOOD, HEALTHY LAWN Knowledge is the key to success with almost anything and this is certainly true with lawn care here in Central Virginia. Yes, it is only early July but now is the best time to put your game plan together as to what you need…
Did you know that in July of 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proclaimed July National Blueberry Month? So here are a few interesting tidbits about one of my favorite things. Blueberries belong to the family Vaccinium—this makes them related to cranberries. As a matter of fact, Blueberries and cranberries are one of only a…
SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE AND, YES, IT IS HOT BUT THERE ARE GARDENING CHORES THAT NEED TO BE DONE IN JULY. Before I get into July and gardening chores, let me recap June. All in all, June turned out to be a decent month for gardening—nothing Earth-shattering. We had some unseasonably hot days. We had…
Nothing Says Summer Like Zucchini Zucchini—is anything more quintessentially summer? But here are some tidbits you might not know: The ancestors of zucchini, like all squash, are native to the Americas. They were brought to Europe in the 1600s, but the Italians are credited with actually breeding zucchini. The word comes from the Italian word for squash–“zucca”. The…
