When the vernal equinox arrives, it is easy to get carried away by spring fever. In my now-zone-8 part of central North Carolina, many folks I see are already fully afflicted – parading in shorts, and buying/planting pretty flowers and tomato plants from big box stores. Some are sneezi...
If possible,plan some pathsin your garden. They will make it easy to water, weed, and harvest without stepping on plants. Some people cover the paths with tanbark or other material (available at garden-supply stores) to mark them and to discourage plants from taking root there. Make sure ...
Your garden will need a regular supply of water. So, try to water your plants at the same time each day unless there is rain. It is best to water early in the morning. Watering at night can cause problems. However, if you can’t water in the morning, water in the late afternoon ...
Dana writes:“I now get enough food to supply my neighbors and family. Also, always check your zone, I found raspberries that grow well all the way down here in South East Texas.” Kerry writes:“Re-usable grocery bags make awesome containers – plants seem to love them. I’ve grown...
These newly mated queens store the sperm from these nuptial flights and will use these stores to selectively fertilize her eggs for the duration of her life. Ants are omnivores, and feed on a variety of organic materials including fungi, nectar, seeds, plants, arthropods and other small ...
Printing photos for storing in an album or sending to friends (use a color printer and paper for glossy prints, available from office supply stores) Creating artistic images Currently available cellphone cameras, when used in the garden under common conditions, automatically produce photographs of ver...
find one here at Gardener’s Supply, or Google for other sources. My Tests As a test, for two years now I’ve been sowing seed outdoors. For the past 6 years, I usually sow both on snow and with direct-sowing methods on raked, drained and workable soil outside in March. To back ...
I’ve even frozen some for the winter along with a good supply of the tomatoes to go into stews and soups and such like. As for the less than glorious, the ears of corn were very teeny tiny, but still tasty. The green beans were few and far between, but still okay. The eggplants...
Keep a page of lists for your favorite plant and garden supply stores and sources. Keep a list of fertilizers used and schedule of application. Recordthe best annual plantsfor your garden, and thecolor combinationsyou liked best. This really helps with container plantings for succeeding years. ...
You find that maintaining your own food supply helps to connect you more deeply to the earth and the seasons of life. Watching a plant grow from seed to harvest or even to produce seed to collect gives you a deeper connection to living life to the fullest as you appreciate the cycle of...