Mushrooms make their appearance in lawns and gardens anytime, but more conspicuously in the fall. That’s when wetter weather and cooler temperatures make ideal conditions for them to emerge. Should you be concerned? Or, can you embrace your garden mushrooms? Read on for more information about these fascinating funghi.
The marigold is much more than a beautiful garden flower. Its utility as a colorful annual, edible flower, and companion plant for vegetable gardens is greatly enhanced by its profound role in religious and cultural practices around the world.
When fall arrives, it always inspires me to nest. I search out new recipes, spend weekends cooking and baking, and then test my creations on my friends and family. There’s just something about the chill in the air and the early sunsets that encourage a hearty, home-cooked meal or sweet treat. Here are a few of my favorite fall recipes, including fall cocktails, sweet treats, and savory dishes.
Dahlias die back each year as autumn advances, but, with the proper care, the tuberous root system can live on to produce a stunning display year after year. The advice in this post is based on many years of growing dahlias in a low-lying area of Seattle with relatively moderate winter temperatures and excellent drainage.
Sure, you can buy garlic, but for the best flavor - and an incredible sense of satisfaction - nothing beats growing it yourself. Unlike most vegetables, garlic is planted in the fall but not harvested until the following summer, making it a very long-season crop that’s worth the wait. In fact, it can be very encouraging to plant something new in late fall when all around you, most plants are fading in anticipation of winter.
One of the first activities I want to do outside in early spring is to plant my early spring vegetable garden. There’s nothing like the smooth, clean surface of prepped garden beds, the soil still pristine and just waiting to nurture rows of bright green spring vegetables, carefully planted in perfect rows. It’s like a fresh school notebook - full of promise. But what to plant? Here are a few of my favorite vegetables to plant in spring, with tips on when and how to plant them.
There’s something miraculous about a seedling as it starts to grow. Anyone who has poked toothpicks into the sides of an avocado seed and watched it unfurl its first bright green leaf or planted a bean seed in science class will understand. Seed-starting is a great way to have fun with your kids and it can be a simple, inexpensive, and entertaining activity for the whole family!
African Americans are at the center of our nation’s gardening and farming history and are an integral part of shaping the future. We went searching for examples of how they have experienced and contributed to past and present gardening and farming practices in the United States. We were taken aback by the amount and depth of stories out there! So we wish to share this small sampling of stories with links for you to explore more deeply.
After my garden goes to sleep in the fall I look forward to the approach of winter. Tucked among the ferns are some of my favorite winter blooming perennials: hellebores. I love seeing the evergreen leaves throughout the year and excitedly wait for flowers to emerge during a season when there is little else in bloom.
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