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Gardening Advice
Dry it, you鈥檒l like it! Drying fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers is so satisfying! It鈥檚 flavorful, economic, long-lasting, and one of the best ways to retain nutritional value. Yes, I do recommend one special kitchen tool (a dehydrator), but it鈥檚 easily worthwhile and foolproof. After all, you only need one ingredient!Usually tomatoes are a big seller for us at the鈥
One of the most hopeful things we can do is to plant a seed. It’s an act of faith that tomorrow will come. In Hindi, the word for seed is 鈥渂ija,鈥 which means 鈥渃ontainment of life.鈥 Each seed contains an embryo and a starchy food supply鈥攅verything needed to make a new plant. Seeds are proof that life goes on. Gardening is one of the oldest healing arts.It gives the kind鈥
Summer is here and with it come the bugs. What possible reason can there be for their existence other than to bother us? As a gardener and small farmer, let me tell you鈥攚e need bugs more than they need us. Really! Discover five reasons we need insects, all that we humans have learned from the way they work, and cool insect facts.Judging by all the different products on store shelves鈥
Letting all that milkweed grow around my yard has paid off, and we have some monarch butterfly caterpillars in there chomping away! Here鈥檚 how to create a butterfly garden鈥攆rom a mud puddle to plants!Though we don鈥檛 recall seeing any adult monarchs flitting through the garden, they must have visited long enough to deposit some eggs. We have seen plenty of tiger swallowtails and always grow鈥
Annual flowers are like Rodney Dangerfield: They 鈥渄on鈥檛 get no respect.鈥 However, if you have no annuals in your garden at all, you are missing out on one of life鈥檚 joys and a whole lot of color. Let鈥檚 discover some of the best and easiest annual flowers鈥攊ncluding beautiful pictures!Annuals provide gardens with all-season color, but they have to be replanted every year, so they often get the鈥
Discover the many gorgeous varieties of clematis鈥攂oth a popular climbing vine and also a flowering shrub! Did you know that there are over 200 species and hundreds of hybrids of this popular flower? There are saucers, bells, tube shapes, tulips, open bells, doubles, and semi-doubles. Take a look.Clematis: A Flowering ShrubEveryone is familiar with clematis as a flowering vine, but what鈥
When and how to prune your clematis is one of those garden chores that may seem mystifying but is really quite simple. Just like hydrangeas, some clematis blossom on the previous year鈥檚 growth鈥攐ld wood鈥攚hile others bloom on the current year鈥檚 growth鈥攏ew wood. Find out the best time to prune your clematis variety for continued blossoms!Clematis Groups ExplainedThere are many varieties of鈥
If you鈥檙e like me and can never have too many flowers, now is the time to start a cutting garden so you can have your flowers and cut them, too! Here are my tips鈥攑lus, the best flowers to grow for cutting.Not far from The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 is a beautiful U-pick flower farm called Rosaly鈥檚 Garden (pictured above). Look at all those zinnias! It鈥檚 absolutely heavenly to stroll鈥
鈥淏rood X鈥濃攖he 17-year periodical cicadas鈥攁re emerging in May 2021. We expect the bugs to show up in big numbers in the next couple of weeks. Learn all about these fascinating bugs: where they鈥檒l emerge, how long they鈥檒l be here, telltale signs in your yard, and how to prevent any tree damage.
Cicadas are truly a fascinating phenomenon. This brood has spent 17 years waiting underground,鈥
Here are tips on how to plant a bare-root tree the right way鈥攆rom digging the hole to watering the tree properly once it鈥檚 planted.
What Is a Bare-Root Tree?
鈥淏are-root鈥 means that the trees are not grown in a container. They are shipped to nurseries dormant, and they do not have any soil around their roots (hence, they are 鈥渂are鈥).
Why a bare-root tree?
They are鈥
Native plants are the best choice for both a low-maintenance and sustainable landscape. Learn more about why native plants are so important for your garden, get a list of common plants that are native to the United States and Canada, and 10 tips on landscaping with native plants.
Benefits of Native Plants to Your Garden
It may seem insignificant, but as gardeners, we can make鈥
If you love strawberries as much as I do, why not try growing some of these luscious berries yourself? The hardest part is deciding what kind of strawberries to grow. Here are the four types of strawberry varieties.
The strawberries were outstanding this year where I live. They were a little late ripening but it was worth the wait. If you love strawberries as much as I do why not try鈥
