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Gardening Advice
Lacking a sunny yard or space for gardening? Be part of a community garden with like-minded souls! But also keep in mind some of the dos and don鈥檛s of community gardening before you join up! Many wanna-be gardeners are frustrated by a lack of space. Container gardening is fine for most things but if you really want to spread your gardening wings, turn to your local community garden鈥
Tomatoes aren鈥檛 just round and red. They鈥檙e also blue! Not only are blue tomatoes delicious but also the blue skin means that they have the added benefit of naturally-powerful antioxidants. Discover 10 delicious varieties of blue tomatoes.With 10,000 to 15,000 known varieties of tomatoes worldwide, there is no shortage of new varieties to try. Blue tomatoes aren鈥檛 new but the鈥
Add some delicious, unusual fruit crops, fruiting shrubs, and old-time fruit trees to your yard and garden鈥攂ush sour cherries, lingonberries, quince, persimmon, paw paws, and more! Winter is a good time to assess your landscape and see what spaces you would like to fill with fruit. Frankly, we want to plant them all鈥攁nd wish we had enough room! Wonderful, Luscious Fruit For鈥
Join a citizen science project! If you can count birds, bees, or garden bugs, you鈥檝e got all the skills you need. Learn more about citizen science and find three ways鈥攊n nature and beyond鈥攖o participate.
What is a Citizen Scientist?
Scientists often need more information than they can collect by themselves and the number of projects where volunteers partner with鈥
For those who can never get enough of tulips, daffodils, and spring bulbs, try potting them up to force into cheerful bloom this winter in the house. See our tips on how to force bulbs and a timetable for when to pot up different types of bulbs.It is easy enough to do and you will be glad you did it when they start blossoming while there is still snow on the ground.Temperature, moisture鈥
From the earliest days, Americans and their presidents have been brewing. Ever brewed your own beer, cider, or ale?Simple wine, beer, mead, ale, flavored liqueurs, cordials, shrubs, and brandies can be made using the fruits鈥攁nd also the vegetables, herbs, and flowers鈥攐f your labors!Home brewing has a long history; some anthropologists believe that beer is as old as civilization itself.鈥
Sticky. Heavy. Soggy. Crusty. Not a band of wayward Disney dwarfs but instead words used by gardeners to describe their clay soil! While clay soil has its challenges, it also has its positives. Let鈥檚 focus on how to improve clay soil鈥攁nd dispel some misperceptions.A good garden, like a good life, is all about balance and this is especially true when it comes to the texture of your soil. Let鈥欌
If you are searching for the right flowering tree or shrub to add pizzazz to your landscape, check out these three groups of plants鈥攎agnolia, dogwood, and viburnum鈥攁nd you will not be disappointed.I. Magnolia TreesThere are more than 100 species in the genus Magnolia, some native to North America and others from Asia. They are often thought of as a southern plant, but there are鈥
The apple harvest is in full swing! Have you visited an apple orchard yet? Tasted that fresh cider? If you鈥檙e interested in growing your own apples, here are some tips on how to start a (small) orchard! Every year we are blessed with more apples than we can eat. I make lots of applesauce and apple crisp and freeze bags of peeled and spiced apples to plunk into pie crusts all 鈥
Does wildfire smoke harm plants? Are garden vegetables and fruit safe to eat? How do you make your landscape less vulnerable to fire, especially if you live in a high-risk area? Learn more.Wildfires have often been a challenge out West, though recent wildfires from Canada have brought this reality to the East Coast and other U.S. regions.Western wildfires have been at historic levels,鈥
After watching my neighbor spray the weeds in his driveway with a cancer-causing herbicide, I thought I should look into some natural 鈥渨eed killers鈥 to rid your yard of unwanted plants. Here are a few homegrown ways to get rid of competing plants while still keeping people, pets, wildlife, and waterways safe.Get to the Root of the ProblemWithout a doubt, the best way to get鈥
The smell of Bengay and Icy Hot mixed with bug spray is a sure sign that the gardening season is in full swing. Yes, cases of 鈥済ardener鈥檚 back鈥 or 鈥渨eeder鈥檚 wrist鈥 or 鈥減runer鈥檚 neck鈥 are going around. Here鈥檚 how to avoid the hazards of gardening!I鈥檓 not exaggerating. Repetitive motions like pruning and weeding can injure muscles, tendons and nerves, turning what is supposed to be鈥
