Posts

Using Passover Flowers Flowers are not traditionally part of the celebration, but as with Easter, Passover falls in the spring when fresh, new blooms are available and new life is on everyone’s mind. There is no reason not to use flowers for Passover, and there are multiple ways you can use them, including decorating and gifting. Use flowers on the seder dinner table, if you are hosting, or around the room and house to include the freshness and beauty of spring blooms....

Setting Up a Mushroom Fruiting Chamber The whole idea behind a DIY mushroom house is to simulate the natural growing conditions of fungi, that is, recreating a humid forest. Mushrooms love high humidity, a bit of light, and excellent airflow. Commercial growers spend serious dollars on building energy intensive, air-, humidity-, and temperature-regulated grow rooms or underground tunnels. Creating a DIY mushroom house doesn’t have to be costly or nearly that comprehensive....

Protecting Plants from Dogs The internet is full of forums and discussion groups with gardeners asking for or sharing tips on protecting plants from dogs. Some of the tips are so simple you may wonder why you hadn’t thought of that yourself. Other tips are such outside-the-box that you never would’ve thought of that. One such tip, from the Louisiana SPCA, is to blow up some balloons and bury them where your dog has a habit of digging....

Earworm Lifecycle Before we discuss how to get rid of corn earworms, we need to talk about the life cycle of the moth since many of the treatments, particularly organic control of corn earworms, are dependent on the stage of development to be most effective. Corn earworm moths are most active during the evening and at night. They’re small moths with wingspans of only 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5-4 cm....

What are Edible Pod Peas? Edible pod peas are peas where the parchment has been bred out of the pod so the young pods stay tender. While there are a number of edible pod pea varieties, they come from two ilks: the Chinese pea pod (also known as snow pea or sugar pea) and snap peas. Chinese pea pods are flat pods with insignificant peas inside that are commonly used in Asian cuisine....

Wild fuchsias, native to Central and South America, grow profusely in the Andes where temperatures are cool, and the air is moist. Fuchsias were named after a 16th century German botanist – Leonard Fuchs. They don’t require constant maintenance, but do plan on paying attention to them. Read on for more fuchsia growing tips. Fuchsia Growing Tips If you live in zones 6 or 7 and are growing fuchsia in your garden, you’ve probably chosen a “hardy” variety....

Garbage to Garden If it’s the dead of winter and your gardening fingers are itching to plant, look no farther than your garbage bin. Seriously, all those bits and pieces thrown into the compost pile or otherwise dispatched down the disposal can be turned into cheap plants and, on occasion, even bear edibles. Plus, it’s fun! As children, many of us had our first planting experience via the avocado pit. I remember watching the roots grow from the pit suspended from toothpicks in a clear glass of water (the better to view this little miracle of nature)....

Psychiatric Hospital Garden As a society, we seem completely dependent on technology these days. However, in the past we relied solely on nature to feed us, hydrate us, shelter us, entertain us, and soothe us. Though we seem to have moved so far away from this reliance on nature, it is still hard-wired in our brains. In the last few decades, many studies have been made about the effects of nature on the human psyche....

What is Ginseng? Ginseng is an attractive perennial herb that attains a height of only 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) the first year. The leaf drops in autumn and a new leaf and stem appear in spring. This growth pattern continues until the plant reaches a mature height of 12 to 24 inches (31-61 cm.). Mature plants have at least three leaves, each with five oval, serrated leaflets. Clusters of greenish yellow blooms appear in midsummer, followed by bright red, winkled berries....

Growing Delphiniums from Seed Delphinium plants are known for being high maintenance, but they reward you with stunning flowers. Knowing how and when to sow delphinium seeds will set you on the right path to growing tall, healthy, flowering plants. Germinating delphinium seeds requires a cold start so put your seeds in the refrigerator for about a week before planting. Start seeds indoors about eight weeks before the last frost of spring....

In addition to enjoying its attractive, fuzzy foliage, the leaves can be used as a “band-aid” of sorts for healing wounds and in helping painful bee stings. Growing Lamb’s Ear As long as you provide suitable conditions, growing lamb’s ear in the garden is simple. It’s hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 4-8, and the plant’s Middle East origins make it superb for growing in drought-like conditions. In fact, lamb’s ear plants are tolerant enough to grow almost anywhere....

How to Grow a Pumpkin Inside a Mold Growing shaped pumpkins requires two things: a mold in the shape you want your pumpkin to be and time. You should pick a mold that’s a little bigger than the estimated mature size of your pumpkin so it doesn’t burst through and you can still slip it out without breaking your mold. Start the process when your pumpkin still has a decent amount of growth ahead of it and it can fit easily into its mold....

Taking care of sweet peas is easy. They prefer long, cool summers and don’t last past spring in areas where summers are hot. Where winters are mild, try growing sweet peas over fall and winter. How to Grow Sweet Peas Sweet pea flowers come in both bush and climbing types. Both types are vines, but the bush types don’t grow as tall and can support themselves without the aid of a trellis....

When to Prune a Pine Tree Pines are among the easiest trees to maintain because they have a naturally neat shape that seldom needs correction. About the only time you’ll find yourself pruning pine trees is to correct damage from severe weather or vandalism. There’s also a pruning technique you might want to try if you’d like to encourage a compact growth habit. The best time for pruning pine trees is in spring, but you can prune to correct damage any time of year....

When the first sweet, warm breeze of spring starts to blow, assuring us that winter has finally released its cold grip, most gardeners turn their thoughts to reviving their plants from their long sleep, and wait eagerly for bright blooms and green leaves. Unfortunately, in our haste, we often forget that winter can leave damage that crops up weeks or months after the freezing weather has passed. Holly bush winter damage is a common problem for growers of holly....

Preserving Vegetables by Canning Canning is a very old method of food preservation that was extremely useful in the days before refrigeration. Basically, a jar is filled with food, fitted with a lid, and boiled in water for a period of time. The boiling should both kill any harmful organisms in the food and force air out of the jar, sealing the lid to the top with a vacuum. The great fear when it comes to canned garden vegetables is botulism, a potentially deadly bacterium that thrives in wet, low-oxygen, low-acid environments....

Online plant nurseries can certainly be part of the process, although cementing a relationship with bonafide electronic sources can be difficult since the product isn’t right before you. For both online and home-based businesses, it is crucial to know how to choose a reputable nursery for the best selection, knowledge and pricing. How to Choose a Reputable Nursery Those first trips as a novice gardener can be overwhelming. The the guidance and suggestions of a professional nursery team can make all the difference in the world between a healthy garden and one that may fail....

Pawpaw trees are relatively small and found as understory plants in forests. The plant is hardy to United States Department of Agriculture zone 5, but it doesn’t travel well, so it is rarely found in supermarkets. Wonder how to eat pawpaw fruit? Well first you have to get your hands on a nice ripe specimen, probably only available at seasonal farmer’s markets. How to Eat Pawpaw Fruit In areas where the trees grow wild, foraging for pawpaw fruit may turn up a few specimens....

Novice Container Gardening Container gardens are popping up everywhere from nostalgic window boxes to balcony terraces. Container gardening is a great way for apartment dwellers to still be able to enjoy nature in a smaller setting. Novices to container gardening should keep a few basic tips in mind, however, to guarantee success. Container Gardening Tips The container you choose does not need to be anything fancy or expensive. You don’t even have to buy it at a gardening store....

Sharing Plants and Gardening Stories No one really understands your triumphs and hardships like a fellow gardener. If your close family and friends don’t share your gardening enthusiasm, it’s unlikely they’ll change. There are just some people that get animated when discussing the garden and, unfortunately, some that don’t. That’s not your fault. Making new friends through your gardening efforts can lead to people who understand how difficult it was to grow that perfect melon....