with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Road work and removal of plants
I live on a corner where both roads are getting redone. They need it! But, that means I needed to dig up all the plants in my corner butterfly garden. This is the start of their 4th year, so there was plenty of spreading.
In fact, I was able to share some of those plants with my neighbors! In particular the monarda. It really did offer me the chance to divide them … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Yew removal and what’s to be
I had a yew that had taken over a corner of my house. An arborist friend of mine said, it’s beautiful, don’t get rid of it. One gardener’s dream is another’s nightmare.
I didn’t want that heavy looking thing there anymore! So… with a truck, a winch, a log chain, a teenager! We got ‘er done.
A 10k winch loosened it but ended with pulling it by the truck!
The next question, … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB – it ain’t leavin’
Emerald Ash Borer ain’t goin’ nowhere… except closer. More counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin have recently reported the Ash tree killing insect.
There’s an irony in reporting on EAB amid Covid-19.
They are both suspected everywhere but have not yet reared their ugly heads everywhere. And they’re both requiring quarantines to try to stop the spread. Those tactics are certainly slowing things down.
In the case of EAB, scientists continue to work on … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Ravishing radishes
When I was little mom used to slice radishes and salt them. I remember loading up the little round red bulbs from the grocery store with loads of salt to hide the bitter taste. Not so much anymore! Garden radishes offer far more flavor and many varieties…
For instance, black radishes have a horseradish (hot) flavor if eaten fresh but when cooked mellows to a nutty sweetness. ps these are not small…
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fertilizing your lawn – why you should wait
This is a yearly ponderable by the lawn faithful. According to research, Spring is NOT the best time to fertilize your lawn. I know, I can hear many of you gasping, but the BEST times to fertilize your lawn are Late summer and fall.
This is contrary to the traditional springtime application. Early spring applications of nitrogen cause a surge of top growth in the plants, which makes the … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Dandy Dandelion
One gardener’s weed is another’s lunch! Let the dandelions ROAR!
From the roots to the flowers, from culinary to medicinal, all parts are edible! From soup to egg salad to coffee and wine. Allrecipes.com– wine. Dandelion cookies
Johnny’s Selected Seeds sells an Italian dandelion called ‘Clio’.
Remember to NEVER eat anything that’s been treated with a pesticide… pick only clean greens. One of my favorite magazines has an article about dandelions along with some … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Lawn care and weed killing
Does forsythia bloom foretell the coming of crabgrass? Actually… sorta.
Mother Nature is fickle, as I said last week about the month of April! Sometimes we get above average temperatures, sometimes we get two feet of snow. While there are still plenty of folks that want that pristine lawn, I’ll talk about Preemergent herbicides today.
Preemergent herbicides affect germinating seeds. That means, to be effective, the herbicide should be applied two to three … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The poop on manure
Manure happens… abundantly. But that doesn’t mean all kinds can go on the vegetable garden! It’s best to buy composted manure
Temperatures in a compost pile should reach 130 to 140 degrees to kill weed seeds and pathogens. It should stay at that temp for at least 5 days. Most folks stay away from pig manure. It’s best to stick with dairy, sheep, horse or poultry manure.
Never use dog or cat manure. It’s … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Ground cherries
A friend of mine was reminiscing about his grandma’s garden and the abundant ground cherries which she made into jam. Don’t let the name fool you—ground cherries have very little in common with those juicy red treats we all know.
In fact Ground Cherries [aka husk tomatoes] are part of the nightshade family and are related to tomatillos and Chinese lanterns.
The marble-sized, orangey fruits have a unique flavor, which is sometimes described as tasting similar … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Earth Day
Today is Earth day.
And maybe now more than ever, we see what human industry has done to our beautiful planet as we see skies clear over once smog-filled cities and wildlife return [albeit a little TOO much in some areas!] as we Shelter In Place.
I don’t want to start a fight here, I just want to point out that, perhaps we could do better at taking care of the things we love.
It would … [Continue reading]