•WonderSoil is by far the best soilless potting mix I have ever used. It is a dehydrated, compressed medium that quickly expands 10 to 12 times in volume when water is added. It is made up of a combination of coconut coir, worm castings, kelp, mycorrhizal fungi, water-holding polymers and organic micro-nutrients. Seedlings germinate quickly [...]
Entries from April 28th, 2009
WonderSoil, Food-Growing Encyclopedia, StrawPots & Super Plums
April 28th, 2009 · No Comments · Book Reviews, Container gardening, Gardening News, Healthy Gardener, Insects, Plums
Tags: food-growing encyclopedia·garden·plum·StrawPot·vegetable garden·WonderSoil
New People’s Garden on the National Mall
April 22nd, 2009 · No Comments · Food Gardening, Gardening News, Vegetable Gardening
The gardening bug has really taken Washington DC by storm! Not only is Michelle Obama growing her own food garden at the White House, but the US Department of Agriculture will showcase sustainability at the new six acre People’s Garden on the National Mall.
Tags: food growing·garden·organic gardening·People's Garden·USDA garden·vegetable garden
Garden News & Notes
April 21st, 2009 · No Comments · Berries, Book Reviews, Fruit, Gardening News, Travel, Vegetable Gardening
• Berry Compound Reduces Aging Effects: In a study of aged rats done by USDA researchers at the Agricultural Research Service it was found that a diet rich in the berry and grape compound pterostilbene “reversed measurable negative effects of aging on brain function and behavioral performance”. The report goes on to further state that [...]
Tags: Berries·edible landscape·Fruit·fruit growing·Plants of Merit
Something New In Blueberries – ‘Pink Lemonade’
April 14th, 2009 · 23 Comments · Berries, Cooking & Recipes, Food Gardening, Fruit
Briggs Nursery, a wholesale grower from Elma, Washington, has announced a new introduction for 2009, a true first in blueberries. The scientific name is Vaccinium ‘Pink Lemonade’. Briggs is trying hard to get enough of these plants to the trade, but they inform me that gardeners will probably have to wait till the 2010 [...]
Tags: acid soil·blueberries·blueberry varieties·edible landscape·food growing·fruit growing·garden
Earthworms in the Garden
April 12th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Book Reviews, Composting & Fertilizers, Food Gardening, Soil, Vegetable Gardening
Earthworms in the garden are one of the best indicators of soil health and vitality. They are the original recyclers, turning garden waste, grass clippings and even sand into food for your plants. These little wrigglers ingest their own weight daily and expel nutrient and mineral rich castings which will keep everything from carrots to [...]
Tags: compost·earthworms·fertilize·garden·mulch·organic·organic gardening·Soil·vegetable garden·vermicomposting·worm castings
Deadly Enemy of Japanese Beetles: the Tachinid Fly
April 8th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Food Gardening, Insects, Vegetable Gardening
One of the unsung predatory heroes of the garden which works diligently to keep the bad bug population down is the Tachinid fly. Out of more than 8,200 known species, nearly 1,300 reside in North America today.
Tags: beneficial insects·garden·growing·insect pests·Insects·Japanese beetle·natural pest control·organic·organic gardening·tachinid fly
Grow Winter Squash for Storage
April 6th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Cooking & Recipes, Food Gardening, Vegetable Gardening, Winter Squash
Like other food gardeners, I enjoy eating sun-warmed tomatoes picked ripe off the vine and crisp greens harvested in the cool of the evening, but yesterday as I was preparing my favorite roast veggie dish, I thought about the lowly winter squash. The name says it all, this is not a vegetable to be enjoyed [...]
Tags: butternut squash·chocolate·edible·garden·recipes·storage squash·vegetable·vegetable garden·veggies·Winter Squash