--Home Gardening Guides--June 28 column--Home Gardening Blog --

Here's how the pea patch is doing!

This is a close-up of a 'Golden Sweet' snow pea pod.

Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: Early start, plenty of peas. This one is an update on how my vegetable garden is coming along.

You'll learn about some exciting heirloom varieties of tomatoes and winter squash I'm growing this year, what's happening in our hoophouse, how the 'Golden Sweet' snow peas have done and so on.

I hope you'll enjoy reading it and, even more important, I hope your gardens are growing beautifully so far, despite this intense heat!

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--June 28 column--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--June 28 column--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

Here's how the pea patch is doing!

This is a close-up of a 'Golden Sweet' snow pea pod.

Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: Early start, plenty of peas. This one is an update on how my vegetable garden is coming along.

You'll learn about some exciting heirloom varieties of tomatoes and winter squash I'm growing this year, what's happening in our hoophouse, how the 'Golden Sweet' snow peas have done and so on.

I hope you'll enjoy reading it and, even more important, I hope your gardens are growing beautifully so far, despite this intense heat!

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--June 21 column--Home Gardening Blog --

Here is a link to today's column in The Spokesman-Review:Cultivating community Cultivating community. Throughout the summer months, I enjoy profiling local gardeners and the beautiful gardens they've created.

Today is my first such profile is on Master Gardener and Peaceful Valley resident, Carol Bryan. She was kind enough to allow me to traipse through her garden!

She has a lovely front-yard garden and has spread the joy of gardening in her neighborhood, which I think is terrific!

To the above left is part of her raised-bed vegetable, berry and herb garden. To the right is a view from her upstairs porch, where you can see the parking strips along the street that she has been very active in planting.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that we can all learn from each other and it's interesting seeing how others are growing a garden. I hope you'll enjoy hearing what makes Carol tick and what her approach to gardening is.

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--June 21 column--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--June 21 column--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

Here is a link to today's column in The Spokesman-Review:Cultivating community Cultivating community. Throughout the summer months, I enjoy profiling local gardeners and the beautiful gardens they've created.

Today is my first such profile is on Master Gardener and Peaceful Valley resident, Carol Bryan. She was kind enough to allow me to traipse through her garden!

She has a lovely front-yard garden and has spread the joy of gardening in her neighborhood, which I think is terrific!

To the above left is part of her raised-bed vegetable, berry and herb garden. To the right is a view from her upstairs porch, where you can see the parking strips along the street that she has been very active in planting.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that we can all learn from each other and it's interesting seeing how others are growing a garden. I hope you'll enjoy hearing what makes Carol tick and what her approach to gardening is.

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--Book review: Garden-pedia--Home Gardening Blog --

Book review: Garden-pedia

by Susan Mulvihill

When reading garden books or wandering through nurseries, do you ever feel daunted or confused by various botanical terms? You are not alone. I�ve been a Master Gardener for a long time now and even I struggle with certain terms. Well, I�m happy to report there�s help on the way for all of us.

A new book called Garden-pedia: An A-to-Z Guide to Gardening Terms (St. Lynn�s Press, 202 pp., 2015, $16.95) has been written by Pamela Bennett and Maria Zampini to help Master Gardeners, students, gardening aficionados  and those working in the horticulture industry master these terms.

From �abiotic� to �zone,� the authors went to great lengths to list and define the words we commonly see, yet occasionally struggle to comprehend in our line of work.

Garden-pedia is a colorful guide filled with illustrative photos for most of the definitions... and the occasionally humorous definition -- just to remind us that the authors don�t take themselves too seriously and that gardening should be fun!

For example, read part of the definition for �double digging�:

�... you take out the top one foot of soil and place it in the bottom of the first trench, then take the next one foot of soil from the bottom and put it on top of the bottom soil in the first trench. Keep doing this until you are either dead tired or the garden bed is ready to go! Hint: you will be dead tired anyway, but hats off to you!�

There are cross-references throughout Garden-pedia to other relevant terms that have been defined elsewhere in the book. Within each definition, there are also highlighted terms that will also have their own definition.

For example, the definition for �rootstock� refers the reader to other important related terms such as �roots,� �graft,� �ornamental� and �dwarf.�

Some definitions are very clear and don�t require explanations, while the authors provide clear examples of the context of words for most definitions.

Garden-pedia is both informative and very easy to use. It is worth picking up a copy to help you wade through terms in garden books, magazines, on plant tags and in other literature produced by the horticultural industry.

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Book review: Garden-pedia--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Book review: Garden-pedia--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

Book review: Garden-pedia

by Susan Mulvihill

When reading garden books or wandering through nurseries, do you ever feel daunted or confused by various botanical terms? You are not alone. I�ve been a Master Gardener for a long time now and even I struggle with certain terms. Well, I�m happy to report there�s help on the way for all of us.

A new book called Garden-pedia: An A-to-Z Guide to Gardening Terms (St. Lynn�s Press, 202 pp., 2015, $16.95) has been written by Pamela Bennett and Maria Zampini to help Master Gardeners, students, gardening aficionados  and those working in the horticulture industry master these terms.

From �abiotic� to �zone,� the authors went to great lengths to list and define the words we commonly see, yet occasionally struggle to comprehend in our line of work.

Garden-pedia is a colorful guide filled with illustrative photos for most of the definitions... and the occasionally humorous definition -- just to remind us that the authors don�t take themselves too seriously and that gardening should be fun!

For example, read part of the definition for �double digging�:

�... you take out the top one foot of soil and place it in the bottom of the first trench, then take the next one foot of soil from the bottom and put it on top of the bottom soil in the first trench. Keep doing this until you are either dead tired or the garden bed is ready to go! Hint: you will be dead tired anyway, but hats off to you!�

There are cross-references throughout Garden-pedia to other relevant terms that have been defined elsewhere in the book. Within each definition, there are also highlighted terms that will also have their own definition.

For example, the definition for �rootstock� refers the reader to other important related terms such as �roots,� �graft,� �ornamental� and �dwarf.�

Some definitions are very clear and don�t require explanations, while the authors provide clear examples of the context of words for most definitions.

Garden-pedia is both informative and very easy to use. It is worth picking up a copy to help you wade through terms in garden books, magazines, on plant tags and in other literature produced by the horticultural industry.

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--June 14 column--Home Gardening Blog --

Tom and Peggy Best's garden.

Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: 'A living canvas'. It is a preview of next Saturday's (June 20) Spokane in Bloom garden tour.

This year's tour, which is put on by the hardworking members of the Inland Empire Gardeners, features six outstanding south-side gardens.

I had the pleasure of visiting Tom and Peggy Best's garden and it was wonderful! You won't want to miss the tour because you'll come home with all sorts of great ideas for your own landscape. All of the photos you see were taken in their garden on a stormy evening recently! You are sure to get plenty of design ideas from the Bests' garden, as well as the other five gardens on the tour.

I should also mention there will be a barbecue lunch available in the Bests' garden for an additional cost. There will be music and garden-related vendors at each stop along the way. What a fun way to spend the day before summer officially starts!

The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased for $10 at most gardens the day of the tour, or ahead of time on The Inland Empire Gardeners� website at tieg.org or at the following Spokane nurseries:

• �         Blue Moon Garden & Nursery, 1732 S. Inland Empire Way
• �         Gibson's Nursery, 1401 S. Pines Rd
• �         Green Thumb Nursery, 16816 E. Sprague Ave.
• �         Judy's Enchanted Garden, 2628 W. Northwest Blvd.
• �         Northwest Seed & Pet, 7302 N. Division St. and 2422 E. Sprague Ave.
• �         Ritter's Florist & Nursery, 10120 N. Division St.
• �         Tower Perennial Gardens, 4010 E. Jamieson Rd.

The gardens on the tour are located at the following addresses:

• 2717 E. 40th Ave.
• 523 W. 18th Ave.
• 1028 E. 33rd Ave.
• 1216 E. 54th Ave.
• 3620 E. 35th Ave.
• 1110 S. Denny Ct.

For more information, go to www.tieg.org.

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--June 14 column--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--June 14 column--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

Tom and Peggy Best's garden.

Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: 'A living canvas'. It is a preview of next Saturday's (June 20) Spokane in Bloom garden tour.

This year's tour, which is put on by the hardworking members of the Inland Empire Gardeners, features six outstanding south-side gardens.

I had the pleasure of visiting Tom and Peggy Best's garden and it was wonderful! You won't want to miss the tour because you'll come home with all sorts of great ideas for your own landscape. All of the photos you see were taken in their garden on a stormy evening recently! You are sure to get plenty of design ideas from the Bests' garden, as well as the other five gardens on the tour.

I should also mention there will be a barbecue lunch available in the Bests' garden for an additional cost. There will be music and garden-related vendors at each stop along the way. What a fun way to spend the day before summer officially starts!

The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased for $10 at most gardens the day of the tour, or ahead of time on The Inland Empire Gardeners� website at tieg.org or at the following Spokane nurseries:

• �         Blue Moon Garden & Nursery, 1732 S. Inland Empire Way
• �         Gibson's Nursery, 1401 S. Pines Rd
• �         Green Thumb Nursery, 16816 E. Sprague Ave.
• �         Judy's Enchanted Garden, 2628 W. Northwest Blvd.
• �         Northwest Seed & Pet, 7302 N. Division St. and 2422 E. Sprague Ave.
• �         Ritter's Florist & Nursery, 10120 N. Division St.
• �         Tower Perennial Gardens, 4010 E. Jamieson Rd.

The gardens on the tour are located at the following addresses:

• 2717 E. 40th Ave.
• 523 W. 18th Ave.
• 1028 E. 33rd Ave.
• 1216 E. 54th Ave.
• 3620 E. 35th Ave.
• 1110 S. Denny Ct.

For more information, go to www.tieg.org.

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--Dealing with slugs--Home Gardening Blog --

 
The other day, I noticed this leaf damage on one of my artichoke plants. I immediately suspected slugs, and quickly confirmed this when I saw a bit of a slime trail on the underside of the leaf. Grrr!

In the past, I've used organic slug bait or handpicked them whenever I found any. And when I give talks about vegetable gardening, I mention how one option is to use beer... but I have to admit I'd never given it a try.

Well, I'm happy to report that it works! Here's what you do:

1. Start with clean, empty tuna cans or cat food cans.
2. Push them into the soil, with the lip of the can even with the surface of the soil.
3. Fill each can with cheap beer. (no point in using something good, right?)

Here's how it works:

Slugs are attracted to the yeast in beer. They slither on over to investigate, fall into the can of beer and drown. Yahoo!

I placed the beer in my artichoke bed the night before last. I didn't catch it the first night but did get it last night. I'm guessing there are more where it came from, so I'll leave the cans of beer in place for a few more nights. My husband thinks the yeast smell that attracts them won't dissipate for a while so I'm trying to get my money's worth!

I have two other veggie beds that I'm watching for signs of slug damage. One is our lettuce bed and the other is our cabbage bed. If I see any problems, you can bet I'll be moving the cans to those beds and breaking out another can of beer to fill them with!

I'm sure slugs serve some sort of useful purpose, but as a gardener, I certainly haven't discovered what that is!

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Dealing with slugs--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Dealing with slugs--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

 
The other day, I noticed this leaf damage on one of my artichoke plants. I immediately suspected slugs, and quickly confirmed this when I saw a bit of a slime trail on the underside of the leaf. Grrr!

In the past, I've used organic slug bait or handpicked them whenever I found any. And when I give talks about vegetable gardening, I mention how one option is to use beer... but I have to admit I'd never given it a try.

Well, I'm happy to report that it works! Here's what you do:

1. Start with clean, empty tuna cans or cat food cans.
2. Push them into the soil, with the lip of the can even with the surface of the soil.
3. Fill each can with cheap beer. (no point in using something good, right?)

Here's how it works:

Slugs are attracted to the yeast in beer. They slither on over to investigate, fall into the can of beer and drown. Yahoo!

I placed the beer in my artichoke bed the night before last. I didn't catch it the first night but did get it last night. I'm guessing there are more where it came from, so I'll leave the cans of beer in place for a few more nights. My husband thinks the yeast smell that attracts them won't dissipate for a while so I'm trying to get my money's worth!

I have two other veggie beds that I'm watching for signs of slug damage. One is our lettuce bed and the other is our cabbage bed. If I see any problems, you can bet I'll be moving the cans to those beds and breaking out another can of beer to fill them with!

I'm sure slugs serve some sort of useful purpose, but as a gardener, I certainly haven't discovered what that is!

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--June 7 column--Home Gardening Blog --

Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: Easygoing daylilies provide color, cheer almost anywhere. It's all about daylilies, which are one of my favorite, carefree plants.

Here are some of the varieties I mentioned in my column:

'My Sweet Rose'

'Chicago Apache'

'Strawberry Fields Forever'

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--June 7 column--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--June 7 column--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

Here is a link to my column in today's edition of The Spokesman-Review: Easygoing daylilies provide color, cheer almost anywhere. It's all about daylilies, which are one of my favorite, carefree plants.

Here are some of the varieties I mentioned in my column:

'My Sweet Rose'

'Chicago Apache'

'Strawberry Fields Forever'

Read More

--Home Gardening Guides--Pollinator garden challenge--Home Gardening Blog --

Here's a most worthy goal: let's all create pollinator gardens to help reverse the alarming decline of pollinators around the world.

The National Wildlife Federation has joined forces with the National Pollinator Garden Network to encourage "hundreds of thousands of gardeners, horticultural professionals, schools and volunteers to help reach a million pollinator gardens by the end of 2016," according to the press release I received.

It goes on to say that "any individual can contribute by planting for pollinators and certifying their habitat.Every habitat of every size counts, from window boxes and garden plots to farm borders, golf courses, school gardens, corporate and university campuses. Everywhere we live, work, play and worship can, with small improvements, offer essential food and shelter for pollinators."

So what can you do?

For starters, you can visit the NWF's Garden for Wildlife website to learn more about how you can make your garden more friendly to pollinators. This includes tips on what to plant, the types of shelter to provide, having water sources available and eliminating pesticide use. This website also has information on how you can get your garden certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

I love the idea of getting schoolyard gardens involved in this as well as corporate America!

You might recall that my husband, Bill, and I recently built an "insect hotel." (here's a link to a video of that project on my YouTube channel)

I also wrote a column about it for The Spokesman-Review. The video and column just might give you some ideas.

In addition, I planted a section of my vegetable garden with pollinator-friendly plants about a month ago so I am really trying to do what I can to help out.

On March 15, I had another column in The Spokesman-Review on welcoming beneficial insects to the garden. Be sure to take a look at that for more information and encouragement!

Let's all do what we can to turn this problem around. I know we gardeners can be a force for change!

June 2015 - Hello Friend gunderson-assessment,In the article you read this time with the title June 2015,we have prepared well for this article you read and download the information therein . hopefully fill posts we write this you can understand. Well, happy reading.

Judul : --Home Gardening Guides--Pollinator garden challenge--Home Gardening Blog --
link : --Home Gardening Guides--Pollinator garden challenge--Home Gardening Blog --

June 2015

Here's a most worthy goal: let's all create pollinator gardens to help reverse the alarming decline of pollinators around the world.

The National Wildlife Federation has joined forces with the National Pollinator Garden Network to encourage "hundreds of thousands of gardeners, horticultural professionals, schools and volunteers to help reach a million pollinator gardens by the end of 2016," according to the press release I received.

It goes on to say that "any individual can contribute by planting for pollinators and certifying their habitat.Every habitat of every size counts, from window boxes and garden plots to farm borders, golf courses, school gardens, corporate and university campuses. Everywhere we live, work, play and worship can, with small improvements, offer essential food and shelter for pollinators."

So what can you do?

For starters, you can visit the NWF's Garden for Wildlife website to learn more about how you can make your garden more friendly to pollinators. This includes tips on what to plant, the types of shelter to provide, having water sources available and eliminating pesticide use. This website also has information on how you can get your garden certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

I love the idea of getting schoolyard gardens involved in this as well as corporate America!

You might recall that my husband, Bill, and I recently built an "insect hotel." (here's a link to a video of that project on my YouTube channel)

I also wrote a column about it for The Spokesman-Review. The video and column just might give you some ideas.

In addition, I planted a section of my vegetable garden with pollinator-friendly plants about a month ago so I am really trying to do what I can to help out.

On March 15, I had another column in The Spokesman-Review on welcoming beneficial insects to the garden. Be sure to take a look at that for more information and encouragement!

Let's all do what we can to turn this problem around. I know we gardeners can be a force for change!

Read More