Flowers, Fruits, and Frass 2023

Beat the winter blues with visions of gardening Around the time of the Winter Solstice, our family dreams of spring planting to cope with shorter days and long winter nights. Visions of a garden filled with tried-and-true crops (tomatoes, peppers, and sunflowers) coalesce with my family’s tenacity...

Milk is so synonymous with a grocery store visit; it is permanently printed on your shopping list notepad. With an entire industry supporting this staple item, there are tens of thousands of farms across the country that feed into it. However, few consumers rarely give credit to the work vested in...

The gift of gardening is an experience anyone can appreciate this holiday season. Take the stress out of shopping this holiday season and give a blooming amaryllis kit that brings the beauty of nature indoors. Poinsettias are beautiful, popular holiday plants, but the gift of an amaryllis bulb kit...

Keep that pumpkin out of the trash. Halloween night may be filled with frights, but garbage day is where the real horror lurks. Every year, discarded pumpkins and decaying jack-o-lanterns are hauled off to landfills by the thousands. The masses of orange flesh piling up in landfills produce...

In falls fading light, toothy grins glow from neighborhood porches filled with pumpkins, squash, and gourds, festively displayed. All members of one family (Cucurbitaceae), cucurbits (pumpkin, squash, and gourds) are very functional fruits. Not only are they flavorful; the source of food usually...

A gift-wrapped pear, something rich, delicious, and luxurious. Have you ever received an ornate paper-ply box filled with this special fruit? Have you ever considered gifting yourself the rooted source? Discover the luxury of growing European pear varieties; they gift a floral show in spring and...

Give it a rest. With outside temperatures cooling, many gardeners are ready to give their tools (and their body) a rest. Although your gardening enthusiasm may be fading, preparation has just begun for another season of color: planting spring bulbs.   After a cold snowy winter, you will be...

Saving Seeds preserves heritage Saving seeds from the garden is much like passing down a family heirloom: a prized possession lives on from year to year or from generation to generation. In the world of seeds, there are so many shapes and sizes, but they share one thing in common—they hold the...

A fall vegetable garden offers a fresh start. Cool-season vegetables like leafy greens, root crops, broccoli, and cabbage—commonly grown in spring—get a jumpstart when planted in the warm soils of late August.  Plant cool-season crops in a sunny area with well-draining soil. With regular...

Spending time in nature is beneficial to our health and well-being. It can improve our mood, make us feel more relaxed, help us be more active, and even connect us with our community. For children, time playing in nature is needed for healthy development. Don’t let the benefits of time outdoors...

A hidden gem lies in the late season soil—cover crops. Their transformative power benefits farm operations large and small. And now, vegetable and flower gardeners are discovering their value in the home garden. No matter how small a gardening space you have, the effects of incorporating cover...

Plants are all around us. We are connected to plants through nearly every aspect of our lives. From the fresh vegetables we eat to the trees that shade our homes and give us cleaner air, the gifts of plants – whether bundled, potted, or growing in the ground – provide us with the qualities of a...

Avoid the guilty feeling of an empty garden bed by planting root crops. Whether your garden has achieved timely crop succession, or the hustle and bustle of the growing season has led to an empty plot, there is always an opportunity to sow a few seeds in the vegetable garden. Early August planting...

Summer water stress in the garden happens. Scorching temperatures combined with little to no water can be tough on plants. Grow a stunning landscape and conserve water by selecting plants that are drought-tolerant. Suited for harsh, dry summers, these plants do not require daily watering or care....

When it comes to fruits that evoke feelings of summer, strawberries are undoubtedly at the top of the list. These delicious red berries have been a staple in many gardens and kitchens for centuries, and their popularity continues. Although we find it easy to love eating strawberries, growing them...

It is no secret; pollinators are in decline. Did you know, pollinators provide 1 out of 3 bites of food you eat? Over 80% of flowering plants are pollinated by small, but busy animals, like bees and butterflies. They are essential to life on Earth – for plants and humans. With such an important...

Gardening enthusiasts on the lookout for unique garden additions should make space for red and white currant shrubs. Incorporation of perennial fruits in the garden is trendy and smart – they provide both ornamental value and food. With the addition of white currant (Ribes sativum) and red currant...

Adding new plants to a garden every year is hard on the back, and the pocketbook. Perennial herbs make great additions to any garden or landscape. Serving a dual purpose—beauty in the landscape and culinary uses in the kitchen— perennial herbs can save you money and labor. When added to existing...

From tried-and-true favorites to exciting new possibilities, the season of pie has begun. There are few things tastier than a freshly baked pie. As the seasons advance, each month brings new “pies-sobilities.” Savor a tasty slice of pie this season and consider growing next year’s pie filling at...

With chilly spring mornings nearly in the rearview, it is time to get busy in the garden.As the weather warms, satisfy the garden itch by preparing the ground for planting, creating a garden plan, and planting a crop of cool-season vegetables on Mother’s Day weekend. Preparing the groundClear...