How Gardening Teaches Patience
June 28, 2010
The other day I was weeding my asparagus patch. Asparagus takes three years to get going enough for you to start eating it. The first year you plant asparagus, it takes its good old time getting going, and you have to fight the weeds and mulch like crazy. The second year, the asparagus gets a little bigger, but you still can’t eat it, and you have to fight the weeds and mulch like crazy. Apparently, after the third year, you can start to eat it. But I’m not quite sure because mine is only two… more
Comments (12)Queen Bees, Cellphones, and Colonel Mustard in the Ballroom
June 15, 2010
By guest blogger Annie Spiegelman (a.k.a the Dirt Diva)
A recent study, conducted this spring in India, found a link between the disappearance of honeybees and cellphones. If only it were that simple. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) was found in the United States and various other countries in 2006. Beekeepers started noticing queen bees—normally very maternal—and their fellow worker bees weren’t returning to their ‘hoods and… more
Comments (2)How to Start a Compost Pile in 4 Easy Steps
June 14, 2010
Now is the perfect time to start a compost pile. You can do it fancy or simple. And if you know me, you know I always prefer simple. Compost is the most important thing you can use in your garden to improve your land’s fertility (lawn, garden, and landscape), get rid of kitchen and yard waste efficiently, and save time and money. The only science involved is the science of decomposition—when things decompose, they turn into the most potent, valuable fertilizer on the market. Why buy it in… more
Comments (3)Who Says You Can’t Grow Roses Organically?
June 2, 2010
I often hear people say they can’t grow roses without chemicals, and to them I say “phooey!” Actually, I say, “of course you can!” All it takes is a little intelligence, and really not much effort at all.
The main thing is to start with root-grown roses, which is to say, roses that haven’t been grafted on to a different rootstock. If they die back, the roots will produce the same rose that died, not some random thorny rootstock. My best source is more
Comments (5)Secret Organic Weapon for Weeding
May 24, 2010
Yes, it’s that time of year, when weeds arise and rise again. Even the most devout organic gardener might be tempted to pull out the evil chemicals at times—especially when it comes to those hard-to-weed places like cracks in between rocks and gravel walkways, where there’s no food growing that could be tainted by a toxic treatment. But now, thanks to the advice of an old friend of mine, Nancy Small, I have a new solution. A very simple, easy solution.
I use a teapot.
Yes, a teapot. It… more
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