Articles and Tips April, 2009
Humic Acid: By Popular Demand
Well, most of my friends wanted to hear about something other than humic acid, so I’ll get to their questions tomorrow.
We frequently talk about compost on this blog. Compost is the “miracle pill” for the garden. An addition of compost can improve the worst soils. Making your own compost is relatively easy and inexpensive. However, if you can’t make your own compost, …
Butterfly Larvae are Here!
A few weeks ago, I captured pictures of the first Eastern Black Swallowtail in our garden. She was busily laying eggs all over our fennel plants. I have since been inspecting the plants each day to see if the eggs had hatched. Last week, I thought they had. However, the little green wormy looking thing did not match the Swallowtail larva I have seen before. …
Earth Day Eating: “Food Matters”
If you regularly read this blog, you know I’m a bookworm. So, in honor of upcoming Earth Day, and (GASP!) my 30th Birthday, I’m reviewing the great new book by Mark Bittman Food Matters. I heard Mark interviewed on NPR right around the time …
Save the Earth with Gardening
Earth day isn’t until next week, but gardeners can still gear up to do their part to save the planet. I’ll be writing several Earth Day posts between now and then, because, in my mind, Earth Day is still important-regardless of what others might say. If we celebrate Valentine’s Day, we can certainly celebrate Earth day.
Origins of Earth Day
The original Earth Day celebration on April …
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! April 2009
Carol, over at May Dreams Gardens, started the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I am now looking forward to this as one of my favorite days of the month! It is kind of like a virtual garden tour. You can go around to all of the garden blogs and see what is blooming in your friends’ gardens all over the world! Another good thing about bloom day: It is always the 15th of the …
How to Sterilize Soil
Soil sterilization is a great technique for organic gardeners to master. For potting soil, you will need a sterile mix to avoid bringing weeds and pathogens into your indoor plants. You may also wish to sterilize outside soil if you wish to start over on a patch of garden. Here is why you might want to sterilize soil, how you can do it and how you build up a healthy population of beneficial organisms after you …
The Green (Smoothie) Monster
One of the best parts about having a vegetable garden is going out and picking your dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Breakfast? Have you heard of eating vegetables for breakfast? Well, maybe some spinach in your omelet, or a few peppers scrambled with potatoes. What about eating lettuce for breakfast? I tried to feed my husband lettuce soup …
Organic Hydroponics?
Is there such a thing as organic hydroponics? Actually, yes! During a recent visit to ECHO farms in North Fort Meyers, Florida, I saw something that truly captured my attention: peas, onions and other plants growing on nothing but a piece of old carpet on top of a chicken coop. How on earth? Where to begin. . .
Growing Food in “Challenging Environments”
ECHO …
Book Review: Plants in Garden History
One of my favorite gardening books, ever, is Plants in Garden History, by Penelope Hobhouse. Apparently, it is Oprah’s favorite gardening book, too. (Or, at least a favorite of those who choose Oprah’s favorite gardening books. I love to watch Oprah, but I just …
Breaking Butterfly News!
The Butterflies are Back! This weekend in Wilmington, NC, the Azalea Festival is going full-swing. I took in my share of fun, and my azaleas are blooming. However, the big news today is that we saw our first Eastern Black Swallowtail flying around our little butterfly garden, and it was laying eggs like crazy all over the fennel plants. …
