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Ana: Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 12:42 PM
Happy Earth Day & Happy Arbor Day!
Some Ideas to share:
5 Simple Ideas for going green(er) in 2013:
1.)Add a rain barrel to your garden and use it.
2.)Grow your own veggies or shop at a local farmers market.
3.)Use organic fertilizer and organic pest deterrents instead of chemicals.
4.)Plant more native flowers for the pollinators and bees.
5.)Build or buy a compost bin and use it!
Old fashioned hyacinths are currently in bloom. |
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Posted on Friday, April 12, 2013 1:38 PM
Every year as spring approaches most gardeners will ask themselves: How should we garden this year? Where should we add plants? What should we add ? Remember we are all connected.When planting it is not about one plant but about the big picture of how everything works together. How can plants be placed to benefit the whole garden, the local ecosystem and for our pleasure.
Think about the following:
Minimize waste, choose the right plants for the right location.
Build a garden that has maximum benefit for people, and for the local ecology and the whole environment. |
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Ana: Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2013 9:53 AM
Spring in the Garden....There is lots to do now that it is Spring!
Time to Clean up the leaves -
A very heavy leaf fall can contribute to crown rot on many perennials and or poor emergence of new growth in spring.If the leaves are thick and messy they should be removed from the bed and composted or taken off site. Keep the compost pile going by adding layers of green material (grass and old annuals) and brown dried material (fallen leaves and small twigs) Turn regularly. Try to keep diseased material and weeds gone to seed from the compost pile. |
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Ana: Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 11:47 AM
Signs of Spring Checklist:
How do you know if it is SPRING?
How many signs have you seen?
The first day of Spring is officially 3.20.2013. We are moving towards Spring even with the snow!
Spring update:
__X__You see the robins hopping about looking for bugs and worms.
__X__The snow drops are blooming.
__X__The winter aconite is blooming.
__X__The witch hazel is blooming.
__X__ It is light out later.
__X__The buds are getting fatter on all the trees and shrubs.
____ It is raining not snowing! |
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Ana: Posted on Monday, March 18, 2013 9:23 AM
What's going on in the garden?So begins another Spring....
I have a grow light over these and some bottom heat... Here's a peek at the first spring crop.
Meet: Slobolt lettuce,
Arugula,
Bloody Butcher tomatoes,
& Mache salad.
I started new Spring crops... peas,
radishes, and
beets outside in the cold frames.
Winter Kale Crop from Saturday March 16th.... I harvested the last big batch of winter kale on Saturday and made it into a nice soup! This is zone 5 and these crops are just in a cold frame over a raised bed, so it is great to see that I managed to grow them all winter along. |
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Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2013 4:47 PM
This week we saw a lot of snow fall around Chicago-land.
March is the usual
month we begin to change from winter to spring.
Nature is not static. Spring is coming soon and winter will melt away.
It will begin to warm up and then it will be time to begin to garden again for the new growing season.
How can we have a positive impact?
Work with nature and not against it.
Do
not work in the garden on overly wet days if possible, this causes soil
compaction and is bad for your plants and your soil. |
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Ana: Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 5:30 PM
Front Yard Veggie Beds! Would you put one in your front yard? Why or why not? Are there any already in your neighborhood?
What are the pro's and con's of using the front yard for a vegetable garden?
Here is an article about a front yard veggie garden:
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Ana: Posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 3:09 PM
Thinking about Spring!
Gardening tips for Spring Clean - up!
1.) Grasses left standing for
winter interest should now be cut down from March - April. This is the ideal time to cut
back ornamental grasses. I find myself wanting to be out in the garden on the
first warm days of March. This is the ideal time to begin gardening for the New
Year. Ornamental grasses should be cut about 4 – 6 inches from the ground. Old
ornamental grasses can be composted or used as mulch if chopped up. I use mine
to mulch the paths of my veggie beds and keep the footpaths less weedy and
muddy. |
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Ana: Posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 2:48 PM
FROGS! I love frogs, check out this amazing bull frog video:
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Ana: Posted on Friday, February 01, 2013 4:31 PM
Take care of the earth, take care of the people, and share the surplus.
Hi everyone, I would like to share a link to a very cool project I heard about and hope to be involved in this year. The goal is to help raise fresh vegetables locally for people in need in our local community.
The project is called GardenWorks.
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