What's Growin' On Archives - Page 64 of 141

Drill holes and set shallots on soil surface to start.

Planting Shallots

It's fall, which means it's the perfect time to plant shallots, onions, and garlic. All of these delicious alliums grow over winter and bulb up in spring, then we harvest in late spring or early summer. It's easy to grow a decent amount of shallots in a small space. We use Square Foot Gardening methods of spacing (4 per square foot for larger bulbs, 9 per square foot for smaller). Here's how to do it: Planting Shallots Start by prepping…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 10, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Fuji apples ripen on our potted tree. Almost ready!

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Renewal

It's hard to write about gardening with the news of the Las Vegas massacre and Tom Petty's death, but here's a little fall gardening sunshine to help soothe the soul. A new season brings new life. Let's celebrate what we can, and grow a better world together. On days when it feels like the world should stop turning, we can be grateful that nature has our back. She goes on when we can't.

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 4, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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A small but proud harvest

Homegrown Goji Berries

Our first year of growing experimental goji berries comes to a close and we actually have something to show for it. Some readers may recall that we won two goji berry plants at the Garden Writers Association Symposium in 2015. It took a year for the plants to get established and 2017 was the first for fruit production. This week we harvested and dried our own goji berries. Here's how: The Harvest The harvest was small, but enough to claim…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 3, 2017
Post category:Blog Sage Advice What's Growin' On
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This potatoes has at least 1 eye that is long enough to plant.

Sprouting Seed Potatoes

White potatoes get a bum wrap, but they are the most delicious tuber to grow in your own backyard. Not only that, they are easy and fun to grow, especially if you have children. From sprouting your own seed potatoes to digging for buried treasure, growing potatoes provides wonder and joy for kids and adults alike. First things first - sprouting seed potatoes Potatoes grow from potatoes, so it's easy to start your own. You may even have skanky potatoes…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 27, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Discoloration and thinning of the stem right above soil level is a sign of damping off.

Damping Off – What to do?

The most exciting thing in the garden this time of year is the ritual of starting seeds for fall, but nothing bursts your bubble like damping off. What is damping off? It's when seedlings are overtaken by a pathogen (a fungus or mold) that damages them to the point of failure. Let's take a closer look. Damping Off Sucks When you put moisture, soil, and light together, you get germination. You may also get diseases. Damping off occurs under a…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 26, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Different seeds that can be pressed for oils.

Field Trip: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – Pt. 3 – Knowledge Passed Down

During my time at the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello, I took a few classes. It was more like I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to gather as much information as possible from the abundance of classes on offer. In two days, I learned 3 ways to grow your own sweet potato slips, how to process seeds for home-grown oil, how to use every part of okra, and I heard an inspiring talk about…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 19, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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The West Indian Gherkin was first planted in Jefferson's garden in 1812. We brought home seeds to try on this latitude.

Field Trip: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – Pt. 2 – Veggies and Fruits

Now for the good stuff: specific crops grown at Monticello. Some of these veggies and fruits date back to 1774 when Jefferson first planted the crop. We brought home a few seed packets (who could resist) to try them out in the Gardenerd Test Garden. Before we get started here are a few fun facts: Garden staff have successfully harvested artichokes 13 out of the 21 years that they have been grown at Monticello.They are also growing cardoons.Jefferson's favorite herb…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 13, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Field Trip: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – Part 1 – The Garden

I didn't think I had a bucket list until I realized I hadn't yet been to Monticello. That was nearly 10 years ago. Last weekend, I ticked Monticello off the bucket list. It was worth the wait in every way imaginable. Thomas Jefferson's 5,000 acre estate in Charlottesville, VA was his home during the latter part of his life (from age 76-83) after being the first Secretary of State, the second Vice President, and the third President of the United…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 12, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Basils, chives, sage, oregano, thyme and parsley all grow well in containers.

Design: Productive Patio Garden

We specialize in small-space biointensive gardening here at Gardenerd, so we get a lot of calls to install patio gardens from eager folks with limited space and sunlight. Our latest patio garden project gave the homeowner an herb garden, a space for veggies, and a few new fruit and berry crops in a small space. The homeowner has 2 children who were interested in eating home-grown veggies. They also like to play basketball and jump on a trampoline, so most…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 6, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Fresh goji berries! A treat we didn't know would grow well here. Apparently they grow well in containers.

Wordless Wednesday: Keep Going!

Summer winds down and our thoughts turn to fall gardening, or for some, the end of the season. Sometimes it's hard to move forward when all we want to do is take a nap or escape to some far-off place. But the cycle continues; there is no rest for the gardener. Along the way, we can pause to enjoy the beauty of the summer garden. In honor of those affected by Hurricane Harvey, here's a little inspiration to keep going.…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 30, 2017
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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