By -Georgia Lund- Gardeners are always anxious to get outside and play in the dirt after a long, cold winter indoors. As soon as the weather warms up and the ground thaws, it’s time to get your garden ready for spring. Grab those gardening tools and head outdoors to make preparations for the upcoming growing season. Garden Clean UpThe first order of business is clean up the garden. Fall and winter leave behind a variety of debris on the garden, and spring is the ideal clean up time. Remove twigs,...

By -Georgia Lund- Growing fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit is not something that only those with acreage can do; gardening can be done without a yard of any size. Container gardening is a way to have fresh food during the summer without using much outdoor space. The only things needed are containers, soil, the sun and a few seeds or plants. Select Containers Any container will work for growing plants if it’s deep enough, can hold soil and has bottom drainage holes. Select containers that are 10-12 inches deep and...

Gardening in January doesn’t seem natural, but there’s much to be done during this cold, dreary month if you want a productive garden this summer. Now that the Holiday season is over, it’s time to start getting ready for the gardening season with these tips for January gardening. Planning Browse through the seeds catalogs and do some plant research online so you can select the right flower and vegetable plants to grow in your garden. Check hardiness zones for each plant, plus their sun, water and food needs. This information...

By -Georgia Lund- The fallen leaves are typically quickly raked up and discarded so the landscape can have a well-kept appearance. This is such a waste of a valuable natural resource that can increase food production. We see leaves as a means of shade in the summer and colorful beauty in the fall, but their value extends even further. Fallen leaves can help transform barren soil into fertile, productive soil that can support plant growth and produce food.Organic Soil AmendmentThe leaves from one large tree have the ability to produce...

By -Georgia Lund-  After a long summer of bloom production, perennials are ready for a winter nap. Getting them ready for bed is just a matter of cleaning them up and covering them up. Even though the plants go dormant during the cooling temperatures of fall, there is still a lot of activity going on underneath the soil in the perennial’s roots. A little fall preparation will keep your perennials active and healthy for many blooming seasons to come. Cut BackAfter the first killing frost in late fall, cut back...

By -Georgia Lund- Everyone is familiar with round, orange pumpkins used to make Jack-O-Lanterns and pumpkin pies in the fall, but not all pumpkins look like that. Some types are white, some have bumps, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of the more distinct types of pumpkins and their characteristics so you’ll be able to choose the right type for your fall usage needs.Pumpkin Terms Carvability: Refers to how easy the skin is to carve with a knife or other sharp tool. The tougher the...

By Laura Linne - Living easy is a hard thing to do at times. In this fast-paced digital society that we live in, success is measured with how many things can be accomplished in a day. We work into the night and try to cut down on sleep to get even more tasks completed. The name of the game is trying to shove two days into one and to multi-task our lives away. But that is no way to live. Our overall health demands that we take life at a slower...

By -Georgia Lund- It’s fun and easy to take the kids outdoors and forage for tasty treats to eat for dinner. Edible wildflowers grow all across the country, and as long as you know what to look for, they are safe and healthy to eat. All wildflowers have different flavor profiles and can add a punch of spice or dash of sweet to salads or main dishes. Give some of these edible wildflowers a try on your dinner table soon. Black Locust Black locust blooms are only around for two...

By -Georgia Lund-  At the end of the growing season, every gardener dreams of ways to improve their garden next year. The time to start the improvement process is in the fall, and these fall garden chore tips can get you well on the way to having bigger and better vegetables and flowers next growing season. Clean Up Fall cleanup is necessary to prevent an infestation of pests and disease next season. Remove all flower and vegetable plants that have ceased production. If the removed plants have no bugs or...

By -Georgia Lund- Drying vegetables is one of the oldest methods of preserving fresh garden vegetables for later use. Dehydrating vegetables and fruits are safe, easy and can be done without expensive equipment. Before the invention of modern-day dehydrators, drying vegetables was done with traditional solar power. Fruits and vegetables were prepared and placed in the sun until all the moisture was gone from them, then stored in a cool, dry place until needed. How It Works When all the moisture is removed from vegetables and fruits, mold and bacteria...