If you recall, evil squirrels were wrecking havoc in my vegetable garden so I was looking for something to help my plants recover, grow strong, and produce more vegetables. And when I say "something" I mean something organic, non-toxic, not chemical. I had read Jim's article on compost tea on Blackhawk's website and it sounded [...]
Our South Park yard sometimes feels like a mini zoo to me. We've seen deer, chipmunks, squirrels, baby bunnies, fully grown bunnies, hawks, owls, foxes, bats, snakes and then some. I absolutely love it. But some of them have overextended their welcome. I thought we had a deal: I don't eat you and you don't [...]
If you live in the Carolinas it is now that time of year to plant your summer vegetables. Our wonderful conditions here in hardiness zone 7b allow you to plant an incredible amount of varieties as the plant and seed aisles of Blackhawk will remind you. Many more than my little urban garden can fit [...]
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Ladies, we all know about "hat hair". Many of us will avoid even wearing a hat for sun protection because we don't want our hairdo ruined. And how 'bout those visors that grip our temples? Forget it! Who needs the headache? Rita Hockenbury experienced the same pitfalls with hats and visors and her frustration birthed [...]
Buy garden chemicals in small quantities that can be used up in one growing season to avoid storage problems. If the label of a garden chemical has faded, write the brand name, active ingredient and EPA registration on the container itself or on masking tape attached to the container. Do not spray pesticides on a [...]
Prune azaleas and other spring flowering shrubs just after they finish blooming. Begin scouting for azalea lace bugs and treat as needed. Lace bugs will succumb to many insecticides including acephate sold as Orthene, carbaryl sold as Sevin and insecticidal soap. Spray and repeat for 7 to 10 days. Begin a regular program for roses [...]
5 MUST HAVE’S TO PLANT THIS FALL Vaccinum ‘Bountiful Blue’ (Blueberry) This plant has so many cool attributes I don’t even know where to start! In the spring it explodes with white flowers that cover the entire plant, pollinating all of your other blueberries bushes and taking in enough for itself from others at the [...]
As I enter the tenth year of a home landscape project, I started thinking about some of the things that I had learned while doing it. Besides reconfirming that I am the worlds worst estimator of how long things will take, I have found a couple of things that have worked very well. In that [...]
