Even though the temperature may be quickly dropping, even as the fall colors illuminate the mountains, and even as chrysanthemums pop up on front porches and in gardens, there’s still plenty of life left in the vegetable. To keep your garden growing into the fall and winter, just remember that you need to use protection. Using season extension techniques, it can be possible to add … Continue reading Extending the garden season
Autumn creeps slowly into the mountain valleys of West Virginia. Cool, crisp evenings signal the end of summer and our gradual march toward winter. Colors slowly appear, then radiate, in the trees hugging the sides of the mountains. Summer-visiting birds pack up and move south, preferring to winter in warmer locations. And I find it harder and harder to remove myself from the embrace of … Continue reading When it comes to blooming, the difference is night and day
September means cool evenings, colorful trees, football and shorter days. September also means that it is the best time to take care of your lawn or establish a new one. Many of the questions I receive concern which type of grass is best for the lawn and the best schedule for care. So this week, let’s take a little time to get some lawn details … Continue reading New lawn? What type of grass is best?
About a month or so ago, I took a call from a guy named Johnny Carter, wanting me to come see his garden. He insisted that his backyard garden would be interesting enough to feature in my newspaper column. With some doubts, I promised that we would connect in late August, when my schedule was less hectic and his garden was “at its peak.” Of … Continue reading Tropical oasis created in W.Va.
Sometimes it seems like there is just this one weed that has to ruin everything. It grows out of control, ruining the aesthetic of your lawn, landscape or garden. It outcompetes the things you actually want to grow. It looks horrible and grows way too fast to keep under control. I know that some people don’t mind weeds, or even appreciate them (many are tasty … Continue reading What weeds are telling you
Those who have taken my classes or who read this column often will know that I can get pretty insistent and preachy on performing regular soil testing for your lawn and garden. The reason that I talk about it so much is due to its importance in maintaining both soil health and plant health. In “The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture,” Wendell Berry tells … Continue reading Plant health requires keeping things in balance
Every August, thousands of visitors descend upon the small, yet cool, town of Lewisburg for the State Fair of West Virginia (OK, technically the fair is in Fairlea, but close enough). Aromas of fair foods, sounds (and smells) of livestock, lights from the carnival and crowds of fairgoers fill the atmosphere. This scene also plays out in many counties across our great state in the … Continue reading Fairs are about improving produce
In the 1960s, author and future Cosmopolitan magazine Editor Helen Gurley Brown scandalized the country with her book about independent single women called “Sex and the Single Girl.” Not that it is a controversial topic, but this week I would like to turn the tables and take a look at some of the “birds and the bees” activity that goes on in the garden. This … Continue reading Sex and the single squash
You can believe everything you see on the Internet, right? You can take for gospel every Facebook post, Tweet, Pinterest pin and Instagram photo, correct? It seems like many people get their gardening advice from shared content on the Internet and become unwitting victims of Internet myths. While these gardeners and those who share the false information may do so with the best of intentions, … Continue reading Garden miracles or garden myths?
This time of year is always busy for me. During the middle of July, I find myself hopping around the country attending conferences. This year it just so happens that this past week I found myself hopping from one conference in Columbus, Ohio, to one in Mobile, Alabama, with less than a one-day turnaround. Since I’ve been traveling, I thought it would be good to … Continue reading Plant palace is an easy visit
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