If you haven’t started already, now is the time to begin planning your garden for the growing season. You’ve probably already begun receiving plant and seed catalogs in the mail and if you are anything like me, you’re getting the gardening itch. Though as you peruse the catalogs, you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer…
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This time of year, I look forward to gardening again, but I dread spring weed growth. Many people elect to apply herbicides to prevent weed growth. It is important to understand the difference between preemergence herbicides, post-emergence herbicides and soil sterilants. Preemergence herbicides kill germinating seeds. These products are applied to the soil and must…
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I used to be the person who killed every houseplant she ever had, until I learned the scientific information that debunked many of the myths I thought to be true. Myth 1: Put rocks or pieces of broken terra cotta pots in the bottom of the container before the substrate to improve drainage. This practice…
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Many of us add compost and till our vegetable garden beds in the spring. This is a time-honored practice. But did you know fall is also an excellent time to add organic matter? Soils are made up of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Good, productive soils contain 5 percent organic matter. Our native soils…
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Reports of food-borne illnesses are increasingly frequent in the news. Most foodborne illnesses are caused by consuming raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated by pathogens. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses. Many people do not realize that home gardens are not free from pathogens. Many fruits and vegetables have natural barriers,…
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This time of year, when the temperatures soar, we worry a lot about our lawns getting enough water. But not enough attention is paid to the rest of our landscape. Our trees and shrubs need water too – not as often as the lawn, but the water should go deeper into the soil to encourage…
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Across the county, the state, the country and the world, when people want to garden they figure out a way. In Nevada, many times our challenge is the soil and the climate. But, we are not that different from gardeners and farmers in other areas who battle with soils low in fertility and organic matter.…
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If you’ve got the gardening itch and just can’t wait to get your vegetable garden going, an indoor salad garden is a great way to satisfy that itch and enjoy fresh garden greens in your salads, sandwiches or wraps. By following these easy steps, you can be planting your garden today and reaping the benefits…
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I’m talking to all gardeners: have you ever thought about ergonomics in your garden? You may be thinking, what does ergonomics even mean? Merriam-Webster says that ergonomics is an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely. Alright, so how do we…
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So far, we’ve had a mild, dry winter. Just a little rain or snow and a little increase in temperature could help initiate weed growth. This time last year, the wet weather gave us a bumper crop of weeds. If last year’s weed crop got away from you and produced seed, you made a deposit…
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