ellenkare51

The Pests Have Arrived!

How do those bugs and blights find my garden so quickly? I am always amazed! As I learned this week at Dr. Cheryl Smith’s excellent presentation, they over winter in and around the gardens. The know a good thing and stick around. Right now we are already seeing evidence of the potato beetle. A matureContinue reading “The Pests Have Arrived!”

Welcome Summer Picnic

A beautiful night at the gardens for our Summer Solstice Picnic.

Gardens Don’t Wait On Whim

Gardens don’t wait on whim, or even on convenience. It’s a lesson new gardeners have to learn and experienced ones are reminded of every season. Gardens have to be tended And–their tending does not always conform to our schedules. Think of a garden a bit like a pet. It is a living, growing, changing organism.Continue reading “Gardens Don’t Wait On Whim”

Getting Started At Wagon HIll

Dear Gardeners, It’s been a slow, cool spring, which I do prefer to “sudden summer”. We get to enjoy the bulb flowers and bright green leaves and grass. Cool temperatures have delayed planting in the gardens at Wagon Hill for many gardeners. However, they have not delayed the growth of weeds! I was in theContinue reading “Getting Started At Wagon HIll”

Garden Workshop This Saturday

Garden Success through Organization and Design Saturday, May 4th, 2013 10am – 11:30 am Durham Town Council Chambers Durham Town Office 15 Newmarket Road Workshop Leader: Vin Dell’Ova, Master Gardener Intern and Member of the Durham Agricultural Commission Contact for more info: Theresa Walker, Durham Agricultural Commission, 659-7226, theresawalker@comcast.net

Hummingbird Migration

It’s time to put those hummingbird feeders out. The Ruby Throats have arrived in Rhode Island and Connecticut this week and will continue north as long as the weather is mild. Can’t wait to see them again! Ellen

Garden Prep

At our meeting last month, I mentioned that I would try to use pictures to illustrate different gardening techniques, so here goes. Let me know it you find it helpful. This week I laid black plastic around my Heritage Plot bed to keep the field grass from invading. I used this method several years agoContinue reading “Garden Prep”

The Joy of Spring Garden Maintenance

I broke my first ” garden sweat” of the season this morning. I went up to Wagon Hill to put the plastic covering over my hoops to start heating up the soil. I am hoping to get a little head start on some lettuce, spinach, kale etc. But, I discovered that the sod was veryContinue reading “The Joy of Spring Garden Maintenance”

What’s up Doc? Can you grow carrots (and other root vegetables) in a raised bed?

What’s up Doc? A question was asked about growing carrots in the raised beds. The short answer is “yes, you can grow carrots.” But a longer answer may help you better understand the garden. The raised beds are just frames placed onto the ground. So there is no “bottom” on the beds that would impedeContinue reading “What’s up Doc? Can you grow carrots (and other root vegetables) in a raised bed?”