When the heat is on, tomato plants take a break: they don’t care for excessive heat any more than the rest of us. When daytime temperatures are up in the 90s and nights are in the 70s or warmer, tomato plants may keep on blooming, but the flowers … [Read more...]
Root Vegetables: Underground Culinary Treasures
Like many of my fellow gardeners, I enjoy digging in the dirt, feeling soil textures with my fingertips, and discovering earthworms wriggling around those dark places. Although some people might find this somewhat odd, most young children are eager … [Read more...]
Thomas Jefferson’s Vegetable Garden: A Thing Of Beauty And Science
When you listen to All Things Considered host Melissa Block's story about Thomas Jefferson's garden, you'll hear how he cared about putting peas on the table and sharing seeds with his friends. Continued: … [Read more...]
Bacterial Wetwood
The client has a large oak tree that is losing sap. There is a bad odor and a hole at the base of the tree where sap is oozing. What is causing this and how should it be handled? DIAGNOSIS /RECOMMENDATION The problem is termed bacterial … [Read more...]
Our guide to vegetable garden pests: 15 of the worst offenders
Every vegetable gardener faces pest issues from time to time, and learning how to manage the little leaf-munching menaces without using synthetic chemical pesticides is an essential step in growing a healthy, productive garden. To help gardeners with … [Read more...]
General Recommendations for Growing Vegetables in Containers
In 2008 and 2009, the Penn State Southeast Research and Extension Center (SEAREC) near Lancaster, PA and the Franklin County Horticulture Education Center in Chambersburg, PA hosted extensive trial plantings of fruiting vegetables in containers. This … [Read more...]
Tiny pollinators have massive impact: National Pollinator Week is June 22-28
RICHMOND—They can’t drive a tractor or milk the cows, but native pollinators put in a hard day’s work on Virginia farms. Native bees, butterflies, beetles, ants and flies are the stars of National Pollinator Week, June 22-28. The U.S. Senate … [Read more...]
ONLINE Master Gardener College
Join us for ONLINE Master Gardener College June 25-28, 2020! While this event will be very different from our in-person colleges, we believe this is a great opportunity to learn from a selection of interesting speakers on a variety of topics. Since … [Read more...]
TOMATO DISEASES & DISORDERS
Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) can be grown on almost any moderately well-drained soil type. A good supply of organic matter can increase yield and reduce production problems. Tomatoes and related vegetables, such as potatoes, peppers and eggplants, … [Read more...]
DAYLILY
Daylilies are many gardeners’ favorite plants. They are dependable perennials, they are prolific and colorful bloomers, and they are relatively free of pests. Continued: … [Read more...]