When people think about growing food in urban areas, the first idea is usually to hide the vegetable garden somewhere in the backyard. Edible landscaping offers an alternative to conventional residential landscapes; edible plants can be just as … [Read more...]
Pollinators Still Need Your Help
Pollinators are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of food we take each day, and yet pollinators are at critical point in their own survival. Many reasons contribute to their recent decline. We know for certain, however, that more nectar and pollen … [Read more...]
GROWING PANSIES
Pansies are the colorful flowers with “faces.” A cool-weather favorite, pansies are great for both spring and fall gardens! Here’s how to keep your pansies growing and blooming. CONTINUE SOURCE: https://www.almanac.com/plant/pansies … [Read more...]
Ye Olde Kitchen Garden In the Garden
Kathleen Wall, who cooks and gardens at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass., holds skirrets, a root vegetable popular in colonial days. Like other plants used during that era, it fell out of favor over time. Credit: Erik Jacobs for The New York … [Read more...]
Sue’s Sunflowers
Sunflowers (Helianthus) are one of my favorite annuals. Not only do they provide food for animals and humans alike, they bring sparkle-joy to us with their rich colors of yellow, brown and russetts and cheerfully bobbing heads. Sunflowers are the … [Read more...]
Composting Leaves
The leaves of one large shade tree can be worth as much as $50 of plant food and humus. Pound for pound, the leaves of most trees contain twice as many minerals as manure. For example, the mineral content of a sugar maple leaf is over five percent, … [Read more...]
DID YOU KNOW? By Sue Becker, Bedford Extension Master Gardener
Great “Gourds” Almighty! Did you ever wonder how the custom of carving scary faces into hollowed-out pumpkins or “Jack O’ Lanterns” at Halloween came about? The term Jack O’ Lantern came from the 17th century British Isles. “Jack” was the common name … [Read more...]
Interesting and Useful Websites
Recently, I’ve run across several websites that have interesting, credible and useful information that I want to share. If you find yourself with nothing to do for a while, it’s easy to get lost in this stuff. And I’m certain there are … [Read more...]
Spotted Lanternfly
Learn about the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), and what action you can take to stop the spread of this invasive insect that is threatening the northeastern United States, especially southeastern Pennsylvania. Call our hotline at 1-888-422-3359 with … [Read more...]
Mowing To Recycle Grass Clippings: Let the Clips Fall Where They May!
Lawn turfgrasses provide many benefits to our immediate environment. Soil erosion control, improved protection of groundwater, improvement of the quality of life through noise and dust abatement, improvements of air quality, and aesthetic and … [Read more...]