From an Expert

The ‘raised’ veggie garden is any garden that has been framed – typically with wood – raising the soil line above that of the ground. You can use wood, field stone, bricks, treated 6 x 6 timbers or anything that will hold dirt in to frame and raise a garden. Ideally the framing material will be attractive to look at and will...

Water is a finite resource and should always be used wisely year round. Conservation is one means for consumers to do their part to preserve the resource for following generations. During the summer months one place to start is to substantially reduce water use in the garden. For many of us, conserving water has not been a concern unless there is a...

Fall is a good time to sharpen those old pruners and take a look at what trees and shrubs in your garden would benefit from a cut back. When plants are in their ‘dormant’ or sleeping state for winter you can easily see the shape of the branches and it is a safe time to cut off wood.  We like...

Gosh, its fall already – feels like a few weeks ago we were planting the spring garden. Kids are back at school, we feel a coolness in the air, so it must be time to prep the vegetable garden for spring. ~ Start the fall cleanup – pull up all your ‘done’ plants and haul them to the compost pile. ~ Green tomatoes...

'Why' a family should think about canning tomatoes… We still call it canning – even if we mostly use bottles - but late summer and fall is when a lot of canning takes place. A GREAT way to control the quality of food your family eats! If one of your goals is to reduce the amount of processed food you...

Pollinators play a critical role in agriculture and our ecosystems. They transfer pollen between flowers while visiting a plant for food, mates, shelter and nest-building materials, leading to fertilization and successful seed and fruit production for plants. They are responsible for an estimated one out of three bites of food that people eat according to the National Garden Pollinator Network...

Introduction Seeds are easy to start indoors. Many vegetable, herb and flower varieties have unique requirements so the key to success is to do a little research on your seeds before you start. Starting seeds is a very rewarding and economical activity and even trying to germinate some of the more challenging seeds can be done if you read the Stokes...

  Written by Karin Vermeer What is Horticultural Therapy? Horticultural therapy is all about using plants to bring about healing or wellness to a person’s life. Whether dealing with the results of growing old, or struggling with a mental disability, or addictions in substance abuse, plants, with the help of a horticultural therapist (HT) can bring about change. All activities...

  We all know that it is "officially" spring but in many parts of the country the calendar is teasing us! It may still be cold out and our frost free dates are still many weeks away, but let’s talk about what you can do now in your garden. First the hard stuff “soil prep”. So hard to do and...

Healthy Soil is the key to your success with any garden. Roots are the big secret to gardening. If you are able to grow great roots – the top of the plant will likely be just fine. Take for example – carrots. If you plant carrots in hard, compacted soil you will get teeny tiny twisted little carrot things. The...