by Noel | Aug 17, 2009 | CobraHead, Events, Gardening
We continue to do a lot of trade shows, trying get our tools known by the gardening public. We’ve found that small shows can be more attractive than large ones, especially if the ratio of hands-on gardeners to the overall attendance is good. Big shows attended by the general populace are not for us. County fairs, street fairs, and music festivals are now on our “do not even think about it” list. We do well at energy shows that that have an...
by Judy | Aug 3, 2009 | Gardening, Recipes
Last night we were invited to a potluck. I don’t usually bring desserts because I rarely make them at home – and I’m not one that can live on just desserts. Besides, who has time to bake? But how could I not do something with the raspberries that we’re lucky enough to have (even if I do have to don a mosquito net over my head to pick them)? Two quarts don’t go very far at a gathering but I happened to remember the little used Maryann pan...
by Noel | Jul 30, 2009 | Environmental Issues, Gardening
Funnel Collector Japanese Beetles On A Grape Leaf Japanese beetles only became a pest in my garden four years ago. When they first appeared their numbers were so overwhelming that I pretty much had no choice but to let them go unchecked. They nearly defoliated my raspberries, but I still got an okay harvest. They loved the asparagus fronds, but they did not seem to be doing severe damage there. Their favorite food was the leaves of the wild grapes that grow all...
by Noel | Jul 18, 2009 | Environmental Issues, Gardening
A couple days ago I blogged about flowering edibles in the garden. It was quite hot when I was taking the pictures which included some shots of the multitude of pollinators that collect around the flowers. I commented on how hard it was to photograph the bumblebees because they would not stay still long enough for me to get a good shot. Yesterday and today have been very cold. A high of about 66 both days. For the middle of July, it is not normal. I came home from...
by Noel | Jul 15, 2009 | Environmental Issues, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Gardening
Long ago I used to have a bad attitude about ornamentals. I looked at flower gardening as an indulgence, without the necessity attached to growing plants to eat. That has changed and I now not only admire beautiful gardens, but I have great respect for the gardeners who create them. Nevertheless, I’m a hungry man, so it’s mainly the vegetable garden for me. If I had more time, I would dabble in the artsy, but now I barely have time to secure the...
by Judy | Jul 13, 2009 | Gardening, Recipes
The strawberries are dwindling. I believe we just had our last handful of extra sweet ones on our garden fresh greens topped with a little bit of Hook’s Blue Cheese. We’ve surpassed our previous best of 44 quarts with over 50 this year! We have 3 beds that are 20 feet by 4 feet. We try to rotate the strawberry beds through the garden by transplanting new runners from the oldest bed into a new bed so we always have one, two and three year old beds. I...
