by Noel | Oct 17, 2018 | CobraHead, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
We had a great watermelon harvest. This is the last of over a dozen fruits we picked. Among the varieties we grew were Crimson Sweet, Alibaba, Moon and Stars, and Orangeglo. Most were quite a bit larger than this one. Of course, they all ripened at nearly the same time, so we have been gorging on melons for the last several weeks. This one turned out to be close to perfect inside and exceptionally sweet. I’m getting better at judging ripeness, but I still made...
by Noel | Jul 31, 2018 | CobraHead, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
Japanese beetles, along with a lot of other other natural disasters, are making the garden a little less fun this year. The beetles have only been in Wisconsin for about a dozen years, and they are loving it here. Their populations seemed to diminish for a few years, but this is the worst infestation I’ve had. They’ve not bothered the sweet corn before, but this year they are destroying some silks. Most years I can keep up with them by just collecting them...
by Noel | Jun 25, 2018 | CobraHead, Gardening
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) is a beautiful and delicious wild mushroom, usually found on dead oak logs. This one was on an old log in our front yard. Interestingly, the same log gave us one of these mushrooms about five years ago. Over 2 ½ pounds of delicious “meat”! We could have let it get larger, they can grow to be huge, but I noticed a little bit of insect damage, and the squirrels, who like to get into our shiitake logs, would soon find...
by Noel | Jun 5, 2018 | CobraHead, Environmental Issues, Farming, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
Bumblebees love Russian comfrey. The plant is frequently recommended as a bumblebee magnet. I often find four or more different varieties of bumblebees in the comfrey along with many other pollinators who also like the plant. My son Geoff introduced me to Russian comfrey (Symphytum × uplandicum) over 20 years ago when he brought home a few roots from the farm where he was working. It likes it in my garden and I have to work to keep it from spreading too far. ...
by Noel | May 29, 2018 | CobraHead, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
The garden is off to a really slow start this year. It’s mostly April’s fault. That month gave us very cold weather right up until the end, so nothing got planted. For the first couple weeks in May we were practically under water and it’s only been the last two weeks that we’ve been able to get a lot accomplished. Here’s some flowering horseradish. I’ve promised to take a little better care of my horseradish this year and it’s looking good....
by Noel | Apr 20, 2018 | CobraHead, Environmental Issues, Garden Tools, Gardening, Vegetable Growing
I first met Mark Highland quite a few years ago, maybe at the Philadelphia Flower Show or at a Garden Writers conference. He already knew Geoff and Anneliese. Mark had just launched his company, Organic Mechanics, to produce high-quality potting soil. Since then, Mark has made a success of Organic Mechanics, and his passion for growing organically has evolved into his becoming a spokesperson for the organic method. Mark is a degreed horticulturalist whose...
