Monday Thoughts: “Spring is coming with a strawberry in the mouth.” ~ Elana Lopez

“Spring is coming with a strawberry in the mouth.” 

~ Elana Lopez

GardenDC Podcast Episode 232: Good Garden Fences -- A Special Podcasthon Edition

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Jeff Beneke, author of Fences for Home and Garden: A Complete Guide to Selecting and Installing Wood, Masonry, Metal, and Living Fences*, all about fencing your garden. The plant profile is on Persian Buttercups and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Creating Multi-fruit Lemon Trees from Christy Page of Green Prints. 

Note that this is a Special AD-FREE Podcasthon episode of our podcast and we urge listeners to donate as they are able to the World Central Kitchen. 

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 177: New Plants and Products

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-177-new-plants.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 124: Raised Bed Gardening 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-124-raised-bed.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 12: Shrubs and Hedges https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-12-eva-monheim.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Good-Garden-Fences----A-Special-Podcasthon-Edition-e306fb0

Show Notes will be posted after 3-18-2025.

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Show Notes: Skylar Drew

Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

*Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3Rh7tut. 

GardenDC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Fenton Friday: Finally Got the First Seeds In the Ground for 2025

Since our last post (December 2024) about the garden plot we maintain at the Fenton Street Community Garden, we have not been back to the plot. This winter was a real booger - cold, nasty, and just windy as all get out. 

So, when we visited yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Garlic is up and things are looking "okay." The brassicas we left in the ground and under cover cloths are all dead, except for one of the Brussels Sprouts. The Calendula that have over-wintered well the last several years are all gone - basically dust. The Garlic Chives, Yarrow, and Chickweed are already roaring back.

We are starting off the new growing season a bit later than we did the last few years -- nevertheless, we have high hopes!

Intern Skylar Drew planted three cool-season crops from seed yesterday - 'Frosty' Peas, 'White Globe' Turnip, and 'New Zealand; Spinach.

This week, I'll need to prune out the old/dead cames from the thornless Blackberry bushes and I'll cut off the dead foliage from the Asparagus.

Next week, I plan to plant some more cool-season crops and get a start on the weeding.

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 13th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog)

Hardy Cyclamen Plant Profile

Hardy Cyclamen are flowering perennials that typically bloom from fall to spring. The blooms range in color from white, pink, magenta, red, or lavender. They are members of the primrose family. Cyclamen are native to Europe and the Mediterranean, where they typically grow on rocky slopes. Hardy cylcamen species can grow in USDA zones 4 to 9.The garden-hardy species include Cyclamen hederifolium, Cyclamen cilicium, and Cyclamen coum. They prefer to grow among the root zones of trees or shrubs and because they are often small in size, should be placed on the edges of pathways or on shaded slopes so you can see and enjoy them. Their leaves are heart- or kidney-shaped with marbled variegations. Many collect them just for the attractive foliage. Cyclamen go dormant in the summer. The plants grow from a round tuber and should be placed in soil with good drainage so they don’t rot. It is especially important that they stay relatively dry during the summer months. Common names for hardy cyclamen include Alpine Violet and Persian Violet, though they are neither a violet nor from Persia. Another common name for them is Sowbread. because, pigs like to dig up and eat the tubers. Interestingly, hardy cyclamen are considered deer-resistant. Hardy Cyclamen are bee-pollinated and can be propagated by division or freshly collected seeds. Hardy Cyclamen: You Can Grow That! The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine. Audio, Video, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz Editing by Madison Korman ➤ If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our Youtube channel (thank you!) ➤Remember to TURN ON notifications to know when our new videos are out ➤ FIND Washington Gardener Magazine ONLINE ~ WashingtonGardener.blogspot.com ~ http://twitter.com/WDCGardener ~ https://www.instagram.com/wdcgardener/ ~ Facebook.com/WashingtonGardenerMagazine ~ Podcast: GardenDC If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles: ~ Florist's Cyclamen Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/03/florists-cyclamen-plant-profile.html ~ Colchicum Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/10/colchicum-plant-profile.html ~ Amur Adonis Plant Profile https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/amur-adonis-plant-profile.html

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Monday Thoughts: “Plants that are alive and living on our planet today produce a tapestry of tales - some dating hundreds of millions of years.” ~ David Domoney

“Plants that are alive and living on our planet today produce a tapestry of tales - some dating hundreds of millions of years.” ~ David Domoney

GardenDC Podcast Episode 231: Are Biosolids Safe for the Garden?

 In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Ron Alexander, President of R. Alexander Associates, Inc., all about Biosolids. The plant profile is on Jerusalem Artichoke and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Blossoms in the Big Apple from Christy Page of Green Prints.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

See how at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/support.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 71: Soil Health

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-71-soil-health.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 187: Mad About Mulches

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-187-mad-about.html

Visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online store!

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Are-Biosolids-Safe-for-the-Garden-e2vs4gd

Show Notes: 01:18 Introducing biosolid consultant Ron Alexander 01:55 Was Ron born with chlorophyll in his veins and a green thumb? 02:54 What brought Ron from Philadelphia to North Carolin 05:25 Ron’s current garden and growing conditions in Raleigh, North Carolina 08:15 What is a biosolid? 11:30 How are biosolids used and where? 12:53 Biosolid processing, purpose, and the humanure movement 13:17 Uses of biosolids through history 13:47: Ron talks about water removal and the organic certification process 17:35: How are biosolids categorized? (fertilizer or soil amendment?) 20:46 Nutrient content in biosolids 22:46 Are biosolids safe to use in the home garden? Ron discusses the stigma 25:04 “Groundcover Revolution” by Kathy Jentz 27:27: Kathy talks about her experience using Bloom products local to the DC area 31:22 Ron talks about biosolids as pest management or repellent 34:40 Ron talks about heavy metals in biosolid products 36:38 What concerns are there regarding pathogens, bacteria, and parasites? 39:39 Ron talks about balancing contaminant risk in gardeners’ environments 42:35 Testing for pharmaceuticals 44:42: PFAS and PFOA 49:07 How to contact Ron 49:55 “The Urban Garden” by Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight 51:20 Jerusalem Artichoke Plant Profile 53:49 What’s new in the garden this week? 56:40 The Last Work with Christy Page: “Blossoms in the Big Apple” 58:50 How to support the GardenDC Podcast

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179
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We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Show Notes: Skylar Drew

Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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