Monday, December 09, 2024

Monday Thoughts: "I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation." ~ Phyllis Theroux

"I think this is what hooks one to gardening: it is the closest one can come to being present at creation." 
~ Phyllis Theroux

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Saturday, December 07, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 222: Garden Trends for 2025

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Katie Dubow of the Garden Media Group all about 2025 gardening trends. The plant profile is on Silver and Gold Chrysanthemum 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 Soil Solarization 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 176: Garden Trends for 2024

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-176-garden.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 131: Garden Trends of 2023

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-131-garden.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 86: 2022 Garden Trends

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-86-2022-garden.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/Garden-Trends-for-2025-e2s0ckv

Show Notes will be posted after 12-10-2024.

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
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Zachary Intrater
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Friday, December 06, 2024

Fenton Friday: Broccoli Harvest

Guest Post by Zachary Intrater

This semester as an intern for Washington Gardener, I attempted to grow broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower at the Fenton Street Community Garden. Before this, I had never actually grown anything myself, so I wasn’t super-confident that I would get the best results. I planted the seedlings (sourced from a local indepedent garden center) in early September, and each Monday afternoon when I would meet with Kathy, I would check on and work on my plants.

The work that I would do each Monday mostly just consisted of watering and weeding. Due to my lack of experience, I often needed help from Kathy as far as which weeds I was supposed to be pulling out, and how much I was supposed to be watering. While this was a bit of an intimidating experience for me since I was afraid I was gonna mess things up, Kathy’s help made it so much easier.

There were some holes in the leaves early on from pests eating them so we covered the plants for a few week with a covercloth to keep them out. You can see the white covercloth pulled back in the photo at the top of this post.

After several weeks, all the plants grew quite large. The broccoli heads started to form, but no heads have formed yet on the Brussels sprouts or cauliflower. By the time we harvested on December 2, there was just one good-sized broccoli head and a handful of really tiny ones that are still forming on the broccoli plants. 

The broccoli crown that we harvested weighed in at 1.1 ounces (see pic at right) and honestly looked better than I would’ve guessed it would if you had asked me at the beginning of the semester. I’m not a big broccoli eater myself, so I let Kathy hold on to it, and she’s going to use it in a pasta dish.

Overall, growing my plants in the community garden was a lot of fun. Much like this internship as a whole, it was a new and slightly scary experience, but one where I learned a lot and added new skills to my repertoire. I think that I may take what I learned from this experience and grow more plants in the future, probably potatoes. Happy gardening!

About the Author:
Zachary Intrater is a senior in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. This fall semester, he is an intern at Washington Gardener Magazine.

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)

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Monday, December 02, 2024

Monday Thoughts: "From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens – the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye.” ~ Katharine Sergeant Angell White

"From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens – the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye.” 

~ Katharine Sergeant Angell White

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Saturday, November 30, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 221: Gifts for Gardeners


In this special holiday episode, we share our favorite gardening tools and products* perfect for gifting the gardeners in your life -- and yourself!

*Disclosure: Some of these items were sent to us free to trial, but many we have repurchased on our own as well as for gifts for other gardeners. The gift ideas here are linked to an Amazon affiliate account, so if you click on them and order any, Washington Gardener Magazine gets a few pennies added to the account for the referral. Our full Amazon storefront is here.

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 177: New Plants and Products 2024

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 133: New Plants and Products 2023

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-133-new-plants.html

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!

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/05OnrTPw3wrGW5LVf2ntmB

Show Notes: 02:13 - Dramm 12454 5-Liter Premium High-Grade Plastic Watering Can 03:49 - Gardener's Supply Company Madison Rain Barrel 05:36 - Foxgloves 08:00 - Sloggers Garden Clog 09:40 - Scala Wide Brim Garden Hat 12:08 - Garden Kneeling Pad 14:44 - Corona Long Straight Snips, Stainless Steel 16:22 - CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator 18:46 - O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream, 3.4 oz., Jar 20:45 - Alaska Fish Fertilizer 5-1-1 Concentrate 1 Quart 23:09 - Garden Fabric Row Cover 25:54 - Dramm One-Touch Rain Wand 27:43 - Mosquito Dunks 30:26 - MuckBoots 32:19 - Copper Plant Labels 33:41 - Shrub Rake 35:05 - Hori Hori Knife 37:05 - Bypass Pruners 38:16 - Deer Repellent Systemic Tablets 41:47 - Tool Sharpener 43:02 - Motorized Spray Bottle 44:25 - Bonus Item: Tenax Deer Net 47:32 - Thank you for listening! Please become a supporter.

See more gift ideas at: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/11/holiday-gifts-for-gardeners-top.html

and visit https://shop.kathyjentz.com/ to browse our new online plant store

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Interview Edit and Show Notes: Zachary Intrater
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Friday, November 29, 2024

Fenton Friday: Wrapping Up the Year

This week has turned cold and we had some decent rains. We attempted to dig up some of the radishes, but they are still quite small so I'll leave them in for a bit longer. The Brassicas are growing well and next week intern Zachary will report on his experiences growing them.

We'll cut back the Asparagus foliage and apply fresh wood chips to the pathways.

Other than that, I think we can call the growing season officially over.

Looking back on the year, it was a tough one. We had record heat and drought. The bugs were relentless and the rabbits/deer/rats/groundhogs were ravenous. We had some successes -- particularly our Blackberries, Gherkin Cucumbers, Carrots, Potatoes, and Dahlias, but also some duds -- Peas and Lettuces. 

If this was your first year growing an edible garden in the DMV, don't be discouraged -- there is always next year to look forward to. The seed catalogs are starting to arrive and winter is time to snuggle up with a few of them and starting planning now for the next growing season.

What are you growing in your edible garden this week?

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)

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Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Holiday Gifts for Gardeners ~ Top Gardening Gifts ~ 21+ Cool Gardening Gift Ideas

The holiday season is here and I bet you have a gardener on your gift list, so we've updated our annual a Holiday Gifts for Gardeners ~ Top Gardening Gifts ~ 21+ Cool Gardening Gift Ideas.

Here are the garden products I use almost every day. These are the tried-and-true work tools that make my garden grow, save my back from breaking, and generally make life a little easier. Buy a few for others, but also treat yourself!


Disclosure: Some of these items were sent to us free to trial, but many we have repurchased on our own as well as for gifts for other gardeners. The gift ideas here are linked to an Amazon affiliate account, so if you click on them and order any, Washington Gardener Magazine gets a few pennies added to the account for the referral. Our full Amazon storefront is at:













+ One Bonus Item: Tenax Deer Net

Need even more ideas? Here are some more links-

Disclosure: Clicking on these links and then ordering anything from Amazon may put a few pennies in the Washington Gardener Magazine bank account. Thank you for anything you can direct our way. We are participants 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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