Monday, November 18, 2024

Monday Thoughs: “ Oh, Autumn! why so soon Depart the hues that make thy forests glad; Thy gentle wind and thy fair sunny noon, And leave thee wild and sad!” ~ William Cullen Bryant

“Oh, Autumn! why so soon Depart the hues that make thy forests glad; Thy gentle wind and thy fair sunny noon, And leave thee wild and sad!” ~ William Cullen Bryant

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Saturday, November 16, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 219: Native Ferns


In this episode, we talk with Virginia Master Naturalist Kit Sheffield all about native ferns. The plant profile is on Strawflower and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Pilfered Petals 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 132: Moss Gardening

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-132-moss.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 135: Plants for Shade

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-135-plants-for.html

This episode is archived at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Native-Ferns-e2r27or

Show Notes will be posted after 11-19-2024.

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, November 15, 2024

Fenton Friday: A Touch of Frost

Last week, I posted about the Potato Takeover in the bed that I cleared out and planted the Radish 'Cherry Belle' seeds. Well, this week, autumn finally moved in with chilly temps and some actual rain. That left the potato plants with a touch of frost, though everything else in the garden seems unscathed.

I'm sharing a current pic (above) of our pollinator-herb garden strip on the outside corner of the garden. The Calendula (yellow) flowers are bouncing back very well no that the weather has cooled off (they hate the heat). You may recall that back in May a school bus crashed through and after they repaired the fencing there the garden was in complete ruins (Here is the post about it.) I'm happy to report that today -- despite the crash, drought, and some neglect on my part -- everything has filled in and is looking quite good.

The Dahlias, Cosmos, and Zinnias are still pumping out tons of flowers.

We've held off again on planting Garlic, hoping to do so next week.

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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Monday, November 11, 2024

Monday Thoughts: "Plants want to grow; they are on your side as long as you are reasonably sensible." ~ Anne Wareham

"Plants want to grow; they are on your side as long as you are reasonably sensible." 

~ Anne Wareham

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Saturday, November 09, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 218: Almanac Garden Planning


In this episode, we talk with Carol Connare, The Old Farmer's Almanac editor-in-chief, about using the almanac in garden planning. The plant profile is on Stokes Aster and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on the Cranberry Debate 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 165: Gardening and the Weather

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-165-gardening.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 155: Planting by the Signs

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-155-planting.html

This episode is archived at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Almanac-Garden-Planning-e2qo7vp

Show Notes: 01:15 - Welcome Carol Connare, editor-in-chief of The Old Farmer's Almanac (www.almanac.com/) 01:48 - Carol discusses her childhood gardening experience 02:22 - Carol talks about her current gardening situation 03:28 - Carol shares her geography and growing conditions in New Hampshire 05:35 - What did Carol initially pursue as a career? 07:31 - How did Carol become an editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac? 09:36 - What does Carol’s day-to-day job entail? 12:04 - Carol discusses the history of the The Old Farmer's Almanac 13:11 - How do they keep The Old Farmer's Almanac new each year? 15:59 - Calendar pages in The Old Farmer's Almanac 18:16 - Gardening by the moon 20:03 - What would Carol recommend to people who miss the optimum timing to garden by the moon? 23:37 - Carol and Kathy talk about Phenology signs 29:29 - The Old Farmer's Almanac’s weather predictions for Mid-Atlantic states this winter 31:10 - Carol discusses Climate Change 33:40 - Carol talks about Sunspot Science 36:00 - Carol discusses Biodynamic Farming 38:46 - How does Ben Franklin relate to The Old Farmer's Almanac 40:13 - Who are Carol’s personal heroes and influences in her career? 42:42 - What new things are in the pipeline for The Old Farmer's Almanac? 44:14 - Where to contact Carol? (www.almanac.com/) 44:58 - Final thoughts from Carol 47:11 - Stokes Aster plant profile 48:22 - What’s new in the garden this week? Encore azaleas are reblooming and potato plants are popping up 48:53 - Garden tips of the week: Keep watering, and you can begin mulching your perennials after the first hard freeze 50:35 - Upcoming local gardening events: Potomac Rose Society Online Talk, Silver Spring Garden Club Talk: Unearthing the Hidden World: The Rhizosphere 52:32 - A Season of Thankfulness and Cranberry Sauce 56:26 - Thank you for listening! Become a supporter

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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Order your almanac at: https://amzn.to/3ACScQ7 (Note this is an Affiliate Link and we may earn some pennies
when you make a purchase after clicking on it.)
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Friday, November 08, 2024

Fenton Friday: Potato Takeover


You know how you always THINK you dug out every last little potato from a planting bed? Well, you always miss a few. (See pic at right.) In the case of the bed that I cleared out and planted the Radish 'Cherry Belle' seeds, I clearly missed more than a few! The potatoes have not only resprouted but they are starting to take over the spot that the radishes are in and then some. I suppose it is all the mild weather we have been having and that is the only spot I've been watering (other than the Brassicas bed). I think the potatoes think it is spring already!

Meanwhile, the Radish 'Round Black Spanish' and the Carrot seeds we planted are still not up.

This week, I pulled out the Cotton plants to dry them indoors as save their seeds.

The Dahlias, Cosmos, and Zinnias are still pumping out tons of flowers. Waiting for a frost to hit them and knock them back before I pull them out. That also goes for cutting back the Asparagus and Blackberry canes.

We've held off on planting Garlic, hoping to do so next week.

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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Monday, November 04, 2024

Monday Thoughts: “Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release—it’s what the trees do.” ~ Ka’ala

“Autumn teaches us the beauty of letting go. Growth requires release—it’s what the trees do.” 

~ Ka’ala

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Saturday, November 02, 2024

GardenDC Podcast Episode 217: Weeding Techniques

In this episode, we talk with Anna Mische John, Vegetation Maintenance Supervisor with the City of Takoma Park, MD, about weeding techniques. The plant profile is Gaura and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Ways to Pickle 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 103: Weeding and Mulching

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-103-mulching.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 198: Rats and Other Destructive Critters

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2024/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-198-rats-and.html

This episode is archived at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Weeding-Techniques-e2qep4l

Show Notes: 01:17 - Welcome Anna Mische John, Vegetation Maintenance Supervisor with the City of Takoma Park, MD 01:55 - Anna talks about her childhood gardening experience 03:46 - What did Anna go to school for? 04:24 - What brought Anna to Takoma Park? 05:14 - Anna discusses Takoma Park’s geography and growing conditions 07:15 - Kathy and Anna talk about the Takoma Horticultural Club 08:45 - Anna discusses the gardening dynamic between her and her partner, Josh Singer 10:07 - Anna shares her specific tasks as Vegetation Maintenance Supervisor 11:52 - What is Anna’s overall philosophy when dealing with weeds on city property? 12:55 - Anna and Kathy discuss recent research which says to cut weeds off at the soil level 15:14 - Anna talks about Takoma Park’s methods for not leaving bare soil 18:02 - Does Takoma Park get plants introduced into their public spaces by local citizens and visitors? 19:43 - Anna and Kathy talk about plant stealing 20:56 - Does Takoma Park have Weed Warrior volunteers? 21:26 - How does Takoma Park keep areas clear after invasive removals? 23:36 - Anna talks about erosion control 24:46 - Anna discusses solarizing 27:59 - Anna talks about spraying techniques 30:54 - Does Takoma Park do any open burns? 32:43 - Does Takoma Park use pre-emergents? 33:30 - How to make weeding less of a chore? 36:16 - Anna and Kathy discuss some common weeds 36:44 - Ficaria (Lesser celandine) 37:42 - Mugworts (Artemisia vulgaris) 39:06 - Vining plants 40:24 - Kudzu 41:41 - What does Takoma Park do with all the weed debris that they collect? 42:10 - Purple Fountain Grass 42:36 - Handling Weed seed heads 43:33 - Are there any native plants that are considered problem plants? 45:16 - Where to contact Anna? Gardens@takomaparkmd.gov 45:38 - A few bonus weeds/weeding techniques 47:15 - Dealing with Landscape Fabric 50:14 - Gaura plant profile 51:52 - What’s new in the garden this week? Late reblooms on spring and summer plants 52:27 - Garden tips of the week: Ways to reuse your Halloween pumpkins, turn off non-essential lights, and November is National Pepper Month 53:19 - Upcoming local gardening events: Firsthand Experience: Plant Portraits, and Autumn Arts of Nature: Bonsai, Stones, and Mums 55:06 - How to Pickle 1:00:25 - Thank you for listening! Become a supporter

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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