Win Green Goo Products in the September 2020 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest

For our September 2020 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away a set of Green Goo products (value $95, greengoo.com). The set includes Bugs Be Gone, Natural First Aid, Hand Sanitizer, and more.

      Green Goo makes potent, portable first aid and body care products for the active gardener. They use only plant-based ingredients and slow-infuse them in enriching oils. The result is one of the most-effective all-natural product lines on the market. The herbs are carefully sourced from organic farmers and they use a full-spectrum/whole-plant approach when creating their products.

To enter to win the set of Green Goo products, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on Wednesday, September 30, with “Green Goo” in the subject line and in the body of the email, tell us what your favorite article was in the September 2020 issue and why. Include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced on October 1.  

GardenDC Podcast Episode 29: Butterfly Gardening

This episode we talk with Smithsonian Gardens' horticulturist Sarah Dickert and entomologist Holly Walker about butterfly gardening and Monarch Waystations. The plant profile is on Radishes and I share about the Autumn Daffodils blooming in my garden.

Sarah Dickert, Smithsonian Gardens' horticulturist 

Holly Walker, Smithsonian Gardens' entomologist

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!
See how at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/support. 

The episode is posted at: https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/September-19--2020---Butterfly-Gardening-ejs8k7

It is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8

• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V

• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc

• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk

• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc

• Google Podcasts at this link, either now or soon (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices)

We welcome your questions and comments!

You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Fenton Friday: The Okra Gospel

There is an African proverb that says, "The okra plant doesn't grow taller than its planter." Well, it proved true this year at least, as I got a late start and didn't plant the 'Candle Fire' Okra seeds until mid-June. So, the plants are full and doing well now, producing a handful of okra pods every few days, which is just enough for me for snacking on. They are only about 4 feet tall and are gorgeous -- with big red palmate leaves and white-pink-red hibiscus flowers.

I feel like I am the okra proselytizer. Everywhere I talk about edible gardening, I have to share how easy it is to grow, how you can eat it raw, what a gorgeous plant it is, and no, it is not slimy at all - you just have to get it fresh from your own garden and prepare it correctly.

BTW, here is my Okra growing basics video: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2013/07/video-wednesday-okra-growing-basics.html

And here is a cool craft you can make from dried okra pods: 

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2017/12/diy-okra-santa-ornament.html

Yes, I see the eyes glaze over, but I persist. I feel like just one more convert, it is worth it. It is not like I have stock on okra seeds, I just need to spread the okra joy!

Is there an unpopular edible that you just have to convince others to grow?

 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 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

September 2020 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine – Tall Sedums, Grape Hyacinths, Onions, Goldfinches, and much more

The September 2020 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out now.

Inside this issue:

·         Tall Sedums for Fall Gardens

·         The Benefits of Bee Watching

·         Create Your Own Woodland Fernery

·         7 Secrets to Successful Onion Growing

·         A Condominium Community Garden

·         Grape Hyacinth Planting Tips

·         Attracting the American Goldfinch

·         What to Do in the Garden this Month

·         Pleasant View Garden Brings New Life to Historic Site

·         DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the October 2020 issue are due by October 5.

>>  Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Discuss "Two Gardeners: Katharine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence--A Friendship in Letters" with the Garden Book Club

 For our next Garden Book Club selection, we will be reading: 

Two Gardeners: Katharine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence--A Friendship in Letters 

"Two Gardeners is a collection of these luminous letters, edited and introduced by Emily Herring Wilson. The letters bring to life the unique epistolary friendship between two intelligent women, the "formidable" Mrs. White and the "shy" Miss Lawrence, both avid gardeners and readers, both at a stage of life when to make a new friend was rare indeed: when they first wrote to one another, Katharine was sixty-two, Elizabeth, fifty-four."

You can order it new or used at our Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3mo1SSv

Our Fall 2020 club meeting will be on Thursday, November 12 from 6:30-8pm via Zoom. 

Please RSVP to washingtongardenermagazine (at) gmail.com, so you can get the Zoom meeting link information.

The Washington Gardener Magazine's Garden Book Club is free and open to all. We meet quarterly on a weekday evening near a metro-accessible location in the DC-area. We will announce the details of each upcoming meeting about two months in advance. Please check back on this blog for schedule updates and announcements.

We will also be discussing our next book club selections for 2021. Bring your suggestions!

GardenDC Podcast Episode 28: Preserving Your Harvest -- Canning, Freezing, and Drying

This episode we talk with Wendy Brister of Cavano's Perennials about Preserving -- Canning, Freezing, and Drying. The plant profile is on Great Blue Lobelia and I share about the Toadlily blooming in my garden.

Wendy recommends the book Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry It, Too by the late Daniel Gasteiger as a terrific resource of preserving. And here is the Tomato Jam recipe we mentioned: https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2017/09/diy-tomato-jam-recipe.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!See how at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/support. 

The episode is posted at:

https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/September-12--2020-Preserving-Your-Harvest----Canning--Freezing--and-Drying-ejha4h

It is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8

• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V

• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc

• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk

• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc

• Google Podcasts at this link, either now or soon (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices)

We welcome your questions and comments!

You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Fenton Friday: Groundcherry Surprise

Groundcherry Plant

This week at the community garden we had lots of rain and yesterday we had a torrential rainstorm, so I have not been over to the plot much. In my absence, I lost a few Cucumbers and Tomatoes to some creatures gnawing on them - likely the same ones that destroyed my Watermelon last week.

Edamame

I did pull out all the Edamame (soybean) plants and had one big meal of them. They were delicious! In their place, I planted 'sugar Magnolia' Purple Snap Peas from Botanical Interests and I saw that they were already started to emerge when I visited the plot today.

Lettuce Seedlings

Also, starting to emerge are the lettuce seedlings planted by intern Nicole and I weeded a bit and found that the Groundcherries (pictured at top) had once again seeded themselves in the same spot by my Asparagus. They are always a welcome sight in late summer.

Finally, I cut a bunch of the Celosia flowers to use in my flower arranging talk and demo tomorrow for the DC State Fair. I also cut a lot of my Goldenrod from my home garden and will decide what third flower I want to add in when I gather the rest of my supplies in the morning. I am thinking something white like my Garlic Chives now in flower might be nice for a color balance.

What are you harvesting from 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 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

13th Annual DC Plant Swap

UPDATE - the event is at capacity and registration is CLOSED.

13th Annual DC Plant Swap Details

hosted by Washington Gardener Magazine

What: A Plant Swap -- bring and receive free plants to expand your home garden and houseplant collection

Why: Free Plants and Fall is a perfect time to get them in the ground!

Date: Sunday, September 20

Time: starting at 11:00am bring your plants for sorting by category (shade perennial, groundcover, herb, houseplant, etc.) -- swap starts promptly at 11:30am -- do not be late (the swap goes fast and can be over in a matter of minutes!) - we plan to conclude and be cleaned up by 12:00noon.

Place: U.S. National Arboretum - exact location provided in confirmation note. (We will stay socially distanced and park vehicles with one space between them. If you bike there or get dropped off, you will also occupy one parking space with an open space left between you and the next vehicle/person.)

Weather: This event is rain or shine. In case of a bad storm, we will reschedule for the following Sunday.

Who: anyone is welcome and it is FREE! You must register in advance. We are strictly limiting this event to 50 participants. EACH PERSON attending must provide a name and email for our entry security list and contact tracing records.

Bring:
~ a facemask to wear at all times
~ pen and paper - you will want to take lots of notes during the preview phase
~ plants to swap - pot them up NOW -- the longer they can get settled in their pots, the better their chance of success and survival
~ labels - fully label all your swap plants with as much info as you have - optimally that will include: common and scientific name, amount of sun needed, amount of water needed, any other special care notes, and color of the blooms (if it is not currently in flower)

What kind of plants to bring: you can bring houseplants, native plants, vegetable plants, ornamental garden plants, water garden plants, annuals, perennials, biennials, shrubs, trees, cuttings, seeds, etc.

What NOT to bring: common orange daylilies* and any invasive species - use this list (http://www.mdinvasivesp.org/list_terrestrial_plants.html) to screen your plant offerings
*Hybrid daylilies are fine and totally welcome, but the common orange ones (aka "Ditch Lilies") usually end up with no takers and we are stuck having to throw them out as yard waste.

How: On arrival, you will place your plants into the marked categories. Then, we will have a preview period so you can see what is available. Finally, individuals will be called to take turns picking out plants in selection rounds until all the plants are taken.

AFTER the Swap: Enjoy the beauty of the US National Arboretum's plant collections.

Register at http://dcplantswap.rsvpify.com

GardenDC Podcast Episode 27: Gardening with Bulbs

Jay Hutchins

This episode we talk with Jay Hutchins of Brent and Becky's about Gardening with Bulbs. The plant profile is on Tiger Eyes Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac and I share my top Tulip picks.

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month!See how at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/support. 

The episode is posted at:

https://anchor.fm/gardendc/episodes/September-5--2020-Gardening-with-Bulbs-ej5cpa

It is also available on -

• Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gardendc/id1502631179

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5AsWArNpQo8OlzHoMDMSI8

• RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/gardendc-G2ql5V

• Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/gardendc

• PocketCasts: https://pca.st/9phvd8bk

• Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1502631179/gardendc

• Google Podcasts at this link, either now or soon (note that currently, this link will only work on Android devices)

We welcome your questions and comments!

You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/kathy-jentz/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

Fenton Friday: Tragedy and Triumph

You can imagine how upset I was to arrive at the plot after a few days away due to nonstop rainstorms to find that one the two remaining 'Doll Babies' icebox watermelons had been hollowed out! I was almost speechless, but the curse words soon began to flow -- as you can imagine! Apologies to the nearby car repair shop, but am sure they've heard worse.

I scrambled to grab the remaining watermelon. It had a series of bites that almost broke through the inner rind in one section, but the inner flesh was still intact. I ran home with it, washed it off, and sliced it open. It is a nice yellow flesh inside. Sweet enough, but not super-sweet as I think it still needed a few more days to come to perfect ripeness on the vine, but no way was I leaving it in the plot for the rodents to totally disembowel this one as well!

I pulled up the watermelon vine and that is where the new fall interns are planting their broccoli seedlings and lettuce seeds. We are also planting some of each of those in containers across the street at my home garden to compare how those do to the ones in the plot. We have placed covercloths over them in both locations for now to keep out those rodent predators!

Elsewhere in the plot, I have been picking cucumbers and tomatoes every few days, along with cutting basil and other herbs to cook with. The edamame seems pretty much ready to harvest. I plan to pick those this weekend and start new purple pea seeds in their spot.

 What are you harvesting from 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 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Meet the Fall 2020 Interns

This autumn, I have taken on two editorial interns. Look for their author bylines in our upcoming Washington Gardener Magazine issues and on this blog. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers...

Hi! My name is Lindsay Garbacik and I am from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I am a junior journalism major, with a minor in art history, at the University of Maryland. I am so excited to be interning at Washington Gardener Magazine this fall semester! I love magazines and am currently the editor-in-chief of UMD's lifestyle magazine, The Campus Trainer. I enjoy writing long form articles and interviewing subjects. While I have not covered gardening before, I have helped my parents' with their expansive vegetable and herb gardens every summer for as long as I can remember. From growing up with baskets upon baskets of everything from snow peas to zucchinis to blueberries, to helping my mom bake the best zucchini bread every summer, gardening has a place in my heart. I'm looking forward to gaining magazine experience while refreshing my green thumb this semester!

Hello! I’m Nicole Noechel, and I’m a senior multiplatform journalism major and history minor at the University of Maryland. I have always had a passion for writing, but realized I wanted to pursue journalism as a career when I began working for my high school newspaper, The Explorer. On campus, I work for Unwind Magazine and The Diamondback’s arts and entertainment sections, covering events such as campus gallery openings, movie screenings and local concerts. I’m excited to work with Washington Gardener this fall to sharpen my videography and magazine writing skills, because I’d love to work for a magazine when I graduate in the spring. While I don’t know much about gardening yet (I’ve lived in apartments for the past four years, and most of my houseplants died), I’m excited to learn the tricks of the trade and cultivate my own lettuce crop!