Thursday, September 04, 2025

Meet the New Interns

This fall, I have taken on two editorial interns. If you attend upcoming gardening events in our region, like the Urban Tree Summit, you are sure to meet them. Look for their author bylines in upcoming issues, on the GardenDC Podcast, and our YouTube channel. As a first assignment, I asked them to write a short introduction to our readers

Hi everyone! My name is Ellen Isaacson (pictured above at right), and I am a senior at the University of Maryland in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. I'm a multimedia journalism and French Language & Literature double major with a minor in general business. I've loved writing since I was little, and I've started pursuing journalism as a contributing correspondent for the local publication, the Source of the Spring. I also have some gardening experience from working at Johnson's Florist and Garden Center in Kensington during my last two years of high school. I loved learning about different plants, helping customers with their gardening questions, and seeing their excitement once their gardens started to thrive. My parents and other family members love to garden, and I've always enjoyed helping them take care of their plants. In my free time, I love to read, listen to music, ski, hike, and spend time with friends and family. I'm excited to be working with the Washington Gardener as a publication intern this fall and learn more about gardening and magazine writing, and publishing. I hope that this experience will strengthen my journalistic skills and expand my love for plants and the outdoors. 

Hey gardeners, my name is Cavit Ireland (pictured above at left), I’m a senior journalism student at the University of Maryland and I’m excited to create content and cultivate crops for the Washington Gardener as a Fall 2025 intern. I have experience working with local news and on the air, hosting Sonic Fruit, a weekly music program on WMUC 90.5. I have also worked with the Greenbelt News Review covering community events, businesses, and social issues and Roots Magazine as a music reviewer. When I was home in New York this summer, I helped my parents rejuvenate their front garden with beautiful hydrangeas and baby trees, while also making sure the vegetable garden didn’t grow out of control. We grew some strong mint and juicy plum tomatoes that went into a delicious salad. While working with the Washington Gardener, I want to improve upon my own homesteading while bringing insightful, helpful information to the community.

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

September 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Gaura, Fungi Farm, Food Forests, False Hellebore, and much more…


The September 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is now out.

Inside this issue:

  • Gorgeous Gaura
  • Maryland’s Fungi Frontier
  • A New Food Forest
  • Time to Plant Fall Lettuce
  • Creeping Cucumber Weed
  • Native False Hellebore
  • Dealing with Southern Blight
  • Harvest Time Produce Safety Tips
  • Spooky Blooms for Halloween
  • Garden Book Reviews and Reader Contest
  • Rewilding the Garden
  • Meet Ranger Vince Vaise
  • and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the October 2025 issue are due by September 10.

>>  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: https://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

Saturday, August 30, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 254: The New American Gardener

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Rochelle Greayer of the American Horticultural Society, about her vision for the American Gardener magazine. The plant profile is on Korean Angelica 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 Apple Orchard Antics by Christy Page of GreenPrints


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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 40: Botanical Latin and Labels

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-54-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 6: Spring-Flowering Trees and Shrubs with David Ellis

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-6-spring.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 9: All Things Azalea

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-9-all-things.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

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

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ICuVwx0YzZR34wEHxmeRB?si=032ef0a05cde479a

Show Notes will be posted after 9-6-2025.

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
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Friday, August 29, 2025

Fenton Friday: Colin’s Cucumbers and Zucchini

Colin Davan and cucumbers. Photo by Ian Ferris.

Guest Blog by Colin Davan

With a pile of seeds spread across the table, I was left with some tough decisions. After my fellow summer interns Miguel and Ian had picked their tomatoes and peppers, I was tasked with four seed packs: two kinds of cucumbers and two types of zucchini plants. 

However, these were not just any vegetable plants. Each brought their own unique challenges and tasks. Starting with the cucumbers, I had one pack of Slicing Cucumber and another of Japanese Climbing Cucumber, which required a tomato cage surrounding it, hence the name.

Moving to the zucchini, I was in charge of the Nimba Squash Zucchini and Dark Star Zucchini. 

The summer plot got off to a hot start with Miguel and Ian planting their tomato and pepper seedlings. In my first week, I spent my time thoroughly weeding and clearing out the section of the plot I was given. Since these vegetable plants required so much space, I delayed my seed sowing until the second week. 


The second week, I returned and formed the four small mounds spaced out a couple of feet from one another. After I planted the seeds in each mound, topped them with compost, and surrounded them with straw, I protected them with small wire pieces (hardware cloth), so the urban pests would not come to take my special seeds or baby seedlings. I stood back and took a picture of the dirt mounds. I began to wonder: what will come of these seeds? Will I find any success in the garden this summer?

After returning the following week, a glimpse of success began to push out from the mounds. Small green seedlings had begun to arise with a few pesky weeds around them. I tended to my four small mounds and returned the following week. 

When I returned, I saw an increase in seedlings that were beginning to flourish. Both of the cucumber plant mounds exploded as each had several small seedlings that I would eventually thin down to two each. However, I was not seeing close to the same progress with my zucchini plants. 


Photos from top down: Thriving 'Nimba' Squash Zucchini, Climbing Cucumbers, and failed 'Dark Star' Zucchini.

I would come to find later on that my zucchini plants would ultimately give me problems all summer. The Dark Star never produced a seedling and the Nimba Squash grew much more slowly than my cucumbers. However, that did not deter my garden grind. We planted a different zucchini squash variety (' Zucchini 'Black Beauty') in Dark Star's former spot and gave extra care to my zucchini each week.

As the blazing hot weeks in the garden went on, my Nimba Squash and both cucumbers would grow at exponential rates. Powerful rainstorms all throughout July, hot sunny days, and a little bit of fish fertilizer created the perfect mix for results. 

By late July and early August, I had begun to see flowers and small cucumbers, but no actual zucchini yet. A bit of concern began to creep in as the deadline for submissions in the Montgomery County Fair was quickly approaching, and I did not have enough similar-looking cucumbers or zucchini ready to submit an entry. 

I was able to harvest many cucumbers from my Japanese Climbing plant and ended up submitting them to the DC State Fair (results TBA). While the zucchini plants struggled, I was able to get a nice zucchini, which I used in a chocolate zucchini cake. (Thanks Kathy for the recipe!)

At the end of my Fenton journey, I realized this experience was not only about producing cucumbers and zucchini, but also of overcoming obstacles and strengthening my patience. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity with the Washington Gardener Magazine this summer, as I got to enhance my journalistic skills while also being on the Fenton plot working in a nice community garden.

About the Author:


Colin Davan is an intern this summer session with Washington Gardener. He is a rising senior at the American University in Washington, DC, studying journalism with a minor in history. He grew up just outside of Boston in two towns (Hopkinton and Framingham), both with backyards always filled with a wide variety of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

Monday, August 25, 2025

Sunday, August 24, 2025

Tomato Taste Results: Citrine Shines Through

We had more than 300 people come to today's Washington Gardener Magazine 15th Annual Tomato Taste at the FreshFarm Silver Spring Market. Here are the results of the ballots submitted.

  1. Citrine from The Farm at Our House
  2. Sun Gold from Mock's Greenhouse   
  3. Purple Cherry from Mock's Greenhouse   
  4. Dixieland Gold (Dixie Golden Giant?) from Ben's Produce
  5. Cherry Bomb from The Farm at Our House        
  6. Cherokee Purple from Ben's Produce
  7. Juliet from Quaker Valley Orchards  
  8. Spiral Sweet Grape Tomato from Spiral Path Farm    
  9. Sweet Treats from The Farm at Our House     

This year the top three tomatoes had the vast majority of votes -- those sweet cherry varieties are hard to beat! The winner 'Citrine' had 2/3 of the total vote -- it wasn't even close.  The rest of the pack were separated by just a few votes. This shows you that there were no real "losers" in this batch and that every tomato had its share of hard-core fans. Talking to folks, after they voted, they each insisted their chosen tomato was far superior to the others and I heard raves for each of the 9 choices.

Do take a minute to click on the photo link here to view the Facebook album of photos from the event. I think you will agree that the market tomatoes are absolutely gorgeous and very photogenic -- and so are the market patrons!


Big thanks to Chef Sara Hayden of Vita Cooking School who joined us this year and shared her Gazpacho recipe and to Dimitri Olive Oil for the Balsamic Viniagrette 
we used on additional tomato tasting samples (and they donated a couple more bottles for the prize package!).

In addition to the tastings, many people stopped by to create colorful tomato art and to pick up the free tomato seeds, growing tips, and recipes that we gave out.


We gave out a gift bag full of gardening goodies, tomatoes, and market money to one of the tomato taste voters. Congratulations to EJ!  Her parents told us she is a HIGE tomato fan and was thrilled to win.


Most of the taste attendees were local, though we also had many who came quite a distance. About two-thirds live in Silver Spring. Another third live close by in Washington, DC or the neighboring towns of Takoma Park, Chevy Chase, Hyattsville, etc. A few are from far outside of the area, we even had votes from Illinois, South Carolina, and New Hamshire!

Thank you to all who came and participated. Thanks to the farmers for growing great tomatoes and to FreshFarm Markets staff for hosting us. Special thanks also to our interns (Colin Davan, Ian Ferris, and Miguel Zarate) and volunteers (MD Smith and Alexandra Jentz) for helping with all the tomato sample cutting, vote tallying, and helping greet all the tasters in the short, but jam-packed two-hour event!

Saturday, August 23, 2025

GardenDC Podcast Episode 253: The Farm-to-Vase Movement

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with Alex Mudry-Till of Quince Blossom Ridge, all about cut-flower farming. The plant profile is on Patrinia 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 Travels with Iris by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 54: Flower Farming with Lisa Mason Ziegler

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-54-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 104: Dahlias

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/05/gardendc-podcast-episode-104-dahlias.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 19: Floral Design with Holly Heider Chapple

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-19-floral.html

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter/subscriber at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/subscribe

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

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0UmKbt3r9piKWEepxGAdyZ?si=yJRyOe29TsqqXZucvhjdFQ

Show Notes will be posted after 8-26-2025.

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
Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

Pin this for later!

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