Saturday, July 30, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 113: Gardening with Children

In this episode, we talk with Sonya Harris, garden educator and advocate, about gardening with children. The plant profile is on Anise Hyssop and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.



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

The SHOW NOTES: 1:15 Meet Sonya Harris, garden educator, advocate, and founder of the Bullock Garden Project! 2:21 Sonya’s childhood with gardeners and farmers 3:20 Cherry trees, peach trees, and sassafras! 4:41 Teen years brought anti-dirty attitude 6:01 Encouraging her son to go play outside 7:13 Special education teacher for 25 years…never getting dirty 8:00 Students struggling with one-to-one correspondence led to connection through gardening! 8:38 Sonya proposed planting a garden to the principal because she saw the benefit in her students 10:37 Journey from never getting dirty to loving the garden and engaging with it 11:04 Ahmed Hassan helped get the garden off the ground at the school 12:19 “Tulip seeds” — Sonya 13:04 Peer-reviewed articles from Europe about the benefits of gardening with kids 14:36 Ahmed got a group of master gardeners together to build the garden 14:53 Teacher planning mode kicked in…fundraisers, donations, and volunteers 16:05 Sonya’s passion about gardening with kids 17:09 “Horticultural Mrs. Miyagi” 18:04 “From Shoes to Seeds” blog that Sonya started after she fell in love with gardening 18:54 School garden started winning awards only one year after it was completed 19:28 Shaping school curriculum around the garden 19:45 School-wide movement — Town-wide movement 20:13 Cafeteria cooking produce from the garden for kids’ lunches 20:46 2017, other teachers reaching out so they could do the same thing with gardening 21:42 Sonya left teaching in 2019, but still loves it 22:22 Student who hated class, but loved the nature channel and found comfort in the garden 24:40 Running non-profit full-time and using the Bullock Garden Project to feed people during the pandemic 25:55 “I got to live my passion twice.” — Sonya 27:26 Experiential learning is so rewarding 28:00 Almost all school curriculums can be taught through the garden (reading, vocabulary, math, science, etc.) 31:30 Garden as a place where kids learn about patience and failing 32:52 Goal to see garden education become the norm and not just an extra 34:04 Referring to the garden as belonging to the children 34:21 Kids involved in the planning and working of the garden 35:00 Dorothy L. Bullock Elementary School is named after the first African American administrator in Glassboro, NJ 35:47 Bullock Garden Project is in schools in neighborhoods where people have been historically marginalized and live with food insecurity 36:43 Grow radishes first 38:00 “Never yuck their yum.” — Sonya 38:33 Container gardening indoors 39:38 Pollinator garden, interrelationship between all things 41:18 Students can become the teachers 42:08 Problem solving with deer eating veggies out of the garden…plant extra 44:07 Gardens build a love for the earth into children 45:45 Connection between deforestation and deer entering the garden 46:11 Kids love the idea of manure and fertilization 47:02 Seeing things through the eyes of the child 47:48 Letting kids throw seed wherever helps them to learn about intention and discovery 49:31 Gardening with kids is all about the journey and not the end result 53:45 Get in touch with Sonya on social media @njgardenteacher, various events she hosts, and her website: www.bullockgardenproject.org 57:57 Learn all about Anise Hyssop in this week’s plant profile! 59:50 New in the garden this week: ripening tomatoes and Crape myrtles 1:00:42 Local gardening events: National Capital Cactus and Succulent sale at Brookside Gardens, Cultivate the City: Plant Propagations 101 class, Azalea sale at Kirkwood Pres. Church, etc.

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

This episode is archived online at: 

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/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 platform so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Tori Vandergriff

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Friday, July 29, 2022

Fenton Friday: Dipping into a New Tomato

It has been another hot and humid week, but we had a couple decent rains. The tomato plants are starting to produce heavily now, though they are mainly still green.

The star tomato so far is the 'Sun Dipper'. It is a new variety for 2023 by PanAmerican Seed. Sun Dipper is described as: "an orange 'dipper' tomato with elongated fruit that is easily held between your fingers for dipping in dressing on a vegetable platter. This unique fruit shape is eye-catching and delicious." Shown at right is a set of fruits starting to ripen on our plant. I'd say right now there are roughly 20 more in various stages of growth on the same plant. I picked and ate one. It was delicious. I'm a big fan of dips and sauces, but I actually don't think this tomato needs any garnish or addition.

What varieties of tomato are you growing this year in your edible garden?

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 11th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

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Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Anise Hyssop Plant Profile

Anise Hyssop Plant Profile

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a perennial plant that is native to most of North America. It is hardy to USDA zones 3 to 8.

It is not a long-lived plant, but it makes up for that by self-sowing itself about. I often find volunteer plants coming up in the cracks of my driveway. You can deadhead it to encourage reblooming and prevent prolific reseeding.

Anise Hyssop prefers full to part sun and is drought resistant once established. It can rot if planted in overly moist soils. It is deer- and rabbit- resistant as well.

It is a great pollinator garden addition. The flower spikes can range from almost white to deep blue. It is visited by bees, butterflies, beetles, and hummingbirds. Goldfinches and other birds enjoy eating the dried seeds.

Anise Hyssop is a member of the mint family and is not a true “hyssop” – despite its common name. When you crush the leaves, a mild licorice scent is released. It has herbal and culinary uses, most notably as a tea. It can also be used to flavor fruit salads and jellies.

Popular cultivars include ‘Golden Jubilee’, which has chartreuse foliage, and ‘Blue Fortune’, which is a sterile hybrid with the Korean hyssop (A. rugosa).

Anise Hyssop: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Jamie Oberg

 

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Monday, July 25, 2022

Monday Thoughts: “The hum of bees is the voice of the garden” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence


“The hum of bees is the voice of the garden”
~ Elizabeth Lawrence
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Sunday, July 24, 2022

Win a pair of Long Straight Snip from Corona Tools in the July 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our July 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a pair of Long Straight Snip from Corona Tools. The prize value is $14.

   The Long Straight Snip has a long, straight, pointed blade for a wide range of applications. Corrosion-resistant stainless steel blades and pivot to prevent rusting, are easier to clean, and reduce germ build-up. It also has an unobtrusive leather strap lock.

   An authentic American brand, Corona Tools were born in the orange groves of California in the 1920s. Since then, generations of agriculturists, gardeners, landscapers, arborists, and construction professionals have turned to Corona to find high-quality tools that work as hard as they do. They know that Corona’s iconic red handles are an immediate symbol of quality and long-lasting durability. Learn more about Corona Tools at http://coronatoolsusa.com/.

   To enter to win a pair of Corona snips, send an email by 5:00pm on July 30 to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Corona Snips” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the July 2022 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about August 1. 

UPDATE:

Congratulations to Sonia Hudson of Silver Spring, MD!
She won a pair of Long Straight Snip from Corona Tools in the July 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest.
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Saturday, July 23, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 112: Summer Garden Refresh

In this episode, we talk with Martha Pindale about refreshing your mid-summer garden. She is a horticulturist, instructor, and Executive Director of the American Landscape Institute (http://www.americanlandscapeinstitute.com/). The plant profile is on Blazing Star and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events.


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

SHOW NOTES: 1:20 Meet Martha Pindale, horticulturist, instructor, and Executive Director of the American Landscape Institute! 3:25 Martha’s family has a long and historic connection to the horticultural industry 4:40 Many great plant introductions came from Bluemount Nursery in Monkton, MD, owned by Martha’s family 6:33 Martha was approached about the ALI scholarship program in 2017 and still works there! 7:45 Learn all about this unique scholarship program 9:47 Funding from the scholarship comes from employers 10:34 Graduating debt free with 39 college credits! 13:10 “Deadheading” is key for keeping flowers blooming 14:04 Dead flowers aren’t always dead! They’re often busy prepping seeds 16:00 The deadheaded flowers can either just fall to the ground or be composted 17:17 Cutting flowers = more flowers 18:24 Martha recommends Monty's fertilizers (https://amzn.to/3PJlkre)* 19:32 Pollinators benefit from deadheading 21:50 Thunderstorms don’t provide enough water for the garden 23:56 Potted plants can still be dry even after a storm 24:30 Cutting perennials and annuals back hard 25:03 Make sure your friends who are watering in your absence know how to do it properly! 28:38 Floppy plants…staking! 29:58 Bamboo stakes and twine works great 30:59 Peony rings can be used for other perennials 31:55 Election signs can be upcycled to be used as stakes 33:26 Rabbits are menaces to twine! 35:35 Make a list of plants you notice flowering so you’re ready for fall shopping 37:01 Tough love works on plants too 37:48 Mulch immediately after weeding to fight against increased weed seed germination 40:20 Precautions for gardening in intense heat 43:25 Fighting mosquitoes, ticks, etc., with repellants 44:45 Rewarding your garden 44:49 Get in contact with Martha via email and take classes through CCBC! 46:22 Learn all about Blazing Star in this week’s plant profile! 48:10 New in the garden: hot weather with little rain, zinnias finally blooming, moving self-sowing plants back to the bed, and hydrangeas in the home garden 49:18 July 2022 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine has been sent out! 50:08 Local gardening events: Garlic Festival at Takoma Park Farmers Market, Kenilworth Annual Lotus and Waterlily Festival, Sunflower Festival in Woodbine, MD, Garden Book Club Summer Edition, and the upcoming garden photo show opening


If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
GardenDC Podcast Episode 73: A Late Summer Pep Talk with Erica Smith
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-73-late-summer.html

This episode is archived online at: 

*Amazon affiliate link

We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://anchor.fm/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 platform so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:
Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
Editing and Show Notes: Tori Vandergriff

PIN THIS FOR LATER!



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