Monday, October 30, 2023

Monday Thoughts: "In gardens, the struggle between life and death is laid bare.” - Marta McDowell

"In gardens, the struggle between life and death is laid bare.” 

- Marta McDowell

Saturday, October 28, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 171: Murder in the Garden

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Marta McDowell, author of Gardening Can Be Murder and Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley*. The plant profile is on Blue Mist Shrub 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 Fun with Pumpkins by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.

Marta McDowell by photographer Sarma Ozols

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


~ GardenDC Episode 77: Goth Gardening
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/10/gardendc-podcast-episode-77-goth.html

This episode is archived at: 

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

Show Notes: 00:01:08 Gardening enthusiast turned garden writer. 00:01:48 Gardening family traditions. 00:06:04 Marta’s incredible shrinking lawn. 00:09:47 Emily Dickinson's gardening interests. 00:10:56 Combining passions through serendipity. 00:18:21 The DuPont gardens are breathtaking. 00:19:11 Haunting garden space at Hagley. 00:23:04 Gardening Can Be Murder. 00:24:44 Gardening and murder connections. 00:27:12 Gardening as a form of violence. 00:30:05 Deadly tools in the garden. 00:31:11 Garden settings inspire mystery writers. 00:36:47 Plant blindness helps crime writers. 00:37:06 Plant forensics. 00:41:15 The battle for sunlight. 00:47:02 Deadly plants in crime fiction. 00:51:15 Fictional plants in mystery novels. 00:56:33 Marta's new books. 00:56:40 Gardening Can Be Murder is a fun read. 01:00:02 Gardening events in Washington D.C. 01:01:18 Advocating for low-impact native habitat landscaping. 01:04:30 Perfect lawn alternatives. 01:06:05 Pumpkins are versatile and enjoyable. 01:08:37 Jack-o'-lantern enjoyment.

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: Christine Folivi

PIN THIS FOR LATER!



*You can order Garden Can Be Murder by Marta McDowell at https://amzn.to/46ZIIsY and Du Pont Gardens of the Brandywine Valley at https://amzn.to/40gwmKsThese links are to our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.

Friday, October 27, 2023

Fenton Friday: Winter Prep

Plot 16 - looking a bit wild and woolly at the end of the season.

This was a very mild weather week again, so it feels weird to be discussing winter prep and clearing out the plot. I still have peppers, cucamelons, blackberries, tomatoes, and zucchini producing well -- along with lots of cut-flowers. I've stopped watering all those and when a frost hits will be ripping them all out and planting garlic or covering the open ground with straw.

I noticed that the asparagus foliage is finally starting to yellow and that will all need cutting back once it does.

The dahlia tubers will stay in the ground this year as I learned my lesson last year and needn't bother trying to dig and store them again.

I am filling white kitty litter jugs with water as we drain our cistern for the winter and still have some water available for those of us still growing cool-season crops.

My cool-season crops of arugula, radish, and cilantro seedlings are all doing well. I'm still watering those and weeding around them a bit.


How is your garden plot growing 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 12th 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).

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Win a $100 gift certificate to buy bulbs online from Flowerbulbs.com

For our October 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a $100 gift certificate to buy bulbs online from Flowerbulbs.com ($100.00 prize value).

   Looking for inspiration for your home and garden? Flowerbulbs.com is all about bulbs, bulb flowers, and bulbs in pots. Visit Flowerbulbs.com for inspiration for gardens, the most beautiful bouquets, holidays, and celebrations, and DIY tips with flowers and bulbs.

   To enter, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on October 31 with “Flowerbulbs.com” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the October 2023 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine and why. Include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on (or shortly after) November 1. 

UPDATE:

The contest winner is Douglas Reimel of Clarksburg, MD. Congratulations, Doug!

Monday, October 23, 2023

Saturday, October 21, 2023

GardenDC Podcast Episode 170: Moon Gardening

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Jarema Osofsky of Dirt Queen NYC all about Moon Gardens*. The plant profile is on Cilantro 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 Bumper Crops by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.

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


~ GardenDC Episode 76: Horticultural Therapy
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-76.html

*You can order the Moon Garden by Jarema Osofsk at https://amzn.to/48ZehEX, this is our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.

This episode is archived at: 

BTW, YOU can become a listener supporter for as little as $0.99 per month! 

Show Notes: 00:01:10 Moon gardening and Jarema Osofsky. 00:06:43 Plants have healing effects. 00:07:11 The healing impacts of plants. 00:09:48 Moon gardening brings nature at night. 00:10:28 Moon gardening history. 00:14:29 Gardening in the dark. 00:17:31 Moon gardens can be incorporated into existing gardens. 00:19:17 Blue lighting and its effects. 00:21:09 Moon gardens enhance nighttime relaxation. 00:26:30 The night-blooming Cereus. 00:30:01 Other night-blooming plants in moon garden. 00:34:36 Heightened senses at night. 00:34:41 Moon gardens are sensory havens. 00:36:14 Moon gardening brings healing and tranquility. 00:39:07 Soil as the foundation. 00:43:03 Great plants for moon gardens. 00:46:39 What's new in the garden? 00:51:14 Low-maintenance alternatives to lawns. 00:53:33 Maximize tomato harvest with strategies. 00:55:08 Strategies for managing tomato harvest. 00:57:05 Embrace challenges and share abundance. 00:57:12 Tomato bumper crop bonanza.

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: Christine Folivi

PIN THIS FOR LATER!


*You can order the Moon Garden by Jarema Osofsk at https://amzn.to/48ZehEX, this is our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.

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