Monday Thoughts: “Find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature's son Swaying daisies, sing a lazy song, Beneath the sun." ~ The Beatles

“Find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature's son Swaying daisies,  sing a lazy song, Beneath the sun." 

~ The Beatles

GardenDC Podcast Episode 259: From Garden to Farm with the Gardening Gays

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with the Gardening Gays -- Kevin and Dragan, all about their transition from small garden to country farm. The plant profile is on Hairy Aster 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 the Ghost Orchid by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 224: The Reformation of a Bad Naturalist

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-224.html

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

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-253-farm-to.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 7: Chickens in the Garden

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/04/gardendc-podcast-episode-7-chickens-in.html

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

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3xSP8Zg1ydgLDyn1vG0yKK?si=4XaMb4tnTR-XPQCHrqgQJA

Show Notes will be posted after 10/15/25.

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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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: Cavit Ireland

Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

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Fenton Friday: Forgotten Onion Harvest

Pictured above is our "forgotten" Onion harvest. Because I'm not personally a big onion fan, I had pretty much ignored them all winter. This week, I cleared the bed they were in and found these 3. (Do they remind anyone else of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus or is that just me?) There were likely more, so after we get some good rain this weekend I may go back to check for some more. Back in May, we had planted a dozen 'Stuttgart' Yellow Onions. It was a bit late in the season to be doing so, but the onion sets were given to our community garden by HarvestShare to grow for suporting their food for the hungry programs. I have them curing now on an old screen in my sunroom and will donate them at our next harvest gathering session in a couple weeks.

I'm cutting Dahlias now almost daily. They are so happy now in October's cooler temps. There was a frost alert in the region last night, though I think we are still a few weeks away from it hitting us. 

We will soon pull out the last of the Tomatoes and Peppers, but for now they are still producing steadily -- as are the Cowpeas. The Zucchini are flowering, though no fruits are forming, so they will go next.

The Cover Crop seeds are up and so are the seeds for our recently planted Radishes and Lettuce mix. The Cilantro and Cauliflower seedlings are both doing well.

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 14th 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).

Win a copy of The Square Foot Gardening Planner in the October 2025 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our October 2025 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away three copies of The Square Foot Gardening Planner from Cool Springs Press (value $23 each, Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4mKRC4W). 

   The Square Foot Gardening Planner: A 3-year Journal for Recording the Planning, Planting, and Care of Your Square Foot Garden is the one-and-only official planner of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, filled with all the planning tools and data-tracking logs that generations of Square Foot Gardeners have been asking for. The intensive planting, prescribed spacing, and succession cropping used in the square foot gardening method mean a greater need to plan in advance and keep track of changes. This planner gives you all the tools you need to do just that. 

   To enter to win The Square Foot Gardening Planner, send an email by 5:00pm on Friday, October 31, to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Square Foot Gardening Planner” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the October 2025 Washington Gardener issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about November 1. Content entry replies might be published. 

Gentian Plant Profile

Gentian Plant Profile

Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) is native throughout the northeastern half of the United States.

It is a perennial wildflower with blue/purple blooms that are nearly closed at the tip. They are arranged in a tight clusters atop the stem and at full bloom when look like they are buds about to open fully—though they never do. There are also some naturally occurring white versions of the flower.

Closed Bottle Gentian is hardy to zones 3-7. These plants are slow-growing, but long-lived and are very low-maintenance. They bloom from late summer into mid-fall and are not bothered by an early frost.

It grows best in moist, rich soils either in full or partial sun.

Bottle Gentian is pollinated by bumblebees that pry open the flower to crawl inside and sip nectar plus deposit pollen.

Gentian: You Can Grow That!

 

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Video, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Ellen Isaacson

 

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If you liked this video, we think you will like these other Plant Profiles:

~ Trout Lily Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2025/04/trout-lily-plant-profile.html

~ Virginia Bluebells Plant Profile

 https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2018/04/plant-profile-virginia-bluebells.html

~ Baptisia Plant Profile

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/07/baptisia-plant-profile.html

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Monday Thoughts: “In the garden you see all the seasons come and go, whatever you do can affect it all. But at the same time flowers don’t answer you back, don’t give you any trouble." ~ George Harrison

“In the garden you see all the seasons come and go, whatever you do can affect it all. But at the same time flowers don’t answer you back, don’t give you any trouble." ~ George Harrison

GardenDC Podcast Episode 258: Hot Trends in Bulbs

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we talk with author Jenny Rose Carey, all about the latest trends in gardening with bulbs. The plant profile is on Spiderwort 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 the Art and Science of Pickling by Christy Page of GreenPrints.

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

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 127: Unusual and Specialty Flower Bulbs with Brent Heath

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-127-unusual.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 111: Flower Combinations with Jenny Rose Carey

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-111-flower.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 18: Shade Gardening with Jenny Rose Carey

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-18-shade.html

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

This episode is archived at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1c8VXmwhLJuBuJ800LARDL?si=ed6867ddbe8b4750

Show Notes will be posted after 10/7/25.

Jenny Rose Carey's books:

- The Essential Guide to Bulbs*

- The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Guide*

- Glorious Shade*

*Amazon affiliate link

The GardenDC podcast is also available on -

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

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: Cavit Ireland

Music: Let the Sunshine by James Mulvany

Pin this for later!

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/476OTOu

Fenton Friday: Sweet Potato Harvest

Sweet Potato harvest by Ellen Isaacson

The vandal(s) have given up -- at least for now, so that is good news. The temps this week were mild, but we need rain. 

We dumped out the Sweet Potato container and it yielded one big tuber and one little one (see image above). This is more than last year when we got zero due to the some rodents that ate everything planted underground and left us only the vines.

We pulled out half the Zucchini vines and put cover crop seeds in that place. We also replaced the rows of greens we planted earlier with 'Rudolph' Radish and 'Sweet Greens & Reds' Farmers Market Lettuce Blend. The previous seeds never germinated and I didn't want to wait too much longer on them as the cold temps will be here soon. Meanwhile, the two types of Cilantro planted next to them are coming along nicely. We'll likely thin them next week.

The Iron and Clay Cow Peas are producing like crazy right now. I'm leaving them all on the plants to dry and then we will harvest them.

The four 'Romanesco' Cauliflower seedlings are settling in. 

We harvested more Peppers, Tomatoes, one last Zucchini, and a few handfuls of Dahlias.

What are you growing and harvesting 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 14th 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.)

October 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine: Autumn Daffodils, Waxwings, Lemon Verbena, Shade Gardens, and much more…

The October 2025 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is posted and archived online.

 

Inside this issue:

·         Autumn Daffodil

·         Tulip Types for Every Garden

·         Cedar Waxwings

·         Versatile Lemon Verbena

·         Shade Garden Basics

·         Sculpture Garden at River Farm

·         Dealing with Fall Webworm

·         Urban Tree Summit

·         New Patty Pan Squash ‘Green Lightning’

·         Garden Book Reviews and Reader Contest

·         Glenmont Forest Community Garden

·         How to Choose and Care for Fall Mums

·          and much more…

 

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