Saturday, April 02, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 98: Native Vines

In this episode, we talk Nancy Bell, Garden Coach and Education Coordinator at Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin, DE, about native vines for the Mid-Atlantic US. The plant profile is on Lungwort and I 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: 1:13 Meet Nancy Bell from Gateway Garden Center and learn all about native vines! 1:51 “I was certainly born with a magnetic draw to nature.” — Nancy 2:53 Nancy describes moving from Philadelphia to the suburbs — “I felt like I had landed in heaven.” 4:45 Nancy describes a little garden her mother let her have 6:41 Native plants are a passion for Nancy, but she’s not strict about it 8:23 “Native plants aren’t always the answer.” — Nancy 9:42 Nancy explains why she likes Delaware 10:08 “It’s like our little Mid-Atlantic secret.” — Kathy describes Delaware 13:53 What qualifies as a native plant? 15:19 The dangers of invasive plants 17:24 Nancy describes why native plants are better 19:01 Nancy talks about the aggressive trumpet vine — “It is in no way suited for a typical homeowner’s house.” 21:23 Vines to grow just for foliage interest 24:20 Nancy talks about poison ivy — “It can be a beautiful vine. It’s just one that you need to stay yards away from” 25:43 Nancy starts discussing favorite native vines 28:23 “It looks like they’re dancing around inside that flower” — Nancy talks about bees visiting the passion vine 31:02 Kathy talks about using dental floss to tie on vines because squirrels don’t chew through it 35:40 Nancy discusses annual vines — “You need to treat them differently than perennials. You need to treat them more like shrubs.” 39:16 Pruning and training vines 41:51 “It produces such an abundance of fruit that I don’t have to worry about sharing it with wildlife.” — Nancy talks about her grape vine 43:48 How to contact Nancy 44:47 Nancy’s final advice 45:43 Learn about the Lungwort in this week’s Plant Profile! 46:59 What’s new in the garden: carrot seedlings have sprouted, asparagus spears have appeared, and the bulbs are up 47:47 News in the gardening world: Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild sale, Silver Spring Garden Club meeting, and other spring events 49:51 Channel you inner artist with Let’s Make Art 51:57 Look forward to “The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City” by Teri Speight and Kathy

To access the Let's Make Art 20% Discount Offer, Use Code: zen.ai/gardendc

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 20: Native Plants, Diversity in the Garden, and Sunflowers
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/07/gardendc-podcast-episode-20-native.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 50: Deer-Resistant Native Plants
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-50-deer.html

The episode is posted 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: Dorvall Bedford

PIN THIS FOR LATER!

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Friday, April 01, 2022

Fenton Friday: Asparagus Debut

This past week was a wild one! Tornado warnings, deep freezes, and some brief periods of balmy sunshine.

I removed the cover cloths off all the seedlings yesterday and was pleased to see both the pea and carrot seedlings have surfaced! They join the radish and lettuces, which we thinned a bit. Not only that, several spears of asparagus have popped up. I had almost forgotten they were there!

We did a bit of weeding and also added seeds for dill, chamomile, and 'Bloomsdale' spinach. They are all old seed packs, so we sowed them very thickly. We'll see if anything even comes up of those, but I figured, "why not?

Are you back in your edible garden yet? If so, what are you growing?

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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Monday, March 28, 2022

Monday Thoughts: “Welcome to 2022: the dawn of the Gardening Age. The boom you hear isn’t the launch of a billionaire’s ego-powered rocket or the crash of a cryptocurrency. Reverberating across the country is a revolution in American gardening.” - George Ball

“Welcome to 2022: the dawn of the Gardening Age. The boom you hear isn’t the launch of a billionaire’s ego-powered rocket or the crash of a cryptocurrency. Reverberating across the country is a revolution in American gardening.”
- George Ball
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Saturday, March 26, 2022

GardenDC Podcast Episode 97: Permaculture

In this episode, we talk Nicky Schauder, co-founder of Permaculture Gardens about permaculture. The plant profile is on Eastern Redbud Trees and I 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:
1:06 Meet Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens and learn all about permaculture! 1:37 Nicky talks about failing to grow orchids as a child — “I had a black thumb.” 3:24 “I’ve always had an environmental bent in me.” — Nicky talks about how landfills in the Philippines like “Smokey Mountain” influenced her 4:37 Nicky describes her family’s struggle with food allergies 7:24 Nicky’s food journey — “I knew I didn’t want to use pesticides.” 8:04 “I thought I had killed it!” — Nicky talks about her first experience growing basil. 8:33 A book inspired Nicky to practice permaculture — “Maybe if it can green the desert, we can use it to grow our food!” 10:41 “For a small townhouse garden to grow that much food, that’s terrific.” — Kathy compliments Nicky’s garden 13:34 Nicky defines permaculture 16:26 Difference between permaculture and regenerative agriculture: permaculture is based on ethics 20:03 First steps for starting a permaculture garden 22:41 G.I.Y. — Grow It Yourself 27:25 “Permaculture definitely wants you to get the most bang for your efforts.” — Nicky 28:51 Nicky’s edible plant recommendations and the permaculture layers theory 33:21 “More diversity in your backyard means more stability.” — Nicky 37:39 “All it takes is 15 minutes a day.” — advice from The Suburban Micro-Farm by Amy Stross 40:54 Pest control in permaculture 45:00 Nicky describes food swapping with others 46:40 “I love to hear about that sharing and the abundance of Mother Earth.” — Kathy 47:11 “Our seeds are our calling cards.” — Nicky 48:40 How to contact Nicky 50:23 “All the world's problems can be solved in a garden.” — Nicky quotes Geoff Lawton 50:51 Learn about the Eastern Redbud Tree in this week’s Plant Profile! 52:57 What’s new in the garden: covering newly emerged seedlings and putting cool season annuals in a protected spot 53:30 News in the gardening world: visit the forsythia gates at Dumbarton Oaks and the United States Botanic Garden is reopening the Conservatory 55:05 Look forward to “The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City” by Teri Speight and Kathy

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 22: Fruit Trees, Crape Myrtle, and Low-Maintenance Lawn Alternatives 
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-22-fruit-trees.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 25: Michael Judd of Ecologia Design on growing Paw Paws, Cup Plant Plant Profile, and Fragrant Flowers
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/08/gardendc-podcast-episode-25-michael.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 3: Cool-Season Edible Gardening
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/03/gardendc-podcast-episode-3.html
The episode is posted 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: Dorvall Bedford

PIN THIS FOR LATER!
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Friday, March 25, 2022

Fenton Friday: Ducking for Cover


This week was a very rainy one, so I mostly stayed out of the garden plot. I weeded a bit and then ran over today to cover the lettuce and radish seedlings with strips of row cover as a freeze is predicted in a few days. I think they'd be okay without the cover, but better safe than sorry. The Arugula (shown at left) was already covered all winter and is growing well. I picked a few larger leaves off to put on my pizza for dinner tonight.

The cover cloth I use is the Harvest Guard Freeze Protection Plant Cover aka Floating Frost Blanket .(You can order it at https://amzn.to/3IzXJ89 NOTE: This is an Amazon affiliate link to our account). I cut it in strips and tack it down with plant tags, bricks, water jugs -- really anything I find that is handy.

The pea and carrot seedlings have not surfaced yet, but no surprise.

Next week, I hope to clear out space to start some cool season herbs like cilantro, dill, and parsley.


Are you back in your edible garden yet? If so, what are you growing?

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, March 23, 2022

Win a Copy of "How to Garden Indoors & Grow Your Own Food Year Round" in the March 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest


For our March 2022 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away a signed copy of "How to Garden Indoors & Grow Your Own Food Year Round: Ultimate Guide to Vertical, Container, and Hydroponic Gardening" by Kim Roman (Creative Homeowner, prize value: $24.99, Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3CSUKpY). 

   No room to garden outside? Bring your garden indoors! This is a complete guide to successful indoor food production with clear, easy-to-understand guidance on how to grow year-round edible plants inside your home. Included are at-a-glance grow charts for vegetables, fruits, and herbs, from tomatoes and garlic to peas and peaches. Maximize your space indoors, with wall gardens, vertical gardening, and more, for the best vegetable yields all year long. Author Kim Roman is the owner of Square Foot Gardening 4 U, where she offers small-space vegetable gardening methods and online classes for beginners.

   To enter to win a pair of passes, send an email by 5:00pm on March 31 to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com with “Garden Indoors” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the March 2022 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on/about April 1. 

UPDATE: The contest winner is Dawn Szelc of Sterling, VA.

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Monday, March 21, 2022

Monday Thoughts: “Never Underestimate the Healing Power of a Quiet Moment in the Garden” - Unknown

 “Never Underestimate the Healing Power of a Quiet Moment in the Garden”
- Unknown

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Sunday, March 20, 2022

March 2022 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine – Snapdragons, Lilacs, Tufted Titmouse, Holly Leaf Minor, and much more…


The March 2022 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is out.

Inside this issue:

·         Cool-Season Color with Snapdragons

·         Meet Bonnetta Adeeb of Ujamaa Seeds

·         How to Stop Your Garden from Getting Waterlogged in Periods of Heavy Rain

·         Replacing Bradford Pear Trees

·         What are Controlled-Release Fertilizers?

·        Lilacs at the U.S. National Arboretum

·        Dealing with Holly Leaf Minor

·         The Adorable Tufted Titmouse

·         GreenScapes Symposium Summary

·         DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar

·         and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the April 2022 issue are due by April 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

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