This week we celebrate Weed Your Garden Day. Just the other day I was outside in my garden and could see that I was way, way past time for me to celebrate this day while wearing garden jeans and doing some serious up close and personal work.
How about you? Got a few spots in your garden beds (or even your containers) that you’d rather not show to visitors? Well, to help inspire you, here’s a rouges gallery of some of the more common weeds and how best to keep them under control.
Dandelion
Pigweed
Bindweed
Lamb’s Quarters
Nutsedge
This is just a quick profile of the most common weeds. There are hundreds more, some limited to your region. Whatever the weed, keep these tips in mind.
Get them before they seed, especially the annuals. There’s an old proverb that says “One year’s seeding means seven year’s weeding. Part of the reason some plants are classified as weeds is their ability to spread seeds that can wait for years before germinating.
Mulch is the best thing for weed protection, hands down. A 3-4 inch of mulch will choke out weed seedlings and discourage perennial weeds.
Establish a barrier for garden beds. Many of us have garden plots next to lawns. These grasses are not welcome where you are growing herbs or edibles. Some form of physical barrier – rocks, timbers, plastic or metal edging – will protect your treasured plants from competition.
Dig for perennial roots. Many weeds can come back even if everything above ground is taken away.
If you enjoy cooking Asian foods, you’ll enjoy having a ready supply of garlic chives. Garlic chives are the big brother of the more commonly grown onion chives. They grow about twice as tall and have a more assertive garlic flavor. Onion chives have small cylindrical...
Many of us are still dealing with frigid weather. Spring can seem a long way off but a month from now things will be different. But before the weather warms you can get ahead of the game and get your garden tools ready for the season.
The majority of my at-home dinners are from scratch – or nearly so. But we all have those days when ToDo list overwhelms the time available and you have to punt. That’s when a rotisserie chicken can save the day.
As I write this post, my Fort Worth home has an inch of snow on the ground from a storm that passed through two days ago. Texans are feeling downright edgy being cooped up from all that white stuff that has no business this far south. But slowly the days will warm and we will be on our way to the first signs of spring. Get ready with these gardening tips.
Happy New Year! Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, may the coming year bring you many joyful moments. Of course I hope some of those happy times take place in and around gardens. To help you make this come true I’ve collected a few ideas to get you out of your comfort zone and into something new.
Beautiful though they are, most rosemary holiday bushes often don’t last beyond the holiday season. Rosemary is an outdoor shrub, not an indoor tropical houseplant. The techniques homeowners use to successfully grow philodendrons and ferns indoors will kill rosemary. Here’s what to do.
Here, ladies and gentlemen, is my second helping of bogus garden hacks from an article I found online. The offending article was on one of those sites that claim to give the reader the “real facts” hitherto hidden from the average reader.
My beloved husband is always on the lookout for garden articles on the Internet that I might find interesting. Most of his discoveries are worthwhile. Recently however he forwarded a link to a page that had my blood boiling within minutes.
With the cooling fall weather, herb gardeners are busy harvesting and prepping the garden for winter. This includes some trimming of the shrubs that may have exceeded their allotted space.
Here in Texas the pecan tree is a native so nearly everyone has a source nearby for pecans. I the spirit of the Lone Star State here are some classic scones with cinnamon and pecan to add a flavor kick.
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