Say Good-bye to Weed Worries
Over the years, as I've walked from my house to a nearby track to exercise, I've noticed small, gradual changes in the way my neighbors combat weeds. Slowly, they've shifted from herbicide applications to alternative weed control methods like ... [... more]
Fine Gardening |
Brewing Compost Tea
Gardeners all know compost is terrific stuff. But there's something even better than plain old compost, and that's compost tea. As the name implies, compost tea is made by steeping compost in water. It's used as either a foliar spray or a soil ... [... more]
Fine Gardening |
Worm Composting
When I told my 40-something daughter I had taken up worm composting, she gave me a horrified look and declared, "I don't want to know about it. Don't show me where they are. And don't ask me to take care of them if you go out of town!" Despite . [... more]
Fine Gardening |
Fertilizing the old-fashioned way-with manure
Unless you have a manure tested, there's no way of knowing for sure what its nutrient content is. Many factors influence the varying nutrient content of manures, including the type and age of the animal, the food eaten by the animal, the manure's ... [... more]
Fine Gardening |
What Made My Good Plant Go Bad?
Like detective work, diagnosing a plant problem is both an art and a science, combining knowledge of a great many fields with the respect for and enjoyment of solving a good mystery. The bad news is that no one will ever master diagnostics; the ... [... more]
Fine Gardening |
Sludge May Appear to Be Organic, But Is It Healthy?
For the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the waste management industry have been promoting the use of processed sewage sludge for farm and garden. Likewise, in communities across the country, waste treatment plants are ... [... more]
Fine Gardening |
Introducing the Soil Food Web
A few years ago, only a handful of people in the country had heard the term "soil food web." Now it's cropping up everywhere, and gardeners are wondering what on earth it means. The term was coined by Dr. Elaine R. Ingham, president of Soil ... [... more]
Fine Gardening |
Fertilizing Basics
No matter how hard one tries, it's tough to transform the topic of fertilizers into lively conversation. But for all gardeners, knowledge of fertilizers and how to apply them effectively is as crucial to vigorous plant growth as knowing a . [... more]
Fine Gardening |
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