Edible Landscaping – December 2008

November 30, 2008
by garden
1 min read

This month Edible Landscaping closes the year with thoughts on sunlight, pawpaws and mushrooms. Lucille mentioned that Mary Wakino is a great mushroomer!

Edible Landscaping is on sabbatical until the Spring. If you’d like to continue receiving good gardening information on a regular basis, subscribe to the National Gardening Association’s Regional Reports e-newsletter. In each biweekly report, experts share gardening advice, techniques, news, and events specific to 12 regions across the country.

Edible Landscaping – November 2008

November 1, 2008
by garden
2 min read
FYI — I don’tthink any of us grow potatoes, but perhaps leeks? Buy the potatoes for recipe?

And there are some composting tips, too. LM
This month in Edible Landscaping:

Composting 101

It’s fall and at this time of year my mind automatically turns to compost. Okay, it’s not the most glamorous gardening topic in the world, but it’s an ess

ential one. Adding compost to garden soil improves soil health by providing … more »

Edible of the Month: Potato

The common, white-fleshed, “Irish” potato has a reputation for being inexpensive, plain, and boring, so why bother growing potatoes? Well, there’s more to potatoes than meets the eye … more »

Mr. President, Eat the View:
An interview with Roger Doiron

It’s an election year and there are many hot topics on people’s minds. With the economy tanking, fuel prices high, food prices soaring, and concerns about global warming, health care, social security, and education ever present, many people feel … more »

Leek, Celeriac, and Potato Soup

Leeks are easy to grow, but they do require a long growing season. Fortunately, you can harvest them into late fall and some varieties actually taste better once they’ve been nipped by frost. Most leek and potato soups look bland, but my version … more »

Moss in the City – October 2008

October 13, 2008
by garden
2 min read

Share the Harvest

October is one of my favorite months. The temperatures begin to cool down. The rich purple flowers of fall-blooming colchicums and crocuses burst from the ground like the royal goblets of … more >>

 spacer There's usually plenty to share. (Photo courtesy Yvonne Savio).
spacer
Urban green space contributes to a healthy ecosystem. spacer

Reducing Urban Flooding

Many parts of the country have been hit with devastating floods recently, and in urban areas the problem can be especially severe. Urbanization itself — clearing trees, draining wetlands, and paving the ground — makes flooding worse. Most natural landscapes absorb rainwater and allow … more >>
spacer

Saving Seeds From Annuals and Perennials

With the arrival of fall the annuals in my garden are winding down. One particular cleome put on a dazzling display this year. It volunteered near my vernal witch hazel and quickly branched into a candelabra of pink and white flowers. Next year … more >>

 spacer Cleome seeds can be planted this fall for next year's show.
spacer

October Q & A

Question: Recently, I was wandering through a large garden center and discovered rubber mulch. Can it be used like regular mulch? Is it any good? more >>

October Gardening Tips

amaryllis.jpg

  1. As a family activity, paint some of your pumpkins instead of carving them all. Use nontoxic paints to create colorful, scary faces, or whatever you can imagine. After Halloween, use the pumpkins to make bread, muffins, or pies with the kids.
  2. Pot up amaryllis, gloxinias, freesias, and other winter-blooming bulbs now for blooms by Christmas.
  3. Spend some time outside under the Hunter’s Moon. The full moon in mid-October is one of the brightest of the year. Enjoy brisk evening walks before the cold months arrive.

Celebrating the Seasons – October 2008

October 12, 2008
by garden
1 min read

For those with weekend getaways, Lucille’s Deer repellant tip might help. She uses Deer Scram with almost 99% success. Also, deer don’t like/avoid yellow flowers: marigolds, daffodils (only the yellow ones), etc.

This month in the National Gardening Association’s “Celebrating the Seasons” newsletter, Rebecca Kolls writes on Wrapping Up the Season, Boo-wiches or using fall produce to create fanciful sandwiches for the kids, Decorating for Halloween and a tip on caring for a 9-foot-tall arborvitae hedge.

http://www.garden.org/celebratingtheseasons/?page=200810newsSeasons

Fall Festival and Flea Market – Oct 25, 2008

October 1, 2008
by garden
2 min read

Hi Garden Members,

Here is the official information.
Please help us make this a fun and community event by:

* Donating decorations / candy
* Donating baked goods to sell at the garden table
* Finding musicians and entertainers for kids to perform
* Coming to our workday on Saturday, October 18th at 10am to clean and decorate the garden
* Spread the word – pick up flyers on the workday to post in your building and on your block

West 104th Street Community Garden Fall Festival
Saturday, October 25th
11am – 4pm

Rain date:
Sunday, October 26th
11am – 4pm

Kids Halloween games and parade – costumes encouraged
1pm – 3pm

There will be:

* entertainment / music
* flea market along the sidewalk in front of the garden gates
* apples, cider and pumpkins for sale
* kids halloween treats, games, face painting

Vendors please call Julia at 212-316-2964
tables spaces are $15 – you must provide your own table

Community events help keep us in good standing with Green Thumb, please help us make this a successful event and get to know your fellow garden members and neighbors.

Thank you.

P.S. See you at the workday!
Saturday, October 18th
10am – we meet near the stage / gazebo

If you have not yet checked out our garden website,
please do and read the great article The Tale of Three Tails
to learn about our hardworking feline friends that keep our garden rat-free!
There are photos too, so you can see what the kitties look like.
Just click this link:
http://www.west104garden.org/cats.php

August Newsletters of Note

August 14, 2008
by garden
1 min read

Celebrating the Seasons with Rebecca Kolls features multiplying your perennials, creating garden-fresh centerpieces and a salsa recipe. She also answers readers questions about droopy hostas (we’ve got hostas, but I think they look good) and cat-faced tomatoes. Well, if only my tomatoes grew, but those who got theirs this year have an enviable stock of pretty reds.

Read about it at http://www.garden.org/celebratingtheseasons/

Moss in the City: Gardening in Small Spaces

William Moss talks about, well, moss. His first time addressing the subject that shares his name, Mr. Moss talks about sustainable peat moss, how to cultivate moss in your garden. Also in this issue, befriending your local farmers’ market farmers and gardening tips for the waning summer months.

Read about it at http://www.garden.org/urbangardening/