Vegetable gardens are… HOT and DRY… It’s been a tough start for the vegetable garden season this year. If your garden seems to be struggling, don’t take it personal, you probably have done nothing wrong. It’s just one of “those” years. A few notes about what we are seeing and hearing: Increased Blossom End Rot (BER) Most commonly seen on…
It’s officially summer and July has brought warm sunny days with it. So far, we have had a cool and somewhat dry spring and early summer. The last few days and the weather forecast indicate that might be going to change. We have had plenty of rain recently and the temperature is beginning to…
Surviving Summer Heat By: Gary Garner Sr. Summer is officially here. If the summer is anything like the beginning, it is going to be extremely warm if not hot. So far, the number of 90-degree days is unusually high. The question now is how, when and how much do we water what we have planted and what else can we…
Transitioning from Spring to Summer By: Gary Garner Sr. Last weekend we were knocking at the door of record highs in the low to mid 90’s. As I write this it is supposed to be in the 60’s the next few days and back to the low 80’s for the weekend. That’s Virginia weather. Tough to…
By: Gary Garner Sr. You have planted and grown to this point what I hope is a nice productive garden. If you are like most people I know, you now are harvesting more than you can use on a daily basis. The question now is what do you do with the excess? Do you throw it away, do you give…
Summer months of June, July, and August bring excessive heat, spells of dry weather along with possible storms and heavy downfalls of rain. All of these will take a toll on our flower gardens, vegetable gardens and newly planted shrubs and trees. What to do? How hot is it? How Humid is it? Is it cloudy? Partly cloudy? Full sun?…
CONTAINER SHRUBS By Gary Garner Sr. There are many reasons to love shrubs and the many purposes they serve in our home landscape. They give us multiple seasons of interest, provide habitat and food for birds and other wildlife. Some even provide food for humans. Plant breeders recognize their versatility in garden design and with today’s smaller properties in mind…