So my seed potatoes came in a week ago and my husband still doesn't have my garden tilled yet. I left the seed potatoes in their original bag just sitting out for a couple of days (there were air holes in the bag). When I realized it was going to be a little longer until the garden was ready, I decided to put them in the refrigerator. When I picked up the bag I noticed that a couple of them had rotted (as in liquid) and the rest had black spots which I'm sure are mold. I removed them from... Seed Potatoes and MOLD ..read more

Mother Earth News recommends Four Season Food Gardening (or at least, they have it on sale now) and there's also Four-Season Harvest by Elliot Coleman. Which one or something else ..read more

The 10 day forecast calls for lows in the mid to upper 40's and no nights below 45°f. It's time to start moving tender potted plants outside for the summer. Maybe I'll find the pot with the ants in it. Moving it outside will keep the ants out of the coffee maker ..read more

28°f this morning and the potted citrus trees are outside! ? Daughter had to make a trip to the emergency room last night. 6 hours and 1 ct scan later they said it was probably some sort of bug from which she would eventually recover. When I finally got home it was after midnight and it was too dark to move anything into the shed. I put frost covers over the trees and went to bed hoping to get a few hours of sleep before having to get up this morning ..read more

live on a 10 acre patch of prairie hay. Haven't had it cut for a few year and I'm seeing a lot of wild invader plants in the field. Osage orange 6 foot tall, brambles, a bunch of 2 foot tall brush of varying species. I'm tempted to go ahead and fire up the 8n and hookup to the bush hog. I would hire the local coop to spray but not sure if that would work or just kill off the native grass. Any suggestions? tia ..read more

Hi, I am on year 3 of a large mostly no-till garden. We use compost/aged chicken bedding and a layer of woodchips, and have really liked this method so far and have enjoyed a large abundance of food. My only issue, which is particularly bad this year, is in spring when I try to direct sow smaller seeds that I cannot/choose not to start inside (onions, carrots, etc), I have to push the mulch back, exposing the bare soil to allow the seedlings to pop up without getting smothered. This causes... Weeds in direct-sown beds ..read more

I'm sorry if I've posted this in the wrong place. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on dealing with tree roots encroaching on my vegetable garden. I live on a small piece of wooded property. I have a couple areas with full sun but the nearby (10-15 yards) trees fill my raised beds with mats of roots within a season. I've tried weed barrier but it only lasts so long and I don't relish digging them up every couple of years. I'm about ready to give up. Any and all suggestions would... Tree Roots in the Garden Advice ..read more

Last year much of my backyard garden was destroyed by rabbits. :grumble: Neither a dog nor firearms are an option. Two sides of the garden are fenced with privacy fencing (suburban backyard). It's solid but I assume they can squeeze in underneath. The other two sides are picket fencing. Again, they can slip right through. Any ideas for reinforcing the fencing? I was thinking I might staple some chicken wire along the bottom 2 feet or so and then use landscape staples to attach the wire to... Keeping rabbits out ..read more

I am new to growing thornless blackberries. Feral berries are so abundant here, planting them seems foolish to many, but the feral berries can be difficult if not dangerous (footing) to harvest. So a couple of years ago I ordered a bunch of Navaho thornless blackberries for the garden. Unfortunately the plants I received were VERY puny and had a rough start. I lost three. But I did get a few handfuls of berries last year and they were delicious! And huge! This winter, I had to... I Has a Blackberry Happy ..read more

We recently got a k-cup coffee machine, and DH came up with a good idea....clean out the cups and reuse them for starting seeds. There is a small hole in the bottom for drainage, and they are great for seeds and seedlings. Just thought I'd pass it on to anyone who has them ..read more