By Cindy Naas

We’re more than halfway through the summer, sad as that is to say.

That means, though, that it’s time to start thinking about fall crops to be started soon.

The first round of lettuces are probably turning bitter, the spinach is a happy memory- but for the clever gardener, those veggies and more will get a replay by starting soon.

• Lettuce: After the lettuce starts tasting bitter or hot or turns tough, it’s time to let it go. Dig out the plant and compost. Now, you can direct seed a heat tolerant variety. Or, you can start lettuce seeds in a shady corner of your garden. Pot them into small peat pots, newspaper cones or just seedling trays, and you’ll have the new lettuce plants ready to be popped into the ground in mid-August.

• Spinach: This is one of the earliest crops in Read the rest of this entry »
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By Vanessa Richins

There are many options available if you would like to extend your growing season.

Some of these include using hoophouses, greenhouses, and cold frames.

A hoophouse is a version of an unheated greenhouse. For about $100 or less, you can build your own 10′ x 21′ using these instructions by Travis Saling.

As he says in his intro, a hoophouse “keeps excessive rain off the plants, blocks the wind, raises daytime temperatures 5-10 degrees (and often much more), and keeps frosts and heavy dew off the leaves. This can extend your warm-season gardening a Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Sage is a wonderful herb with many uses.

Herbalists use it as a digestive aid, some people grow it just for its aromatic qualities used in freshening a house, and its uses in cooking are numerous.

For the urban gardener, sage can be a great choice for a dry sunny corner where nothing else likes to grow.

Growing: Sage is another Mediterranean herb which likes hot dry well-draining soil. This is one plant which will be very unhappy during a humid summer. If you live in a humid region, add a lot of grit and sand to the soil around the sage, and make sure it is not crowded near another plant. Without adequate air circulation and well drained soil, your sage will not thrive.

Harvesting: Sage has large soft leaves which feel Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

The summer garden season is in full swing.

The plants are huge and lush, and you collect produce daily.

You wish the summer wouldn’t come to an end so your garden could keep thriving.

Never fear! It’s actually time to start planting seeds for your fall vegetable garden.

That’s right - you can still grow some vegetables even into the autumn months. The key is to choose the right ones.

Vegetables are divided into two different categories - cool season and warm season. Warm season vegetables are ones that grow best during Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Plants really are amazing and versatile.

My friend Andy sent me links about the creations of French botanist Patric Blanc. He specializes in creating vertical wall gardens.

The results are beautiful.

The website for Echo Studio states that “These growing tapestries provide insulation, help filter rainwater that flows across its surface, create a cooling effect, and lend an often surprising visual interest in places one wouldn’t expect to see plants.”

Take a look at his website. I wondered how they were able to grow them so well vertically. For the Musée du Quai Branly, they used a combination of felt and plastic layers as anchors for the plants. These are layered on top of a metal frame, which provides some breathing room Read the rest of this entry »