To all the lovely people,

If you are one of the gardeners that buy your compost from outside sources this article from Organic Gardening will be of interest. If you are buying your compost ask for an analysis report.

Please write with any gardening (how to, worms and vermi culture, compost) questions. Yes, we have compost tea (ACT) for sale.

Paul

How to Test Compost for

Herbicide Contamination

Many communities provide free yard-waste compost to gardeners. Other gardeners make their own compost from manure and straw. But the use on lawns and pastures of persistent herbicides—weed killers that remain active...

This is a good picture and I thought you all might be interested. Thanks to Janey for sending it.

Paul

Dear Rosarians, Attached is a pic of what I didn't want to see on one of
my favorites (Gloire de Dijon) when I was just out scraping around ready
to fertilize. It's an own root rose but the bark near the soil is pretty
cracked. Read the section on Galls in Joe Truskot's Central Coast Rose
Manual, which gives step by step instructions on what to do once
discovered. Never suffered this affliction before so I just wanted to
confirm my finding. Thanks all! Cathy

To all the lovely people,

Here is an excellent article (PDF) from Cornell sent to me by Harris Seeds - http://www.harrisseeds.com/storefront/download/LateBlightLookAlike.pdf
It is well worth reading.

Paul

To all the lovely people,

Here is a good article from Mother Earth News that may be of interest to many of you.

Paul

                 Pick for Peak Flavor

By Kris Wetherbee

‘Totem’ snap beans, picked at the peak of perfection, when the seeds inside still are tiny.


PHOTO: RICK WETHERBEE

The secret to enjoying garden-fresh produce at its prime is knowing when to harvest. If you’ve ever eaten a melon that lacked sweetness, or green beans that were fibrous and tough, you know how crucial timing can be. Just as different vegetables have their own distinct...