Calhoun County Gardening – Encouraging New Gardeners: Exploring Potted Vegetables, Raised Beds, and Winter Gardening Tips
Calhoun County, AL –I want to encourage new gardeners to try new options! Why not try a few potted vegetables on a patio or deck? If in ground gardening is labor intensive with a tiller, build a pallet raised bed! In raised bed gardening you can yearly add to your soil to increase the value […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Blooming Through the Heat: 16-Week-Old Dahlias Flourish at Sensory Gardens
Calhoun County, AL –Photos are 16 week old dahlia tubers! Looking lovely beyond the excessive heat! July 4th had a heat index of 105°. Dahlias like up to 85°. These dahlia tubers I planted April 1st as a volunteer with Calhoun County Master Gardeners. I use an organic soil recipe. I applied pruning techniques at […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Gardening Success with Organic Products
Calhoun County, AL – Since 1998 I have several organic products I use in gardening. I buy by price, not brand name. I use Diatomaceous Earth Power (dehydrates ants, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, all crawling bugs, does not work wet. After a rain and plants are dry, reapply). DIPEL Dust (stops digestive system of all […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Cultivating Elephant Ears: A Journey from a 4-Foot Hole to a Flourishing Garden
Calhoun County, AL –I requested a back hoe operator to scoop a big hole in the ground in 2018! The hole goes down 4 feet and about 12 feet wide. The dirt was lousy churt, worthless, and bubbled like white milkshake when water touched it. The hole created a bowl to hold water longer for […]
Calhoun County Gardening – From Collapse to Flourish: A Journey with Transplanted Yuccas in Alabama
Calhoun County, AL –In 2018 I transplanted seven, five foot tall Yuccas from Georgia to Alabama. The full sun area I selected had a serious problem! The soil was milkshake hard churt, which cannot be dug out by hand. It took a back hoe equipment to scoop out the circle in the area for my […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Enhancing Garden Landscapes: The Beauty of Country Cottage Rustic Garden Art
Calhoun County, AL – In the landscape themes of many gardeners they select garden art as focal points. Whether the art in the landscape is rustic or modern, casual or conservative. My preference is Country Cottage Rustic. I like a relaxed, colorful choice in garden art. Such as the marbles inside a concrete decorative watering […]
Calhoun County Gardening – Unveiling Cannas: Not Your Typical Lily
Calhoun County, AL –For years I called cannas, bulbs! However! They are rhizomes, like Iris. After the early spring tulips and late spring Iris and gladiolus have demonstrated their flowering beauty, … exotic lilies take center stage. Cannas Lily is actually not a Lily. Early summer giant stalks of cannas lilies will continue to bloom […]
Calhoun County Gardening: The Joy of Growing and Cooking Crook Necked Squash: From Garden to Table
Calhoun County, AL – I enjoy planting crook necked squash because it matures by fifty three days after planting. I sow the seeds after any sign of frost. The best method to germinate your squash seeds after sowing them is to keep the seeds moist daily until germination. Once germinated do not over water the […]
Calhoun County Gardening: Blooming Beauties The Joy of June to September Lilies
Calhoun County, AL –Lily bulbs can be planted in pots, in the ground, in raised beds and hanging baskets. I enjoy them June to September. Every 5-7 years many gardeners dig up and divide their Lily bulbs to transplant in other areas of their landscapes. If you plant the lily bulb late fall before the […]
Calhoun County Gardening: Japanese Beetle Killed: Day #1 of 6 Weeks of Hades
Calhoun County, AL – I hate their guts, I noticed on my budded Double Scarlet Flame Zinnas one leaf amongst dozens with knaw marks! I am savvy on their mannerisms, I flip over the leaf and there the imp was. I used my fingers & squeeze the life out of it, tossing to the birds. […]
