Green Living

Using rain barrels to collect and conserve water, pruning rose suckers, and preventing tomato blossom end rot are some of the gardening activities for this month.

Most know cucumbers from their use in salads, eaten fresh, or pickled. They are among the top five vegetables nationwide, and in recent Vermont surveys they ranked the fifth most grown vegetable.

Tuberous Begonias Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor University of Vermont If you are looking for a colorful, attractive flower to grace your garden or provide colorful containers, try the tuberous begonia. It is easy to grow, blooms well in the shade, needs moderate care, and will reward you with a lovely display of blooms all…

Potting up dahlia tubers inside to give them a jump on the season, cutting back ornamental grasses, and removing straw from strawberries are some of the gardening activities for this month.

Bare spots from foot or vehicle traffic, bare earth left after new building or landscape construction, former garden beds, or overgrown weedy areas you’ve cleared out, are all sites where you may want to establish a new lawn. Proper site preparation, including soil amendments, choosing the right grass varieties, and then proper planting and aftercare are the keys to establishing a healthy lawn.

Spring is (Almost) Here Slowly but surely we are on our way to warmer temperatures. Bring on the warm spring sunshine, flip flops and sand between our toes. And, let the freedom fly…for real. Some of you may know that the first day of spring is also called the Spring Equinox. This is the one…

he colorful pictures and fanciful names on the seed packets at your garden center and in seed catalogs entice you to buy. But before you get carried away and select more varieties than you have space to plant, take a minute to read the packets and descriptions. There is much good cultural information in these, some of which may be unclear if you are new to gardening.

Invasion of the Nectar Snatchers Last week the text message I had been waiting for finally came in.  “Gregorio is back!”  It was from my wife, who was telling me that the hummingbirds had made their first appearance.  Gregorio the Green is her pet name for the beautiful Ruby Throated Hummingbirds (A. colubris) that grace…