Easy To Grow Salsa Garden

Easy To Grow Salsa Garden

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated in the United States and some parts of Mexico to honor the military victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Celebrating in the United States, usually involves families and friends gathering together to eat some delicious Mexican foods. What better way to celebrate than with fresh salsa grown in your very own garden. Salsa gardens are fairly easy to grow and can be an enjoyable activity for the whole family. Nothing beats fresh vegetables and herbs used to create your favorite salsa. Concerned about having room for your salsa garden? You can […]

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Top Tips For Fruit Trees: Planting, Caring, & Maintenance

Top Tips For Fruit Trees: Planting, Caring, & Maintenance

A home orchard is a valuable investment, but without proper care, it can be disappointing and unproductive. Our long experience has proven that success can be assured if good management practices are followed. The information provided in this guide can be applied to most fruit trees. Planting, training, pruning, fertilizing, and spraying are about the same for apples, pears, plums, and peaches. Exceptions are noted. Our fruit trees are held in a special cold storage environment to maintain dormant, live, high-quality trees. Proper care of trees before planting, attention to detail in planting, timely applications of water, and proper pruning […]

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6 Gardening Activities For Earth Day

6 Gardening Activities For Earth Day

For everyone around the world, we experienced hardship and loss in 2020. On April 22, 2021, the world will come together to celebrate our resilience and strength for Earth Day. The theme this year is Restore Our Earth™. What can you do to contribute to making our Earth a greener, healthier place to live? For gardeners, it can start in our own gardens and backyards. Start A Compost Pile Composting is a great way to recycle and reuse your waste products by turning them into organic matter to be used in your garden. Your garden and environment will greatly benefit […]

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4 Popular Wine Grapes For Hobby Vineyards

4 Popular Wine Grapes For Hobby Vineyards

Creating a hobby vineyard is a valiant objective indeed.  Growing grapes is not for the weak of heart when it comes to horticultural or agricultural endeavors. The cultural care and vineyard setup will generally be the same for all these types. Brianna Brianna is a medium-sized grape with a thick skin of green-colored fruits that turn to gold when fully ripe. This is becoming a popular variety for growers in the upper Midwest.  Brianna berries can be made into a semi-sweet white wine that is said to possess fruity notes of pineapple, banana, and mango. They are also considered a […]

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An Easy Guide To Fruit Tree Rootstocks

An Easy Guide To Fruit Tree Rootstocks

Fruit trees take care and patience while waiting for the tree to produce fruit. It can take years before the fruit of your loving labor will appear. The first step is choosing quality fruit tree rootstock. But what is rootstock? Read our easy guide to fruit tree rootstocks to get you started. What Are Rootstocks? Rootstocks are the base and roots of grafted fruit trees. Nearly all productive fruiting type trees are grafted, with the scion (the top fruiting portion) being different from the rootstock (trunk or root material a bud or scion is grafted onto). Although there are some […]

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11 Potatoes To Plant On Good Friday

11 Potatoes To Plant On Good Friday

Have you heard the old wives’ tale about planting your potatoes on Good Friday? It is supposed to make your plants grow better and produce more potatoes. There is speculation as to when and where this tradition began. Some of the lore comes from Ireland during the 16th century during which they supposedly would baptize the seed potatoes before planting.  The problem with following the old wives’ tale is the timing in your region may not be ready for potato planting. While potatoes can tolerate some cool temperatures, they will not grow well with prolonged freezing temperatures. It is best […]

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4 Gorgeous Plants That Bloom In Winter

4 Gorgeous Plants That Bloom In Winter

We don’t necessarily think of winter as the ideal season for gardening. This is particularly true if you live in a relatively cold part of the country. However, while it is true that gardening tends to be an activity reserved for the warmer months, it’s still possible to do some gardening in the winter. Many flowers and plants actually bloom during this season. The following are a few examples to keep in mind! Tip: Winter is also a good time of year to confirm you have all the lawn and garden equipment you need. Restock now to avoid realizing you’re […]

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Sow Seeds of Victory: Planting a Victory Garden

Sow Seeds of Victory: Planting a Victory Garden

Victory gardens hold a piece of American history. They emerged during a time when food shortages were a very real problem we were facing in the U.S. during World War I and II. Civilians were encouraged to “Grow for Victory” to grow and harvest their own victory produce so that more commercially produced food could be sent to our troops. This was, of course, pre-Facebook sharing era, so the message was passed around in women’s groups and local groups. The government provided pamphlets on how to take care of these war gardens and how to preserve and can foods. Eventually, […]

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Honeyberry: The Edible Blue Honeysuckle

Honeyberry: The Edible Blue Honeysuckle

What we call Honeyberries are actually a type of fruiting Honeysuckle – Lonicera caerulea, some of which are native to our Pacific Northwest. Haskaps, as they are also called, is the name used by the native Ainu people of the northern islands of Japan, where other subspecies also grow. Their word for them, “Haskaps” translates to “Edible Blue Honeysuckle”. Pretty simple and descriptively accurate. These shrubby fruit-forming honeysuckles are an exciting new option for home gardeners and farm-stand growers. Honeyberries are tough, cold-hardy plants that produce loads of soft, sweet blue elongated berries that can be used and eaten just […]

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Asparagus: An Easy Growing Guide

Asparagus: An Easy Growing Guide

Asparagus is a long-lived perennial plant that can live and produce for a generation if done properly. Preparation is the most important part. Because asparagus is such a long-lived plant, you basically have one shot, at planting to get it right. Our growing guide will provide you with the information you need to help your asparagus get started correctly. Soil Testing Asparagus prefers full sun and soil that is slightly alkaline. Soil pH should be in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 for the best production. Have a soil test done and adjust with recommended amendments as needed. You should […]

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