Been reading about using red plastic mulch being good for tomatoes. I did this and the results are very noticeable! The tomato plants growing on red plastic are showing twice the growth versus the plants without the plastic. I had…
Red Plastic Mulch
Category: Gardening & Landscape
Amaranthus
Amaranthus plant has been grown for thousands of years as a food crop in Mexico from the Aztec. When Spain’s Cortez arrived, he burnt the fields as punishment. Mexico is reviving the crop as a staple food source. Also called…
Tomato Leaf Curl
People are having issues with tomato leaf curl. There are no easy answers without looking at the leaf itself and doing some detective work. If the leaves are distorted with brown spots and the leaves are turning yellow. Answer: foliar…
Cape Marigold
The African Daisy or Cape Marigold are commonly called by their fancy name “Osteospermum”. You commonly find these plants in the greenhouses coming mainly in yellow and purple but many colors in between. They make for great plants in containers.…
Cosmos Flower
Cosmos flower is an all-purpose cottage plant. Depending on the variety, they grow from 1 foot to 6 feet tall. They make particularly good cut flowers, filler plants among perennials, and use as a bedding plant for mass plantings. They…
Chamomile Plants
Chamomile plants are known for the relaxing tea in which the flower blossoms have seeped. As a flowering plant, they add beauty to any area they are growing. I grow some in a large pot and let the seeds germinate…
African Daisy or Cape Marigold
The African Daisy or Cape Marigold are commonly called by their fancy name “Osteospermum”. You commonly find these plants in the greenhouses coming mainly in yellow and purple but many colors in between. They make for great plants in containers.…
Die-back
Trees and shrubs in South Dakota have been slow to leaf out due to the winter. A lot of woody plants are showing signs of die-back or total death. Most likely due to the winter going through warm and cold…
Drip Irrigation System
A drip irrigation system allows water to be dispersed along the base and roots of the plants instead of using overhead sprinklers. My mother used a drip system which was digging trenches with a hoe along the plants with bisecting…
Bachelor Button Flower
Bachelor Button flower in the garden, I have been growing these ever since I was a little boy. Mother bought a Gurney seed packet for kids and this was one of the seeds in it. The bachelor button flower grows…
Dill the Herb
Everyone knows what dill the herb is, however, A blue foliage plant called ‘Dukat’ has more leaves than the regular plant and is used more for ornamental uses slower to seed. The leaves have a strong flavor and high oil…
Tomato leaf spots Diseases
Tomatoes leaf spots will be starting on the lower leaves and working their way up the plant. The main cause of this is fungi causing Septoria, early blight, and late blight. These are worse in wet, humid weather. The best…
Tents of Caterpillars
I am noticing tents of caterpillars in fruit trees and other trees now. The adult moth lays eggs in a crotch of trees and the little caterpillars start spinning a web around the congregation. As they grow the tent becomes…
Bedstraw
A square stem weed is popping up (seemly overnight) in gardens and flowerbeds and shady areas around the yard. It is called bedstraw or catchweed. When you touch the weed, it feels sticky. This is because of the little Velcro-like…
3 Basic Steps to Improving your Lawn
What will you do if you are thinking my lawn is not as nice as the lawn down the street? Many people over-think this, however, there are 3 basic steps to improving your lawn. The first thing is to fertilize…