Garden tips for the Buffalo area.
You’d be embarrassed if your whole neighborhood lost their cable because you were digging and cut the line. Even worse, if you hit a gas or electrical line, people–including you–could be injured or even killed! It’s easy–and free–to find out where buried lines are in your yard. See all the details in this previous article…....
“The primrose is one of the very first signs of spring—even before they show up in our gardens,” said Lyn Chimera, Master Gardener in Erie County. “I know spring is coming when the displays of primrose are in the supermarkets. “Given the proper growing conditions, these vigorous plants will multiply each year, adding stunning colors to the spring garden.” Use primrose in garden beds, borders and containers as well as for naturalizing areas in a woodland setting. You can find…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko How did you feel on Friday, that sunny day that hit 75 degrees at the airport? I have lived in Western New York my entire life, so I should know better, but to me, it felt like spring was here to stay. In weather like this, I always think of a cartoon, To Spring, that I saw on TV when I was a kid. It’s a lovely short cartoon movie created in 1936. A bunch of…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I had a poor garlic crop this year. Instead of large bulbs with separate cloves, I got small bulbs without any separate cloves. I don’t know what I did wrong. For years I have planted garlic with no problems. I think it’s the easiest food plant you can grow. John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County, concurred. “It’s hard to go wrong with garlic,” he said. Though garlic is usually easy to grow,…...
Did your morning glories wait until autumn to bloom? The Master Gardeners in Erie County received calls from people wondering why their morning glories didn’t bloom earlier, said Carol Ann Harlos in “Lessons from the Hotline” in WNY Gardening Matters. One reason the morning glories didn’t bloom earlier might be the soil. The plant likes poor soil. If the soil is rich in nutrients, the plant tends to put energy into leaf growth instead of making flowers. This article also…...
Our climate is changing, and it’s changing in many different ways, said Stephen Vermette, professor of geography at SUNY Buffalo State University. Some changes are beneficial to gardens in Western New York, but other changes cause problems. Here are some takeaways: a by Stephen Vermette Warming temperatures The air temperatures have been getting warmer since 1965. The graph below shows average annual air temperatures, as reported at the National Weather Service (NWS) station at the Greater Buffalo International Airport in…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s November, but there is still plenty to do in your garden in Western New York. Compost pumpkins Are your jack-o’-lanterns drooping? It’s time to compost them. Don’t compost pumpkins that were painted, bleached or glittered. The pumpkins will decompose more quickly if they’re in smaller pieces. This is the fun part! Just hold the pumpkin as high as you can and throw it on the ground. It works best if you smash it on concrete,…...
It’s time to plant garlic. Find out about that and more in the newest edition of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. See these articles:…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko When I think of permaculture, I picture an apple tree in a backyard. If you move away, the apple tree still produces fruit, even though you’re not there. “Permaculture” is permanent agriculture. Learn how permaculture can provide you with food—and help the environment—with talks on “Introduction to Permaculture and Native Plant Communities.” The talks will be presented by Kathy Contrino, a Master Garden in Orleans County and owner of CW Native Plant Farm. She is also…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko The goldenrod soldier beetle is a native insect that eats aphids and pollinates plants, which is good for our gardens. Yay! But if it comes into contact with a certain fungus, the unlucky beetle can die, become a zombie and help spread the fungus to other goldenrod soldier beetles. That’s sad for the individual beetles, but it’s not something gardeners need to worry about. Our garden helper The larvae of the beetle feed on soft-bodied insects…...
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