Garden tips for the Buffalo area.
Speed up compost with this no-turn bin I love these instructions for making a bin for a compost pile that you don’t have to turn. It’s cheap and very, very easy. Compost piles need oxygen to carry on the decomposition process. One way to speed up your compost pile is to turn the pile with a pitch fork. This design by Fred Davis of Hill Gardens of Maine allows air to circulate throughout the pile so you don’t need to…...
Every so often, I get questions from readers that I can’t answer. That’s no surprise; when it comes to gardening, I am just a hobbyist. I’m able to bring you great information each week because I can interview people who know more than I do. So when I get questions I can’t answer, I turn to my readers for help. If you can offer advice on any of the questions below, please leave a comment below. And if you’re interested…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you had problems with your impatiens this year, the good news is that you probably didn’t do anything wrong. The bad news is that your impatiens were probably killed by a fungus-like disease called downy mildew. The disease remains in the soil, so you should plan on planting something different in that spot next year. There is no treatment. “That’s the most challenging thing about it,” said Margery Daughtrey, senior extension associate with Cornell University…...
Free landscape classes set at Arbordale You can create outdoor living spaces, increase your property value and love your yard with help during free classes at Arbodale Nurseries and Landscaping, 480 Dodge Road, Getzville, NY. The 45-minute classes will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 8 and 29. The experts on Arbodale’s staff experts will help you decide where plants go and how they are spaced. Listen to witty reasons to dig out those overgrown junipers. Bring photos and…...
There is still time to start some crops from seeds this year, said Ray Crawley, manager at Goodman’s Farm Market, 2227 Cayuga Dr. Ext., Niagara Falls, NY. Seeds are currently 50 cents per packet or three packets for $1. Lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard all do better in cooler weather, and you can start them from seed. You eat the leaves, so it doesn’t take long to get something to harvest. The farmers who supply Goodman’s Farm Market grow Swiss…...
Labor Day is approaching, the kids are heading back to school and the sun is setting earlier and earlier. Autumn is on its way, but that doesn’t mean that the gardening season is over, according to Toronto garden writer Ken Brown. Brown, a horticulturist who landscaped exhibits at the Toronto Zoo, will be the featured speaker at Lockwood’s Greenhouses Fall Garden Fair to be held Saturday, Sept. 8 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark Street, Hamburg. The fair includes several great talks and demonstrations…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko You may remember Jim Gugliuzza of Lockport, who earlier showed us how to braid garlic. He has large fruit and vegetable plots in his yard on Walnut Street that he shared during Lockport in Bloom in July. The sign that hangs there sums it up– Check it out below right. Gugliuzza had lots of great information on growing fruits and vegetables. Here are seven tips I hope you find useful: Keep birds out of your berries…....
“It’s like an extension of your house, an outdoor room,” Russ Polvino said of his fabric gazebo. “I love to sit out here and listen to music.” I visited during the Saturday Night Lights portion of the Ken-Ton Garden Tour held July 21 and 22, and visitors could see his gardens during the day as well. Polvino shares the home at 1237 Tonawanda St., Tonawanda, with Doug Dedman. The gazebo at the back of the house really does feel like an…...
Minted water is a refreshing summertime beverage For an easy and refreshing drink this summer, try minted water. I tasted this light beverage in the garden of Kathy and Ed Burke on Argyle Park during Garden Walk Buffalo. Simply place mint in cool water and let it set. Mint is easy to grow and spreads quickly, so this is a great way to use large bunches. It was hot during Garden Walk Buffalo and visitors appreciated this summertime treat. You…...
Learn lots of great tips– including how to handle cactus without getting the thorns in your fingers– in the great video above. Bob Bracikowski of Opportunities Unlimited demonstrates how to make a cactus and succulent garden. He covers plant selection, design and decorative touches and gives lots of great tips along the way. You can learn how to make other planters and arrangements with Bracikowski during hands-on seminars for the public at the Niagara Floral Center and Greenhouse at Opportunities…...
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