by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s the time of year to harvest sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, and for me to share them with local gardeners. I’ll give you some for free, but there’s one catch. You have to pick them up or get someone you know to pick them up. I don’t want to have to mail them. I’m in the Eggertsville area of Amherst. If you don’t get out this way, you probably have a neighbor or cousin…...
What should you do now to prepare your yard for the winter? Find out in a free talk at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. Gardening expert Sally Cunningham will present “Gardening 2015, the Final Chapter.” A question-and-answer session will follow. Please register by calling Lockwood’s at 649-4684 by Friday so they can estimate seating. It’s time to close up the garden (mostly) and prepare the yard for winter, Cunningham said. She will review…...
Cornell Cooperative Extension Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program will host a series of farming workshops called L.E.A.F. (Learn. Empower. Achieve. Grow.) for homesteaders, agriculture enthusiasts, established farms that are looking to diversify, beginning farmers and everyone in between. Classes generally will be held at the Frank W. Bratt Agriculture Center, 3542 Turner Rd., Jamestown. It is not necessary for participants to attend each class, so you can choose which classes you would like to participate in. Registration is required. The classes and fees are:…...
Photos and illustrations are being accepted through Nov. 30 for the New York State 2016 Arbor Day Poster Contest. Get the submission form here. Throughout the years, the beautiful Arbor Day posters have become collector’s items for many. More than 100,000 copies of the 2016 poster will be printed. They will be distributed to 3,500 schools, at the State Fair and at other locations. The winning artist will be recognized at the state’s Arbor Day celebration on April 29. Details…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Morty, the corpse flower or Amorphophallus titanum plant that dazzled visitors last summer when it sent up a 7 ½-foot bloom that smelled like garbage, is making a second appearance at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens– this time as a leaf. Morty joins two other rare Amorphophallus titanum plants that are on display at the Botanical Gardens. While all the corms (or bulbs) from which these plants grew were purchased at the same time,…...
There’s nothing like a crisp, juicy apple from Niagara County. Goodman’s Farm Market can help you give out-of-town friends and relatives a taste of home by shipping them locally grown apples. These lovely apples are fresh, grown in Niagara County and not waxed. Your loved ones will enjoy every bite. They can also add other homegrown items such as local honey, pears and Platter’s chocolates. These packages make a great corporate gift, too. For details, call (716) 731-3231or stop into…...
College students interested in gardening and/or journalism can apply for a scholarship that the Garden Writers Association Foundation (GWAF) is offering for the spring semester. Students must be enrolled in either of two categories: Community Colleges & Technical Schools (Freshmen through Senior): The GWAF Kathleen Fisher Memorial Scholarship is made in recognition of Kathleen Fisher, who was the editor of The American Gardener, the journal of the American Horticultural Society. It is given annually in the amount of $500 to…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko What’s up with this warm weather in Western New York? We can’t predict these things with 100 percent accuracy, but because of El Niño, it looks like we are going to have a mild autumn and early winter, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. Our winter may not be as cold as the two previous winters have been, “which would be nice for a change,” he added. We may not…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Here’s a question from a reader: Hi, I am looking for a book about native plants and weeds in Buffalo or Western New York. My friend likes to walk along the railroad tracks in Buffalo to look at the wildlife but he can’t identify some of the wild flowers and weeds growing along the tracks. Can you suggest a book I could purchase that would show different kinds of native wildflowers and weeds in this region?…...
Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses is holding $20 Tuesdays in October. Order a fresh bouquet any day of the week and have it delivered on a Tuesday in October for only $20 plus tax. If you’re ordering on a Tuesday, you must order by 10:30 a.m. for delivery that day. If you order later on Tuesday, it will be delivered the following Tuesday in October. Hurry; the offer is good only on Tuesdays this month. At this price, you can purchase…...