Talks coming up on 45 gardening tips, & more great items

Get 45 gardening tips in 45 minutes I will present “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes” at two upcoming events, both of which are open to the public. Monday, April 15: Smallwood Garden Club meeting at 7 p.m. at Forest Elementary School, 250 N. Forest Rd., Williamsville. Monday, April 22: Earth Day talk at 7 p.m. at the North Tonawanda Public Library, 505 Meadow Drive, North Tonawanda. This is a fast-paced presentation– I have to average one tip per minute!…

patio furniture from pallets in Western New York

Use trash to make vertical garden, plant tags– even furniture!

Items that normally might have been thrown away found new uses in a student exhibit in March at Plantasia, Western New York’s premier garden and landscape show. Aluminum cans became plant tags, coat hangers helped support vining plants and pallets became an A-frame vertical planter and an entire suite of patio furniture! The exhibit was created by students in the horticulture programs at Niagara County Community College (NCCC) and the adult education program at McKinley High School as well as…

Broccoli from Burpee

It’s almost time to plant cool-weather veggies in Buffalo area

You’ll be able to plant cool-weather vegetables soon, said Julie Emerling, who is in charge of herbs and vegetables at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg. People know the rule of thumb is that you wait until Memorial Day to do most of your planting. That’s because for many of our plants, we need to wait until the danger of frost has passed and we have warm weather. The vegetables that we’re talking about today should be planted earlier because…

Grow celery from the stump!

I saw this idea in several places on Pinterest and I just had to try it. When you’re done with a bunch of celery, you’re left with a stump. I used to toss that stump into the compost pile. Then on Pinterest I saw that you can use it to start a new celery plant. It’s really simple. Just set the stump into a small jar or bowl. Add just a little bit of water– about a quarter inch is…

scoop of soil in garden trowel

Is your garden soil contaminated? What you should know

by Connie Oswald Stofko Is the soil in your garden contaminated? If so, is it okay for you or your kids to be working in the soil? Will the vegetables you grow there be safe to eat? The answers to these questions are complicated, and we don’t have all the information we would like. That’s according to Hannah Shayler, extension associate at the Cornell Waste Management Institute. She is working on Healthy Soils, Healthy Communities, a research and education partnership…

Northeast native flowers from National Garden Bureau

Perennial for 2013 is ‘wildflower,’ says National Garden Bureau

2013 has been named the Year of the Wildflower by the National Garden Bureau, the non-profit organization promoting gardening on behalf of the horticulture industry. Each year, the National Garden Bureau showcases a plant in each of three categories: vegetable/edible, annual and perennial. The showcased plants are supposed to be popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse and versatile. The wildflower (though it’s more of a category than a plant) certainly meets those criteria. We talked to representatives of Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484…

deer in Western New York from Donna Brok

Keep deer, rabbits & mice away, plus more items too good to miss

Keep deer, rabbits, squirrels and mice away with Bounce dryer sheets Use Bounce dryer sheets to keep deer away, says Bob Bracikowski of Opportunities Unlimited in Niagara, who showed us recently how to create a succulent garden. In the vegetable garden at Opportunities Unlimited, everything was being eaten, week after week. “During my lunch hour I could watch the deer eat the cabbage right in front of me,” he said. Then he tried a tip he got from a farmer:…

agricultural fair Genesee Country Museum

Call for entries in agricultural fair & more items too good to miss

Deadline nears for registering entries in agricultural fair You can enter your heirloom vegetables, cut and dried flowers, herbs and more in the annual exhibition and fair to be held at the Genesee Country Village and Museum, 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford. The deadline for entries is Friday, September 14. Anyone can enter. Entrants will receive a one-day free admission to the fall fair. Many of the categories include a 19th-Century as well as a 21st-Century section. In addition to…

There’s still time to buy and plant seeds in Western New York

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…

lilac transplant from gardening-enjoyed.com

Put your garden to bed: Tips from Toronto writer & horticulturist

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…