by Connie Oswald Stofko I was shocked when I saw the pitiful state of my impatiens. The flowers were limp, the leaves were sagging and the plant looked miserable. I don’t know when I had watered them last, but, obviously, it was too long. I felt bad. Luckily, impatiens spring back fast. I checked back a few hours later and they were perky and happy again. But don’t wait until your plants start wilting to let you know that they…...
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…...
– Visit markets. Learn how growers work in an urban (or suburban) setting. Get tips for your own garden. There’s something for everyone at Urban Farm Day to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, August 17. It’s free, self-guided, and no tickets are required. There will be 17 local growers. Download a map in advance or use the Google map. Highlights include: Special ticketed events are: For more information, visit UrbanFarmDay.com…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Second vegetable crop The growing season isn’t over yet. In fact, you can plant a second crop of some herbs and vegetables. It’s called succession planting. In our previous article, Patti Jablonski-Dopkin, general manager at Urban Roots Cooperative Garden Market explains what to plant and when to plant. It’s all spelled out so you know what vegetables you can plant in your area now. Urban Roots has seeds in stock and will get more. Seed libraries connected to public…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko “This year seems to have been running ahead of schedule from the beginning,” said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. “We had a mild winter, early spring and and early summer.” And summer has been hot! What does this mean for our gardens now? Tomatoes and other food plants With the higher temperatures we’ve had, your tomato plants and other vegetable plants may have started fruiting earlier than usual, Farfaglia said…....
by Connie Oswald Stofko This is the last week to visit gardens in Western New York, and there are so many to see! First, don’t forget about Open Gardens this Thursday and Friday, your last chance to tour about 100 select gardens this year. You’ll also be able to see Artists in Open Gardens, where visual artists will be creating art in gardens in Alden, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, East Aurora, Eden, Grand Island, Hamburg, Lockport, Tonawanda, West Falls, West Seneca and…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko This isn’t the end of the growing season—or the planting season—in Western New York. In fact, there are new offerings of fruit plants at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses, 118 South Forest Rd., Williamsville. You can plant them now and as long as you keep them watered, “They’ll do fine,” said Mark Yadon, vice president at Mischler’s. Tip: When planting these or any perennials, water them properly in the heat of summer, said Jessica Limardi, staff member…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Jen and Joe Weber moved their family into their new home three years ago. When they got there, they found that the previous owners had planted bishop’s weed (also called goutweed), a nasty, very aggressive plant that spreads easily and is hard to get rid of. The bishop’s weed is still there, stretching 66 feet along one side of the house. Other projects, such as fixing “the path to nowhere,” haven’t been started yet, either, and…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko by Connie Oswald Stofko “Let me tell you a story,” said Kelly McDonald, executive director and Master Gardener at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County. “Last year my husband and I planted tomato seeds in the house with grow lights. The plants were getting bigger, so we moved them into gallon buckets. The weather got warmer and we moved the plants in and out of the garage (to protect them from cool nights). “Then we got…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko The forecast for the coming week calls for daytime temperatures above freezing, so if we do get any snow, it should melt. That means you’ll have time to easily walk around your yard and prepare your gardens for another onslaught of snow. When the temperatures do get colder, chances are we will get lake effect snow again. Lake Erie still hasn’t iced over, so cold wind picking up moisture from the lake can fall on land…...
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