In this podcast, learn how to grow Paperwhite narcissus and how to force them indoors for winter blooms If want to add some fragrant, holiday flowers to our home, grow paperwhite narcissus. Paperwhites are small flowered daffodils and feature fragrant flowers. The beauty of paperwhites is they’re easy to force into bloom indoors this time of year. Simply pot them up and they’ll be in bloom 3 to 4 weeks later. While we think of white as the flower color of paperwhites, there are other varieties. Try the yellow […] The post How to Grow: Paperwhite Narcissus appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
In this podcast, learn how to grow the right shrubs and trees for birds as well as provide good habitat Everyone loves the calls and sights of songbirds this time of year. They’re a cheery reminder of spring and a delight with all their activity. But due to habitat loss, climate change and other factors, the populations of many song birds are declining. One way to help is to plant the right shrubs for birds. While the obvious choice would be fruiting shrubs, there are other factors […] The post How to Grow: Gardening for the Birds appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to control cabbageworm caterpillars in your garden If you’ve ever grown broccoli, cabbage, kale, or cauliflower you know this insect. We’ve all experienced this. You’re happily washing your head of broccoli or kale leaves when you come across a green caterpillar. Worse yet, if you miss them you end up having a little protein in your veggie dish. The cabbageworm, and related cabbage looper, are common insects that attack all the Brassica or broccoli-family crops. They start in early summer as a harmless […] The post How to Grow: Controlling Cabbageworm appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to use fallen leaves in your garden and landscape Fall is great for shuffling through a layers of dried, fallen leaves. I love the smell, sound, and feeling of the leaves underfoot. But leaves are also a great resource for your garden, lawn and yard. So, let’s look at 5 ways to use those leaves in the garden. On your lawn it’s best to leave the leaves. A thin layer of fallen leaves on the lawn can be chopped up with a mower […] The post How to Grow: Using Fallen Leaves appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow a kokedama indoor houseplant. I’m always looking for new plants and growing techniques. That’s why I’m fascinated with kokedama hanging houseplants. What’s kokedama? Kokedama is an ancient form of Japanese bonsai. Actually, it’s also called poor man’s bonsai because it is so easy to do. The idea is to plant a small houseplant in a ball of clay and peat moss surrounded by green sphagnum moss and held together with twine. The ball and plant, can then be hung in […] The post How to Grow: Kokedama appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow edible plants vertically on your deck, balcony, or wall. If you’d like to start an edible garden, but your yard is limited in space or sun, think up. Vertical gardening has become popular in urban areas around the world. I see vertical gardens everywhere, from small balconies to skyscrapers. But you don’t have to live in a city to grow vertically. It’s a good way to maximize any space and keep your favorite edibles within reach. The first step is to […] The post How to Grow: Vertical Gardening appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to care for your lawn organically during wet weather. It continues to be a cool, rainy spring. While our shrubs and trees are taking their time leafing out, nothing stops the lawn. It’s been growing a mile a minute and mowing is difficult with the soggy soils. So, it’s a good time to talk organic lawn care. First of all, if your lawn is so wet there are puddles or the characteristic squishing sound as you walk, avoid mowing. If the grass is […] The post How to Grow: Wet Weather Lawn Care appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to identify and control spring weeds organically. There’s nothing more discouraging than working hard prepping your vegetable garden soil, making beds and sowing seeds, only to find as soon as the little plants emerge they get eaten by insects. One of the worst culprits this time of year is flea beetles. These small, black beetles literally hop when disturbed, hence the common name. This also makes it hard to catch and kill them. You’ll notice their activity on radishes, kale, and arugula seedlings […] The post How to Grow: Controlling Flea Beetles appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to identify and control spring weeds organically. With all the rain, it’s been a good year for weeds. Weeds are smart and can give you clues as to what’s happening in your soil. For example, plantain thrives on compacted soils, shepherd’s purse on acidic soils, horsetail in poorly drained soils and chickweed in high nitrogen soils. Sometimes simply correcting the soil condition will help get rid of the weeds. Check out the book, Weeds and What They Tell. However, even with great soil […] The post How to Grow: Spring Weeding appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to control cucumber beetles in the vegetable garden. They’re small, black and yellow and seem like they shouldn’t be a problem in a vegetable garden. But they are! The cucumber beetle comes in two versions. The black and yellow striped or spotted species. Both cause damage to cucumbers, melons, and squashes by feeding on young transplants and seedlings and flowers and transmitting bacterial wilt disease to plants. For such a small insect, they can pack a wallop. To control them you should know […] The post How to Grow: Controlling Cucumber Beetles appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow Clivia houseplants I like flowering houseplants that need little attention. We all know Christmas cactus are one of the easiest plants to grow and ours are already starting to bloom. But if you’re up for a little challenge you might want to try Clivia. This native South African amaryllis family plant was brought to England in the 1800’s by plant explorer James Bowie. He cultivated plants in Lady Clive’s conservatory in London. Hence the common name. Clivia produces beautiful, strap-like leaves […] The post How to Grow: Clivia appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on unusual root crops such as oca, crosnes and jicama. In our culture potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes and sweet potatoes are favorite roots in many gardens and on many tables. But, there are other unusual roots that are worth growing in your garden. Here’s a few to try. Crosnes (krones) is a mint family root, related the lamb’s ears perennial. It’s called Chinese artichoke for its artichoke-like flavor. Unfortunately, the small white roots look like an insect grub. But once you get over the […] The post How to Grow: Unusual Root Crops appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow oxalis as a houseplant and outdoors. Depending on who you talk to oxalis or the shamrock plant is an invasive weed, a sour tasting groundcover or a cute houseplant. All three are right. In warm climates oxalis can be an attractive groundcover or a weed. In colder climates yellow sorrel is an oxalis that grows as an understory plant in the forest. And then there’s the tender houseplant versions. This is where oxalis becomes more interesting. Oxalis may be called the […] The post How to Grow: Oxalis appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on common seed starting problems and how to solve them. The days are getting longer, the sun is stronger and with warm weather this week, gardeners are thinking about sowing seeds. Of course, it’s still too early to sow outdoors, but if you’re an indoor seed starter you may already have seedlings popping up. But sometimes your little seedlings don’t look very happy. This could be due to a number of factors. So, let’s do some seed starting problem solving. If your seedlings all of […] The post How to Grow: Solving Seed Starting Problems appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to build and grow a keyhole bed and garden. It’s time to start thinking about your vegetable garden. Many gardeners have transitioned from flat, straight rows to raised beds. Raised beds warm up faster in spring, drain water sooner and allow you to garden more intensively without as much work. But the next level of raised beds is the keyhole bed. Originated in Africa and used in permaculture gardens, the keyhole raised bed is a way to save space, reduce pathways, garden intensively […] The post How to Grow: Keyhole Gardens appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow Cornelian Cherry Trees for food and beauty I just finished pruning my cherry trees. While I love the taste of the sweet and tart cherries we grow, there are a few other cherries to consider for your yard. The Cornelian cherry or Cornus mas is actually in the dogwood family. It flowers very early, with brilliant yellow blooms this time of year. It’s a great early season pollen source for bees. Soon after, the red fruits are produced. Cornelian cherry has […] The post How to Grow: Cornelian Cherry appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow unusual broccoli varieties Broccoli has become a popular and staple vegetable in many gardens and on many plates. But not all broccoli is created equal. There are some unusual heirlooms and hybrids on the market that can make broccoli growing down right fun! Check these out. For the longest time, the trend in broccoli heads was to get big. Now, it’s going in the opposite direction. Small headed varieties such as ‘Happy Trends’ and the heirloom ‘De Cicco’ feature bushy plants […] The post How to Grow: Unusual Broccoli appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.
Listen to this podcast on how to grow for food and beauty. It’s been called the Food of the Gods, superfood of the Aztecs and the next “quinoa”. But we known amaranth as mostly an ornamental plant with colorful weeping flower heads. However, more recently amaranth has gained interest as a leafy green in the garden. While farmers continue to experiment with growing amaranth commercially as a grain crop, another way to enjoy this native American vegetable is as a leafy green. Amaranth is related to the common weed, […] The post How to Grow: Amaranth appeared first on Gardening with Charlie.