The adventure begins. A proposal from a company called Reforestation Technologies Incorporated arrived in the mail a few weeks ago, offering a sample of products guaranteed to help me grow a giant pumpkin. Though I ignore plenty of offers, this struck a chord in me because my spouse, who routinely suffers through experiments I run in [...]
Archive for May, 2010
My pumpkin is going to be huge
Posted in Vegetables and fruit, tagged Azos, calcium carbonate, giant pumpkins, Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, mycorrhizae, Reforestation Technologies International, rhizobium on May 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Add zest with annuals
Posted in Flowers, tagged Alternanthera Red Thread, annual flower trials, annual flowers, Bracteantha Starburst Yellow, Calibrachoa Minifamous Pink, Colorado State University, Dark Angel Dracula Dahlia, Geranium Caliente Orange, Gomphrena Fireworks, Profusion Pink Zinnia, Supertunia Vista Silverberry, Velocity Blue Salvia, Wax Begonia Coco White on May 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
If you want to add zest to your landscape but aren’t ready for a long-term relationship with a perennial, plant annuals. These one-year wonders light up the garden with blooms or foliage that make them the darlings of summer. For those that do well under Colorado’s harsh conditions, look for the best from Colorado State [...]
My hobby is trying to kill me
Posted in Uncategorized on May 24, 2010 | 10 Comments »
My hobby is trying to kill me. I know this on Monday mornings, creaking out of bed to go to work after spending two days in the garden. It happens every weekend: my brain tells my muscles it won’t be that bad, my body is left to wonder why I don’t take up stock in [...]
Assassins good to have in the garden
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged assassin bug, beneficial insects, insects, Zelus on May 20, 2010 | 3 Comments »
There’s an assassin in my garden, a bug with a license to kill. I spied it the other day when warm weather turned the yard into an insect paradise, and everything came out to play. Normally, the garden is filled with ladybugs and spiders but on this day, the predator to beware of is the [...]
Girl Scout gets Gold helping local park
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Amanda Wiseman, Girl Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of Colorado, Thornton on May 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A local Girl Scout has taken the phrase “Think globally, act locally” beyond bumper stickers and t-shirts. Devoting her time to improving the earth, she made a difference in her community by giving a park in Thornton, Colorado, a team makeover, cleaning it up and caring for it for the future. “I wanted to [...]
Cool stuff: painting the Broncos logo on turf
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Broncos logo, Denver Broncos, turf painting on May 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Today’s post is a photo essay, featuring the grounds crew of the Denver Broncos demonstrating how to paint a giant logo on the lawn: First, lay out the stencil.
Trojan horses: class action lawsuit targets lawnmowers
Posted in Lawns, Uncategorized, tagged American Honda Motor Co., Briggs & Stratton, Deere & Company, Husqvarna, Kohler, lawnmower lawsuit, lawnmowers, MTD, Sears, Tecumseh, Toro on May 10, 2010 | 4 Comments »
I stepped out over the weekend to do a little lawn care, and as I placidly mowed the lawn my thoughts turned to lawsuits. Specifically: the lawnmower lawsuit settlement now pending final approval by the court on June 22. At least 10 companies, including American Honda Motor Co., Inc., MTD, Sears, Deere & Company; Tecumseh; [...]
Greenbugs, ladybugs, and orange grass oh, my!
Posted in Bad bugs, icky diseases, and operator error, Lawns, tagged aphids, greenbugs, ladybug larvae, ladybugs, Lawns, orange grass on May 7, 2010 | 5 Comments »
Spring brings out an odd assortment of turf problems, with persistent Necrotic Ring Spot and mites headlining the show. But this year I got called out to a lawn where something special is going on – I had the rare treat of seeing greenbugs in action. Greenbugs (Schizaphis graminum) are aphids that suck the sap [...]
Frost protection
Posted in Uncategorized, Vegetables and fruit, tagged Automator tray, frost protection, Jim koski, plant protection, Sea Magic on May 3, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Today’s post can be heard on the public radio show Crop to Cuisine, hosted by Dov Hirsch. You can tell who the serious vegetable gardeners are. They’re the people who construct the darnedest coverings to provide a few extra weeks worth of growth before the weather really warms. Gardens start to look like a rock [...]
