Lawn & Garden / garden

Transforming your backyard into a haven for bees and other pollinators not only invites nature's beauty but also supports local ecosystems. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds play a vital role in pollinating plants, ensuring food, beauty, and biodiversity.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed when you decide to grow your first garden. One thing I know for sure, for every gardener, there is a slightly different and equally legitimate way to grow a garden. Over time, with practice, you will become one of those unique growers of produce. There is not one "correct" way to be a successful gardener. It takes time, failure, imagination, and patience.

The word Bokashi is Japanese in origin and generally translates to the term, “fermented organic matter.” To write this article I listened to one of our recent podcast episodes hosted by Jos and Jim Zamzow with their special guest,Craig Alger. You can listen to the podcast here. Through some additional research, there seems to be some confusion around the origin and direct translation of the word “Bokashi,” the process and benefits are very clear.

We all get that natural spring cleaning bug that creeps in when the weather starts to warm up. This is the perfect time to embrace that extra energy and take it outside! The following are a few items to put on your spring to-do list for the lawn and garden. 

During the heat of summer, our gardens put on a lot of growth. Unfortunately, the weeds can begin to take off as well. Adding a summer mulch can help with your weeding, conserve water and cool the soil.

Hydrologists and meteorologists are predicting another year with less water than we need. This is leaving homeowners wondering what they can do to make it through the summer without making the already bad situation worse. The good news is there are some simple things you can do in your yard that will make all the difference!

When it comes to the home garden. People that don’t “Garden” still like to grow a tomato or two. Over the years, we have compiled some great advice to help everyone be successful.

Organic weed controls must be produced from a list of allowed synthetic substances, or come from all-natural substances that are not prohibited. The National Organic Program (NOP) is administered by the USDA and includes a list of national organic standards, a list of allowed and prohibited substances, and a regulatory oversight structure. Generally, these products are clearly marked on the label as being certified organic.

We have all seen the adult ladybug. They are easy to identify as adults. However, the younger generations look very different. As beetles, they undergo complete metamorphosis. Chances are you have already seen the larva of a ladybug and didn't even realize it.

Many early fruiting tomato varieties like Early Girl don’t like temperatures above 85-90 degrees. As the temperatures, rise many of these varieties will stop blooming, and those that do bloom will have poor fruit set. However, there are still a few things you can do to keep your tomatoes healthy until the temperatures come back down, and your tomatoes begin setting fruit again.

There are many great and fun ways to grow potatoes and some of them will save a lot of space in the garden. The basic premise of growing potatoes effectively is the same regardless of how and where you chose to grow them. I choose potatoes that are good medium size, what’s medium you ask? When I close my hand around one I barely want to get my fingers over the top. This doesn’t’ mean other sizes won’t work, if they are smaller than this I won’t cut them before planting. If they are bigger I will quarter them. With a medium size, I only cut them in half, I feel this is ideal and reduces the chances of rotting.

Growing garlic at home is easy, productive, and satisfying. Not only do you get to know where your staple produce is coming from, but the varieties of garlic you can grow are also mind-opening. This year Zamzows found a new vendor for garlic and introduced three new varieties to choose from!