How-To Archive
How to Choose a Landscape Maintenance Company
The slips of paper with scribbled phone numbers are passed from hand to hand surreptitiously at neighborhood gatherings. Phrases like “He’s fast and he’s good.“, “She really knows what she’s doing.” and “I trust them explicitly.” are whispered into attentive...
How to Make Ambrosia
Kathy Henderson hosted “The Lawn and Garden Show” on WSB for many years. One bit of information she featured each holiday season is still in demand: her ambrosia recipe. Kathy got the recipe from a friend. So that you can...
Rain Barrels – Building and Buying
A rain barrel is an excellent way to collect water in times of drought. Just a thousand feet of roof area can collect 625 gallons of water in a one inch rain. You can either build or buy a rain...
How to Make Colored Flames for Fireplace
A reader recently asked me. “Do you know where I may obtain the formulae for the chemicals in which to soak pine cones that will cause them to produce colored flames when burned?” My answer took me back to my...
Why Soil Test
My twelve-year old nephew has been named “Ultimate Geographer” by his school system in Arkansas. Now he will compete with others in his region to attend the National Geography Bee in May. Last year’s national winner was only ten years...
How to Make Cheese Muffins
Molly Wilson’s cheese muffin recipe 2 sticks of very soft (almost melted) butter 1 cup of sour cream 2 cups of self-rising flour 2 cups of sharp cheese Add ingredients in order, hand-stirring after each one, in a big bowl....
How to Dispose of Old Chemicals
If you need to clean out a storage room on my carport that has many old containers of weed killer, bug spray and fertilizer. Here is the safest way to dispose of them. Pete Dasher, Unit Coordinator with the Georgia...
How to Build a Tree House
When the kids are out of school you may be tempted to build a treehouse for them to play in during the summer. Before you head off with hammer, nails and planks in hand, plan your design to minimize damage...
How to Make a Clay Pot Man
Gardeners have a wide variety of “tastes” when it comes to landscape decorations. If you are looking for directions to make a garden buddy out of flower pots, here’s a good link: Pots With Personality. Also Terra Cotta Pot...
How to Choose an Arborist
After hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms, tree care professionals do an excellent job clearing downed trees and repairing damage. On the other hand, some “tree experts” are expert only at taking money and chopping a tree into pieces. How does...
How to Make a PVC Hoop Greenhouse
Here’s an idea that strecthes the seasons a little, for bedding plants and early veggies: Get several pieces of 1/2 or 3/4 inch diameter PVC tubing from the hardware store, the kind used for indoor plumbing. Also get a few...
How to Make Homemade Bird Suet
Some time ago my newspaper colleague Charles Seabrook wrote about the many species of ducks that overwinter at the E. L. Huie/Newman Wetlands Center in Clayton County. Bird watching enthusiasts have found that the protected aquatic habitat attracts many other...
Growing Palms in Georgia – June 9, 2010
Growing Palms in Georgia Wednesday, June 9 Rockdale Extension Office, 1400 Parker Road, Lobby B 6:30-8pm cost $3.00 RSVP to (770)278-7373 by June 7 Dr. Gary Wade, UGA Horticulture Specialist, will be joining us for an evening educational presentation on...
How to Rekindle Romance in the Garden
George Ball, the proprietor of Heronswood Nursery (a part of Burpee)in Pennsylvania , writes a weekly blog about all things horticultural. Recently he took time to reflect on how gardening could enhance romance: “How to rekindle the fires of romance?...
Test Books
The Essential Earthman by Henry Mitchell Sometimes you get tired of reading about plants. You want to know what an experienced gardener really FEELS about the task. Mitchell, for twenty five years a garden columnist for the Washington Post, died...
Costa Rica Trip – 2012
Imagine walking on a warm, sandy beach in January! Imagine seeing toucans, quetzals, monkeys, iguanas, and sloths in their natural habitat! Our garden trips to New Zealand and South Africa have been so enjoyable that I’m planning a third! This...
