General Garden Info
Soil Temperature – Monitoring
My son and I had just arrived the first day at our ski hotel and were preparing for dinner. “Daddy – I don’t feel so good.” he murmured. I put my lips to his forehead to check his temperature. My...
Soil – Defining
I was explaining to someone recently that flowering cherry trees absolutely require well-drained soil to succeed. “Well, that’s not a problem,” they responded, “I’m planting on a slope, so water drains right past it.” “Sloping soil is usually poorly drained,”...
Poisonous Plants
Through a good part of my childhood, one voice of authority manifested with equal weight alongside the commandments of my parents: that of Mrs. Mabel Prayor. An older neighbor, she was hired to cook meals, settle arguments, iron clothes and...
Ordering Plants from a Catalog
Few couples can remember the subject of their first serious argument. I can. I even remember that it occurred on I-285 near Buford Highway on a Saturday afternoon. I casually mentioned to her that I had ordered several plants from...
Recommended Garden Books
Looking for a gift for that gardener who seems to have everything they need for their garden? Most diggers in the dirt enjoy reading about other gardeners and their trials and tribulations. In addition, serious gardeners sometimes need reference books...
Garden Magazines – Recommended
These magazines are tops for good articles and photographs. A year’s subscription keeps a favorite gardener thinking about you regularly. Georgia Gardening (888)265-3600 Fine Gardening (800) 477-8727 Organic Gardening (800) 666-2206 Horticulture (800) 234-2415 Green Prints “The Weeder’s...
Rain Barrels – Using
With summer temperatures in the nineties, creative gardeners think seriously about where to get more water. I’ve received several questions about rainwater collection this summer. Jeff Bentley wrote “I want to add a cistern to my home so I can...
Rain Barrels – Buying
How to Make a Rain Barrel LOCAL SOURCES OF RAIN BARRELS Noah’s Rain Barrel Steve Golden 404-210-7061 Email: noahsrainbarrel@comcast.net Brookhaven Rain Barrels Pat Magee (404) 364-0440 Rain Barrels in Georgia Many local hardware stores offer assembled rain barrels or kits...
Gardeners Play With pH
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the importance of soil testing and the role of pH in plant health. I gave instructions on how to collect a soil sample and have it tested. In the days following, several...
Soil Testing – Why
Once upon a time, farmers tested their soil by tasting it. Cupping a handful in front of their face, they would inhale its aroma and tentatively touch the dirt with their tongue. “Time to spread some lime and gu-anner” they’d...
Chromosome Numbers of Plants and Animals
Sometimes a Dad has to be a Dad…….. When my son was studying biology in the ninth grade, he and I got into a discussion of whether organisms with identical numbers of chromosomes would be identical. He said they would...
What to Do After the Easter 2007 Freeze
An extremely warm March in 2007 was followed by a two-day dip to 27 degrees on April 6 & 7. Many plants had made substantial new growth before the cold snap. After the cold, many shrubs and trees, including crapemyrtle,...
Seed – Saving
This past spring, a friend gave me three seeds from a giant gourd. He assured me that if I planted the seeds in warm soil I would have gourds like the beachball-sized one he held in his arms. Unfortunately, I...
Lawn – Watering Correctly
Plants must have water to survive. Water in a plant is like blood in an animal. Water carries dissolved nutrients, sugars and hormones throughout the plant’s system. Some plants can go for long periods receiving only minimal water. Others require...
Drought – Watering Flowers
Plants must have water to survive. Water in a plant is like blood in an animal. Water carries dissolved nutrients, sugars and hormones throughout the plant’s system. Some plants can go for long periods receiving only minimal water. Others require...
Drought – Planting During
Sometimes I hate following my own advice. I hate it especially when it concerns properly digging a bed for planting. Georgia summers can be dry and miserable. Unbroken bright sunshine, temperatures in the nineties and humidity thick enough to can....
Garden Books – Recommended
I owe many things to my Aunt Elizabeth…. but the thing for which I am most indebted is her annual gift of reading material. When I was a young teen, she gave me a subscription to Boy’s Life magazine, which...
Maintenance Matters
If you attended the “Maintenance Matters!” class at Evening at Emory, I promised you could download the whole thing and study it at your leisure. Here it is! Click here to download “Maintenance...
