by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Apr 8, 2016 | gardening101
Photo by 2DU Kenya59 on Flickr Since most of the country has been in a drought off and on for the last few years, cities are restricting watering the yard. They are fining those who waste water by watering the street or watering too long. This is an excellent time...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Mar 25, 2015 | sponsored
Global Crop Diversity Trust on Flickr Creating an unusual vegetable garden Set yourself apart from other gardeners this growing season by planting unique vegetable produce. Add spice and life to your outdoor space and full flavor and exciting tastes to your dinner...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Feb 19, 2015 | entomology
Did you know that one out of every three bites of food we eat is pollinated by a bee? When we think of bees, we think of European honey bees. However, there are over 4,000 species of native bees in this country. One of the most important native bees...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Feb 16, 2015 | entomology
Green lacewings are beneficial insects that eat aphids, caterpillars, and other soft bodied pests as larvae. The adults feed on nectar and pollen and the occasional aphid or mite that they come across. Description of Lacewings Green lacewings are green, with...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Feb 12, 2015 | gardening101
Ladybug larva Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons One of the ways to reduce pesticide use in your garden is to attract beneficial insects to it. These insects keep the bad bugs in check. A good way to do...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Mar 31, 2013 | herbs
HitroMilanese, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Cilantro plant (Coriandrum sativum) produces two different kinds of herbs with different uses. The greens, or cilantro, are used in Middle Eastern, Asian, and...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Oct 6, 2012 | diseases
Anthracnose on tomatoes Anthracnose is a fungal disease that will ruin your tomatoes in warm, moist weather. It lives in the soil and gets on the plant when you water it and splash soil on the plant. The disease doesn’t do much to leaves or green...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Oct 5, 2012 | gardening101
As garden season winds down, it is a good idea to take some time to maintain your garden tools before you put them away for the winter. There are five parts to good tool care. Cleaning Ideally, you wash dirt off your tools after every use. Before you put them away...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Sep 27, 2012 | flowers
Fall asters are a delightful addition to your garden. Their startling lavender petals with gold centers provide welcome color at a time when many flowers are done blooming. They are good to plant around your fall garden to attract beneficial insects. ...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Sep 24, 2012 | gardening101
American Toad For those of you who wish to use fewer and less toxic pesticides in the garden, you should attract toads to your garden. A single adult toad can eat 10,000 insect pests in a single summer. Toads eat most insects, including slugs, gypsy moths, and...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Sep 19, 2012 | Fruit trees
Snow in the peach orchard With the end of fruit season, it is time to ready your fruit trees for winter. Here are some of the things you can do to help them, Things To Avoid Do not fertilize after mid summer to avoid interfering with the trees hardening off process...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Sep 14, 2012 | trees
Old Oak Tree Home owners are frequently stunned when a tree that appeared to make it through the drought last year “suddenly” dies. Actually, trees take a long time to die. Many trees that appear to be dying now have been dying all year from the...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jul 4, 2012 | herbs
Cilantro Cilantro is a Greek herb that is in the same family as parsley. It is used in a variety of dishes in cuisines as varied as Mexican and Thai. Coriander, the seed of the cilantro plant, is also used to flavor a wide variety of dishes. Soil and Temperature...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jul 1, 2012 | herbs
Black Swallowtail Caterpillar on Dill Dill (Anethum graveolens) was introduced into this country from Asia and is used as a culinary herb. Both the fernlike leaves and the flowers are edible. So are the seeds. After the first year, dill readily self-seeds and will...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 27, 2012 | squash
Spagehitti Squash Blossom Are you having problems with your cucumbers and squash growing to two or three inches long and then rotting? You may be having pollination problems. Pollination Insects Squash and cucumbers have male and female flowers. Bees bring pollen...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jun 4, 2012 | entomology
Two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae, adults and eggs. Are your plants showing yellow leaves, or even brown ones? Do you have little cobwebs on the back of your leaves? You may have spider mites, a common pest of many plants. ...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | May 9, 2012 | entomology
Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). Photo Credit: April Nobile, AntWeb, California Academy of Sciences, 2000-2008CC:By-NC-SA What, you may be asking yourself, does the Texas two step have with fire ants? It actually is a two step method of killing the nasty...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | May 2, 2012 | after the harvest
One of the best things about growing vegetables is getting to eat them fresh from the garden. Since I am recipe challenged, I asked Michelle Rocha to contribute a guest post on the subject: Summer is just around the corner, so everyone is preparing his or her garden....
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | May 1, 2012 | diseases
Rose Rosette Disease Oklahoma State Rose Rosette Disease is caused by the Rose Rosette Virus that came over to the United States in the 1800s with Asian wild roses. Many of these roses were planted by settlers all over the United States and have become naturalized. ...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Apr 25, 2012 | herbs
Italian Oregano Italian oregano (Origanum vulgare) is an essential spice in Italian cooking. It can be used fresh or dried for year-round use. A hardy perennial in zones 5-10, this oregano has white flowers the second season it is planted. Italian oregano is a little...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Apr 21, 2012 | herbs
Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are used like regular chives but have more of a garlic flavor instead of an onion flavor. They are good in omelets and other egg dishes. They also work in salads, as fresh vegetables, or any savory dish. The...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Mar 14, 2012 | tomatoes
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable to grow in the United States. They are not difficult to grow from transplants, and can even be grown from seed with a little extra effort. Buying transplants from your local nursery, or just about anywhere garden products are...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Feb 2, 2012 | compost
One of the things I recommend over and over is adding compost to your vegetable garden each season. Compost adds nutrients to the soil, breaks up clay, and helps the soil hold water longer. All compost is not created equal, however. Some compost is made in hot...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jan 30, 2012 | gardening101
Starting seeds indoors is a good way to save money and to grow seeds that require a longer growing season than you have in your area. It also allows you to grow vegetables that are uncommon cultivars for your area. Instead of buying whatever tomatoes the garden shop...
by Stephanie Suesan Smith | Jan 17, 2012 | gardening101
Everywhere in North America is still undergoing a historic drought. Plants are dropping like flies from heat, stress, and lack of water. The Texas Forest Service is estimated to have lost ten percent of its’ trees from the drought, and other states are just as...
