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Did you hear that? Listen close. That’s the sound of spring. The grass is starting to green up and push out new shoots. You’d better make sure that your lawn mower is tuned up and purring like a kitten because it’s about time to go to work. As I looked around my yard yesterday, I already have some spots that I need to mow even though I won’t mow my entire yard until later in the summer. I’m sure that many of you have a question now. How does he get by without mowing? That’s the easy part. When I first moved into this house 18 years ago, I plant...
The Gardening for Success 2018 regional conference closed Sunday after finishing an information packed weekend with a lot of fun mixed in. The conference kicked off Saturday morning with Scott Skogerboe's presentation on edible landscapes. His presentation was the beginning of a morning of seminars on trees, plant diseases, soil composition, herbs and flowering plants. Whew! With so much to take in, how do you do it all? Well, the answer is that you don't. Attendees had to pick and choose what...
Most people will look at soil and just see dirt. What is soil, really, and what makes good soil? Soil is productive. That means it will grow your plants from seedlings, whether flowers or vegetables, into vigorous, healthy mature plants. Soil starts out as rocks. Over the years the rocks are ground down finer and finer until they become dirt. It's easy to tell how fine the rocks have been ground by how fine the particles are in the dirt, from coarse sand to fine, slippery clay. But, it takes a l...
So, you've finished your garden design and you know what plants you're going to use and the location for each of them. You even have your plants on order or at least started in pots. Good for you! But, you're still not quite ready for the garden. What do you think you're going to plant those lovely little violets and alyssum and squash and beans in? The ground, duh! Okay. A smart-aleck answer to a smart-aleck question. But it's a question that really does require an answer. Yes, we'll plant in...
Last week gave us a taste of what’s coming. Warm weather…SPRING! This is the season of planting so we can enjoy the delightful results of our labors later. But planting really isn’t quite as simple as just sticking plants in the ground. If you haven’t planned your garden yet, either flowers or vegetables, your may not have the right plants for the right spaces when it comes time to stick them in the ground. Some plants are intended just for enjoyment. We plant to view and relish the beauty or maybe for the wonderful aromas a flower-...
The 1950's. Turbulent. Fearful. Korean War. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Communist threat - Communists have infiltrated the government and there's a Communist under every rug and behind every door. Russia and China have acquired the atomic bomb. More fear. Something has to be done! Ta Ta Da. Ta Ta Da. Ta Ta Da. Hollywood to the rescue! Enter the era of the "Big Bug" science fiction movies. Dr. Raymond Cloyd, Professor and Extension Specialist, Horticultural Entomology/Plant Protection, from...
Told by Mike Heath Alan Chubak now lives Murray, Utah, but not always. While I was at the Wyoming Bee College Saturday morning (working on another article) I was attracted to some unusual bee boxes at a vendor's table. What made them so unusual was the intricate carving all around the boxes. They were so uncommon that I was willing to wait until the vendor returned to his booth. He was teaching a class for the Bee College and was due to return shortly before lunch. I finally found Albert looking...
As I write this, the fifth annual Wyoming Bee College is "in the can". What a success! There were 275 attendees this year from all over the west. The event started with the Bee University on Friday. The highlight of the Bee University were the classes on Apitherapy, the art and science of using bee stings and bee venom as medical therapy. Scott and Kelsey Johnson from Newcastle are second year beekeepers and found the curriculum to be not only informative, but exciting. Like so many, they...
Mark your calendars for April 14th and 15th for the Gardening for Success 2018 Regional Conference. This two-day event is for everyone who is serious about learning how to grow and take care of plants. Discussions on everything from lawns to trees will be found here. The conference includes classes on soil, flowers, herbs, trees, disease diagnostics and even culinary uses for some of our favorite plants. Day 1 starts off with a discussion on edible landscapes with Scott Skogerboe where you can have your palate enticed by the lovely plants in...
Time for what, you may ask. Well, the first day of spring is March 20th and that means it's nearly time to start those new plants, so they'll be ready to set out once the weather warms up. In fact, it's time now to start thinking about what seeds you're going to buy and where are you going to plant them when they are ready. As you go through this process, you'll need to answer a few questions. To begin with, you'll need to know where you want to put plants. Are the areas sunny, shady or maybe...
The Bee-Event of the year, the Wyoming Bee College, is coming to the Laramie County Community College March 17-18. No, it isn't a school for bees. It's for anybody and everybody who wants to learn more about beekeeping and bees in general. This two-day event features sessions on a wide variety of topics from beginning and advanced beekeeping to bee diseases and how to garden to attract bees and other pollinators. There are even sessions on processing honey and wax. Bees are too often thought of...