Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
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Summer's here and with it some habits that many people think are doing good, but in truth aren't. I've decided to take a somewhat different approach this week and speak directly to those of us with small acreages. I'm one with a 10 acre lot that I treat like a micro farm. With two greenhouses, an acre of lavender, a 4,000 square foot vegetable garden, and a five acre pasture with goats, I don't know how else I could describe it. My father-in-law thought I should have been a farmer and maybe...
A few weeks ago I wrote about one of our more invasive species of grass, the dreaded Dalmatian Toadflax. While it is one of our greatest problems, it isn't the only one. Among the list of many plant species that are considered to be invasive there are two others that are at the top of the list with toadflax: cheatgrass and leafy spurge. I was prompted to cover these two plants for two main reasons. The first is the flyer sent out by Catherine Wissner, Laramie County Horticulturalist, to all...
Yummm! Fresh veggies. Absolutely delicious. And where do you get them? Definitely not at the grocery store. Not that the grocery store is bad, but they all have to deal with the logistics of getting the vegetables from the farm to your house. That takes time and a lot of it. The logistics chain of today is pretty good but, out of necessity, it has a lot of links and they all delay the food getting to you. Let's start at the farm. And no, children, your food doesn't come off the grocery store...
What a contrast! Last week as I wrote the article it was still cold. This week we've had temperatures over 90 degrees nearly all week. Maybe summer really has made its appearance after all. At least, summer in Wyoming. Now the question becomes one of what will those extreme temperature fluctuations do to the plants? Unfortunately, not much that is good. All plants need at least a little time to prepare for a change in season. That means that the more gradual the temperature change, the better...
According to the calendar, Friday, June 21st, was the first day of summer. Well...you couldn't prove it by me. The Advanced Master Gardener class was at the University of Wyoming Entomology Lab that day. First, we had to drive through snow on the summit. Then it was rainy and cold all day. Summer? Sure didn't feel like it. I think I'm ready for a little bit of that global warming. This cooler, wetter weather pattern we seem to be stuck in was predicted last winter by Don Day and, once again,...
At the Home & Garden show and at the plant sale last month, one of the questions I was asked frequently was how to grow plants. Not necessarily about seed or maintenance, but containers versus open ground. Most people had interesting stories, but the most common issues that were brought to the forefront were lack of space and landlord requirements. Having lived on an Air Force Base for a large share of my life, I could understand the part about landlord requirements. Space is easy to...
Everybody knows what compost is, right? The black, sticky, smelly, gross stuff that we're told needs to go in our gardens and flower beds? If that's what you think of when you hear the word "compost", you're way off base. Unfortunately, far too many people do think that. In fact, good compost that has been properly prepared has very little if any odor. What you should smell is a fresh, clean, earthy aroma. Compost is a mixture of green vegetation and brown, or dead, vegetation that has been...
If you haven't planted your corn yet, you're late. If you haven't purchased your seed, you're very late. June 1st is the day I set to plant corn because the weather is just so unpredictable before then. This year is no exception. We all know how crazy it's been. Sixty degrees one day followed by 40 the next. Sunny then a period of clouds and rain. June 1st came out bright, sunny and warm. Perfect timing. I jumped out and got the garden ready and just as I was ready to plant, it started raining.....
I've had the honor and pleasure of knowing Lt. Don Hollingshead of the Laramie County Sheriff's Department for about the last four years or so. But what I didn't know until just a couple of years ago was that he and his wife, Sue, are avid gardeners. I had an opportunity to speak with Don after one of our radio shows last year about his gardening and the greenhouse he had built in 2016. He had posted his progress on Facebook and I was enthralled by what he was doing. What I really wanted was a...
I heard a story last week that made me laugh and reminisce on my early days married to Linda. A friend was telling me about a man, a jogger, who was observed jogging along a particular path every few days but would turn off the path at a certain point. He'd be gone for a few minutes then he would reappear with some plants in his hand then would start jogging again. He was always watching to see if he had been observed. The person relating the original story thought it was suspicious and...
I've always been a little bit envious of those people with the beautifully manicured yards. Especially the trees and shrubs. I know I'll never have that because it just doesn't fit my lifestyle or the yard that I want, but I'm still just a touch envious. Although my yard is primarily buffalo grass with a little bit of fescue thrown in for good measure, the trees and shrubs could still use some help. Yes, they've needed pruning for several years, but, frankly, I've been a bit afraid to touch...
Another Home and Garden show is "in the can". All said and done for what I felt was a very, and I mean VERY, hectic and fun weekend. The Master Gardeners staffed a booth just so we could provide information and answer whatever gardening questions people had. Then we were able to add another service. We obtained another area to provide short courses on a variety of topics such as composting, garden art and toadflax, to name a few. I got quite a buzz at the look on people's faces when we told...
It's time! Remember a few weeks ago when I asked if you could smell it? If you could feel it? I was talking about spring. That time of year when life is restored to the earth and the grass starts to turn green again. Spring has a feel and a smell all its own. There isn't much that can compare to it. And now it's time. Spring is here. It's time to start putting all the planning and design that we've been working on all winter into action. To break out the shovels and rakes and hoes and start...
We’ve all heard the old adage, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it’ll change”. Especially our weather. I’ve known for years that was true, but I never really knew why until last week. I was one of a very fortunate few that were able to take a three hour class on weather taught by our very own Don Day of Day Weather. Don is an independent weather forecaster in Cheyenne with an uncanny ability to accurately predict our weather. In fact, when I was a contractor I found myself using his forecasts as my only source of informat...
I've hit the subject of soils pretty hard these last few months and there's a very good reason. Soil is the foundation of everything we do as gardeners, be it home gardening or even commercial. Without good soil, our efforts will be in vain. Most people will look at soil and just see dirt. What is soil, really, and what makes good soil? Good soil is productive. That means it will grow your plants from seedlings, whether flowers or vegetables, into vigorous, healthy, mature plants. Soil starts...
We love it! The clean air, unobstructed views, nothing between us and the North Pole but a few fence posts, and the beauty of the starlit night sky amplified by the lack of artificial light. That’s country living at its best. But, there’s a lot more to it than just the beauty and the wonder of it all. There is a lot of hard work and not just a few hindrances that thwart our enjoyment. Some are just part of life and others…well…others can be our neighbors. There are some common courtesies that come with living in the country that simply make go...
This past weekend more than 200 people attended the 5th Annual Wyoming Bee College at the Laramie County Community College. The Laramie County Extension Service hosts this intensive educational opportunity each year to help citizens, landowners, and those involved in the agricultural community understand bees and their importance to our environment. The conference was developed by our own Laramie County Horticulturalist, Catherine Wissner, and has become so popular that people come from all...
What universe within? Is this a SYFY article now? Not really, but the universe I’m talking looks kind of like a scene right out of a SYFY movie. Yet it is as real as me sitting here in front of the computer. That’s the universe in our soil. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine soil as being a living organism, but once we stop to consider what is really in the soil, it’s easy to imagine this universe that’s right beneath our feet. Let’s start with what soil is. Basically, a combination of non-living and living matter, organic materials and inorgan...
It's in the air. I smelled it this morning. Did you? It's coming. Not quite here yet, but Spring is on the way. I went outside this morning and there was a very different feel and smell to the air. It's not something I can describe, but it's something that I know. Spring and the change of seasons has a certain feel to it. Spring is nearly here. With Spring comes the anticipation of the gardening season and the question now becomes, "What do I do to get ready?". This time of year, there really...
For many years, I was told that bees only liked white and yellow flowers. That they would go to other colored flowers only when the first two were unavailable or in short supply. What a myth to believe in. Nothing could be further from the truth. I also grew up believing that bees were the only insects that provided any significant amount of pollination. Looking back on it, I have no idea where I got those foolish notions. As I grew older (and with age comes wisdom, right?), I began to realize that butterflies, moths and other insects were...
About seventeen years or so ago, I was visiting a neighbor and noticed a very pretty yellow flower in the draw behind his house. I took a closer look at the plant and considered asking if I could dig some up to bring home. I never did and, unfortunately, I learned later that I didn't have to. It came all on its own. Now, my little piece of paradise is covered in Dalmatian Toadflax. I only learned what the plant was about five years ago. All I knew up to that point is that is seemed to be taking...
How did your plants fare this year with the COLD weather? Yes, I know it's February and a bit late to bring this topic up, but maybe not so much. What got me thinking about it is the recent "polar vortex" that hit the eastern two-thirds of the country a few weeks ago. They certainly weren't ready. In 2014, we had our own polar vortex. We went from normal winter weather to "Antarctic" overnight. If you wanted to get rid of your houseplants, that was the night to set them outside. Outdoor plants...
Crevice gardens are a relatively new concept brought to us by the avid rock gardeners from the Czech Republic. The Czechs have been acclaimed as some of the most passionate and enthusiastic rock gardeners in the world. They've taken an age-old garden concept and literally turned it up on edge. The old tried and true concept of rock-gardening uses flat stones (such as flagstone) and "stair-steps" them up a hillside or slope to create planting areas that pretty much look like stairs with plants....
Do you go into the growing season wondering if your vegetables will be able to ripen because of our short growing season? Or maybe you're concerned about that special variety that you wanted to grow, but it looks like it going to take too long? We may have a very short growing season, but that doesn't mean that you have to lose out on that particular vegetable that you really want to have on your table, or in the pantry. There are ways to extend the growing season and add extra weeks, maybe even...
Although January is nearly over, we're still in the cold and flu season. Not to mention the Legislature is still in session and with that comes a lot of talking and more than our fair share of laryngitis, especially for them. In some people it may be welcome when they lose their voice, but at the same time, realistically, it's frustrating for everybody. Not to mention all the other illnesses and ailments that come with this time of year. Aches, pains, sore muscles, etc. If you watch the TV, we...
