There about 70 species of Hydrangeas and over 500 cultivars, which are split into many different groups, the two groups gardeners are most familiar with are Mopheads Hydrangea shrubs and Lacecaps Hydrangea shrubs. The Mophead Hydrangea flowers are what we are more familiar with when we think of Hydrangea shrubs. 

The Mophead Hydrangea flowers are the big showy snowballs of flowers, whereas, the Lacecap Hydrangeas are much less showy, usually flat in appearance. Both are apart of the bigleaf hydrangea variety (Hydrangea macrophylla), which can reach a height of 8 feet tall. Mophead Hydrangea flowers can vary in color depending on the soil pH.

Hydrangeas are going to perform best in locations that get early morning sun and dapples of light throughout the day. Avoid garden locations that are hot and dry will be beneficial for optimum growth and health. If these conditions are unavoidable add plenty of compost and mulch to

It's that time of year when many of the foods native to the Americas come out to shine in all their glory on our holiday tables. The history behind these foods goes back thousands of years and are apart of a long history of crop domestication in the Americas.

Take for instance one of the world's most popular crops, corn. Corn was domesticated thousands of years ago through selective breeding of the best-sized kernels from a plant called teosinte. Over time like many of our crops, they have been bred to what we know of them today.

Other crops that are native to the Americas that we use during our holiday meals are Turkeys, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins to name a few.

Vaccinium macrocarpon

I want to focus on Cranberries, or at least Vaccinium macrocarpon. This is the main species grown for production in North America, and mostly

A windbreak is a planting of one or more rows of trees, usually of a diverse set of species to provide shelter from the wind and prevent soil erosion. Below I will be talking about the trees, the benefits, and goals when choosing a windbreak on your property.

Why a windbreak?

Planting a windbreak on your property not only helps save money on yearly energy bills but with the right planning, a windbreak can be very astatically pleasing.  Overtime windbreaks can improve the value of your home. A good windbreak can also provide habitat for wildlife and even food crops. By mixing in multiple species of trees, shrubs, and herbs into a mini-ecosystem windbreak can become a bit more resistant to diseases and other stressors.

Often, when thinking of windbreaks, the first pictures that come to mind are of perfectly manicured and

The 13 essential elements for plants from A to Z. 

Starting with the big three: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. 

There are few elements that we hear about more than N-P-K, it is on every bag of fertilizer and some soil mixes. Those are considered the big three of all the elements which are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Knowing how each of these major nutrients, and how they affect the growth, ripening, and other processes of plants are crucial to success.

Followed after N-P-K are the secondary nutrients, Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulfur. When growing tomatoes, observing the calcium levels, and adjusting properly prevents diseases that can wreak havoc without. Out of these nutrients, calcium does a lot to aid in the building of cell walls, magnesium holds importance

Lettuce is a fast-growing green that can be grown year-round indoors and out.

It will grow best in the garden with cooler growing conditions, leaving a crisper and fresher taste. Rows can be spaced very close together, about 2’’ apart for loose-leaf lettuce, or plants can be given more space to grow out into full heads. It’s often recommended to start the season off with a few full heads. Once temperatures warm up in the summer, grow loose-leaf lettuce in a partial sun location.

To grow a winter crop for those in colder northern states, start full-size head seeds in late summer and early fall. Starting the lettuce in late fall gives it enough time to obtain 70% of its full growth before light hours shorten too much for ideal growth. Utilizing cold frames, grow tunnels, or other sheltered locations can also extend the growing season for lettuce into the winter.

There are a lot of different ways to gr

To become a great house plant parent is to master the art of the soil. It's really not even soil, but a soilless medium made up of different components and often made to tailor to each individual plant's need.

There are components meant to provide water retention such as coconut coir, sphagnum moss, peat moss, and slightly vermiculite. The latter of the three starts to cross over into components that provide drainage.

Drainage is super vital, providing oxygen down to the roots through the flow of water during watering. But even having good drainage will not support the best of house plants. We need to also have fluff in our soil, and this is where we use perlite.

Almost all nurseries use perlite, and it is in most potting mixes on the market we see today. It keeps soil mixes light, fluffy, and airy to allow the flow of water and the exchange of gases to root systems. Perlite is manufactured by the heating volcanic glass

STARTING SEEDS WITH KIDS

One of the best ways to build curiosity in kids is by allowing them to engage in activities that get their hands dirty and get to observe the progress over time. Gardening can spark so much interest and starting seeds with kids is a wonderful way to build that curiosity. 

Now let’s get those hands dirty. Most of us should remember cutting up an old milk carton, adding a bit of potting soil, and sprouting a bean. Usually accompanied by reading jack and the giant beanstalk. Today there are so many amazing books to check out that talk about gardening and growing. 

Remember it was that simple, an old milk carton, some potting mix, and a seed. Or a handful. Let’s not forget some light and water. Those plants will not grow in a dark room or without water. So, find the sunniest place you have and decide how much space this project will take up and go for it.

Did you know that you can create beautify landscapes that are also edible?

Creating a green landscape enhances any walkways or entryways into homes and buildings, but did you know that there are many plants you can use that will produce both a beautiful aesthetic while being edible and highly nutritious.

You’ve probably seen these ornamental edible gardens without even knowing so, often in urban settings. However, I don’t recommend going and picking out the greens from these places for a lot of reasons, but I do recommend trying to grow your own.

I do notice a lot of different kales, lettuces, mustards, and other greens as well as edible flowers that are arranged in large planters or along walkways in the cities. They range from bright greens to deep greens with purples to complete purple, yellow, red, and blue.

let us

As we make our way into the middle of August the abundance in our gardens grows, space becomes limited both on the kitchen counter and inside the fridge. Currently, in the garden, the zucchini plants have overgrown their allotted space and need to be trimmed back to allow room for the cucumbers and tomatoes to flourish into fall.

To clean up an overgrown zucchini plant you can either rip it out and compost the whole plant. however, I sometimes will locate where the plant originates from the soil, and from that point, I remove leaves down the stem until you find a portion of the zucchini sprouting adventurous roots into the soil.

These roots will look white and will stand out by their lack of chlorophyll. these roots should be anchoring the stem to the ground and enough of them to support the new cutting. Make a second cut behind the adventurous roots and pull out the section you cut. Now

Essentials of the urban chicken keeper.

There has been an increase in both interest and number of backyard chickens moving into our urban centers. This was true before COVID19 and even more so now. 2020 has been a crazy year, and maybe you never thought this was going to happen, but here we are talking about what you need to start your urban flock of chickens. As beginners the best way to get off to a good start is to make sure you have everything ready for your birds before they show up, this will make for a happy transition into your backyard homestead. 

These are the essential things needed in your backyard chicken coop and outdoor run to keep a happy and healthy backyard flock. These items were gained from my experience keeping chicken in my urban backyard.  

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