Sara from Oxford NJ asked how to prepare a plot in her backyard for organic vegetable gardening come spring. She suspects the previous owners used chemicals as when they moved in, the lawn "looked like a golf course." Kudos Sara. It's smart to consider the prior use of chemicals when

Hello fellow readers, What a whirlwind trip venturing to Tennessee to attend my nephews’ wedding. Ellie in tow, brother Rick suggested a great walking spot in Knoxville called Lakeshore Park, with spectacular views of the Tennessee River and the Great Smoky Mountains. What a glo

Hello Fellow Readers, As we ready our gardens for the new season of growth, many add fertilizers and other nourishment such as compost and manure. You’ve likely noticed I advocate organic practices so we all may breathe green with a splash of color. Organic farming became known

Hello Fellow Readers, This time of year, what fun it is to peruse seed catalogs. Green beans aren’t only green anymore. And tomatoes come in all sorts of shades and mottled blends of colors. There are even tomatoes that stay green when they’re ripe. Charlotte of Stone Chur

Hello Fellow Readers, Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with garden clubs and participating in their activities. I didn’t realize until digging into history, the magnitude and impact of garden clubs across the country, even the world. The first garden club in America

Hello Fellow Readers, Greetings from Cape May located at the very tip of New Jersey. It’s a joy to walk the streets of the Victorian architecture which has attracted vacationers since the mid-18th century designating Cape May as the country’s oldest seaside resort. Glorious gardens ab

Hello fellow readers, One of the native trees that grace my yard is a shagbark hickory (Carya ovata). Its common name speaks for itself, with shaggy bark that stands out like a sculpture. But a treasure to some can be a nuisance to others. It’s true; the first time a golf ball-sized n

Hello fellow readers, Jeanne of Blairstown NJ shared a gooey dilemma on her peach trees. Both trees have clear jelly-like globs on or near the fruit. Plus, a rust colored goo on some of the branches. One tree has a deep wound at the base of the trunk, yet that’s the tree producing edi

Hello fellow readers, “Are seedless watermelon GMOs?” asked Lois from Tranquility, NJ. The consensus is they aren’t genetically modified, nor are they truly seedless. Summer picnics bring back memories of seed spitting contests. Hard to do nowadays as most watermelon

Hello fellow readers, ‘It looks like a sea anemone!’ wrote Ruth of Hope referring to the alien-looking bright orange thingy with finger-like protrusions found on a cedar tree. Turns out this two-inch slimy blob is caused by a fungi called Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae (wowee; t