Hello Fellow Readers, At last, it’s the official start of spring! One of the chores many delve into, along with their spring cleanup, is freshening up their mulch. John from Andover asked what mulch he should use. Last week we spoke about the trend in using cocoa mulch but learn

Hello Fellow Readers, Ready to dig in? A rule of thumb is eight weeks before the last frost date (typically May 19th here in Northern New Jersey) is the time to start seeds indoors. I don’t know about you, but I am counting on normal despite our crazy winter! Hence I plan to start see

Hello fellow readers, We’ve flipped the calendar to March which means we are getting close to the new beginning of spring! We’re all more than ready for a jump start. It’s exciting that the Springfest Garden Show held at the Sussex County Fairground in Augusta is only a few days away.

Hello fellow readers, This is getting silly – another 15 inches of snow followed by an icy wintery mix! John from Blairstown stopped while I was walking Ellie during the latest one-two punch and said, “You get an A for effort!”  Thanks, John, I like to think of myself as an achi

Hello fellow readers, Mr. Wooly Bear Caterpillar sure predicted this winter spot-on!  Jane from Bangor asked if our single digits and snow cover will help reduce bugs.  Wouldn’t that be a well-deserved outcome after all of this brrrrr!   They say invasive insects may be more susceptib

Hello fellow readers, Several of you like the idea of standing tall while picking vegetables and are intrigued by the decorative possibilities of vertical gardens. Ted from Allamuchy uses a cattle panel arched in half so he can walk under it and secures each corner with T-posts – Wall

Hello fellow readers, Oh, goodie! Garden catalogs are here to tease our fancy and tickle our toes. Not sure what toes have to do with it, but it sounds exciting. And it is! John from Hope asked whether to grow veggies in those newfangled vertical garden “systems” and bags.

Hello fellow readers, Last week we spoke about sunflower seed being one of the best seeds to attract the widest varieties of birds. Rachel, who lives in Stillwater, NJ, asked for other bird feeding tips, such as which kind of Sunflower seed is best. There are two types of sunflower se

Hello fellow readers, Winter weather can be for the birds bringing the desire to feed and watch the antics of backyard birds. Emma and Josh of Mt. Bethel, PA, asked if they should buy a certain seed.  They bought a seed mix, and after several days, only a few birds showed up. I’ll hav

Hello fellow readers, Not a single write-in this week, but I won’t take it personally.  No doubt you’re up to your eyeballs in the fa la la la la of the holidays, so if I may ask a question about the timing of my 15-year old Christmas cactus, which has bloomed well before