GardenSpotlight

After reading the editor’s article from a recently published issue of The Columbia Insider regarding organic vs. conventional foods , I decided to research the recent study published by Stanford University last September which reported that there are no significant differences in nutrition between organically and conventionally raised produce .   This has been a very heated topic as I see and hear from many of my patrons at the local farmers’ markets what their beliefs are.   Some consumers are open minded and willing to learn the differences and what each farmers’ growing practices are while others only care about organic food and will not even entertain what a "non-organic" or conventional farmer has to say.   One customer last fall shouted at me that the Stanford study had been refuted and quickly walked away without letting me speak.   She must have read the article atThe Huffington Post .    I could dissect both articles, but that is beyond the scope of this commentar

Container Gardens for Indoor and Out We have been covering recently about how to develop indoor gardens for your homes.   In the greenhouse for spring sales, we plant and grow many different mixed containers.    Many times I just create as I go, placing whatever suits my mood at the time.   We sell a lot of ready-made containers, but we also have a lot of gardeners coming in to purchase plants for containers they wish to design themselves.   I am asked all the time which plants work well together, how should the containers be planted or what do I think looks good together?     It is easy to be overwhelmed when you visit your local garden center or greenhouse, so it helps to have some idea of what size planter you need, what colors you need and whether you are placing the container in a sunny location or shade.   Take a look at your home or wherever you are placing your container gardens.    In front of a larger home you can probably use a larger planter.   Take note of where the

“Reggie Mourning wears a Marine Corps sweatshirt and two 9-millimeter pistol rounds on a chain around his neck. There’s an M14 round hanging from his keychain. His tour of duty with a mortar unit in Vietnam was long in the past, but never really ended. After coming home, he worked for years as a trucker with the jagged rhythms of the war zone wired into his brain — sometimes barreling cross-country, drunk and stoned, with only his dog as a companion. In 2007, sick, exhausted, on his way to becoming homeless, he made it to the substance abuse program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center near Newark. “(New York Times, November 30, 2009) So what does this have to do with gardening?   Plenty!   Gardening is therapeutic for many, military or not.   It’s a chance to play in the dirt, get back to basics and just…be.   Not only that, but I would guess that for veterans, it provides familiarity.   The familiarity provided by taking care of   the plants as they did their comrades in wa

Creating a cozy indoor garden for your home is easier than you think.   All it takes is a little ambition and creativity.   You’ll need to keep in mind the climatic area of the room you are working with.   How much light does it have?   How much heat is available?   These are things that will affect the selection of plants for that particular area.   A southern exposure window gives the best light, without it being too hot.   If your room is very hot and dry, then you may want to add a source of humidity, such as a humidifier or simply place shallow pans of water with pebbles under the plants.   As the water evaporates, it will add the necessary humidity into the air surrounding the plants.   The latter is also very decorative and gives you a chance to play with colors, shapes and groupings of plants.   If your room does not have enough light, there are lights made specifically for plants that you can purchase. You should be able to find these at your local garden center. It’s a