Honey Facts From Master Gardener David Wall
December 24, 2023 – Honey contains 64 calories per tablespoon including 17.25 grams of sugar: much better sugar for you than table sugar, but sugar nevertheless. We all know that honey is good for us if sugar isn’t a problem, but did you also know: Honey contains substances to help your brain to work better. Honey by itself can sustain human life. One spoonful of it will provide sustenance for 24 hours. It...
Frankincense and Myrrh for Christmas From Master Gardener David Wall
December 17, 2023 – We all know the story of the Magi bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to Joseph, Mary and Jesus, but there was always the question of what was it, and why was it so important to warrant giving to the Christ child. Further, why has it been traded as an object of value for thousands of years. Frankincense is tree sap or resin that comes from multiple trees in the Boswellia genus. Trees are tapped,...
Forestry and Survival From Master Gardener David Wall
December 11, 2023 – Forestry and survival have been linked together since the beginning of time. Wood for spears, bows, shields and barriers against enemies, were common even in ancient of times. Wood for rifles, cannons, heat for cooking and hundreds of other uses helped make it possible for us to defeat England and become the start of a great nation. Wood for ships was paramount to early naval support. Such support has...
Try a Winter Garden THIS Winter From Master Gardener David Wall
December 3, 2023 – Most gardeners go hot and heavy from garden prep as early as January to seed start in February or early March through transplanting in spring right on to takedown after the first fall frost. The thought of growing crops through the winter just doesn’t compute! But on the other hand, if it were really, really easy, why not consider it? As it turns out, you can have winter crops and perhaps two sessions before...
Another Good Shade Tree for 2024 From Master Gardener David Wall
There are many great deciduous shade trees for yards. Both red and white oaks, for example, will grow straight and true. Red oaks tend to grow faster. There are several other nice shade trees, but one forwhich you’ve hear very little is the Tulip Tree. The Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is native to eastern North America and gets its common name for its tulip-like flowers. It’s also called canoe...
This and That for November 2023 From Master Gardener David Wall
Please consider buying your honey from locally-based bee keepers. Why? Because a lot of the honey in grocery store may not be real. In some cases, jars contain little or no real honey. In fact, honey is one ofthe most falsified foods available. Even though the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a honey grading system so you can know honey quality, there’s no enforcement system, so producers can put whatever they...
Prescribed Burns From Master Gardener David Wall
As dry weather and forest fuel buildup continue, please consider a prescribed fire or burn, which is any fire purposely set to improve the land in some way. They may be started to reduce fuel buildups, such asbrush, dead leaves or logs on the ground, or to help restore overall health of the land’s ecosystem. A prescribed burn, for instance, might be conducted to prevent a major forest fire from occurring at a latertime. Prescribed...
Is Good Turf Worth the Effort? From Master Gardener David Wall
Many debate the need for quality turf or grass in their yard. While it’s true the EPA reports an average lawn consumes about 10,000 gallons of water over and above rainfall, and a lawn mower operating for one hour equals the amount of pollution emitted by a car driven for about 20miles, there are many benefits. For example, turf saves energy by staying 30 to 40 degrees cooler than bare soil and 50+ degrees cooler than streets, helping...
Consider a Mexican White Oak for Your Yard From Master Gardener David Wall
A superstar tree of which you might not be familiar is the Mexican white oak (Quercus polymorpha), also known as Coahuila oak, Mexican oak, Monterrey oak, Monterrey white oak or net-leaf white oak (underlined being the more common alternative brand names). If you’re looking for a fast growing, hardy shade tree that grows in a multitude of soil types and conditions, this may be the tree for which you’ve been looking. MWO is classified...
This and That for October From Master Gardener David Wall
With tomatoes still ripening on the vine next month and a frost on the near horizon, consider pulling the whole plant up and bringing it inside. Find a warm place to hang them up, and the tomatoes will finishripening. Increasing organic material content greatly increases sol ability to retain water. A goal of increasing organic content to 5% will quadruple the soil’s ability to store water. Healthy soil provideshealthy plants...
