Every once in awhile I get to work with really, really cool people who do really, really cool work. This is one of those times. About a year ago I received a message from Dr. Stephanie Valberg, a Professor over at the University of Minnesota’s Equine Center. It seems that she was interested in looking at a deadly disease called Seasonal Pasture Myopathy which she thought might have something to do with horses ingesting maple leaves. … Continue reading this article “A Note To Horse Owners”
Author: jeffgillman003
Cold Weather Discussion
Next Monday Nov. 19th, we’re going to have a google+ discussion (that means digital cameras) on getting ready for cold weather. It will be scheduled for 2:00 Central, 3:00 Eastern, 1:00 Mountain, and 12:00 Pacific. It will be Linda, Myself, and a few other people. If you have any interest in participating, or any burning questions, please drop me a line at gillm003@umn.edu. We’d like to get three or four people from cold climates on with us!… Continue reading this article “Cold Weather Discussion”
Vacation in Colorado and Washington
Wow, election week. Maybe your candidate(s) won, maybe not. To be perfectly honest I’m not really sure that we know whether we’ve won or not until they actually take office and start doing things. Along with the candidates, you probably also had the opportunity to vote for other things, like whether your state constitution should include an amendment saying that a marriage should be between a man and a woman or whether IDs should be required for voters to vote (those were the two on the Minnesota ballots).… Continue reading this article “Vacation in Colorado and Washington”
An Interesting Idea
This past week one of our loyal followers, Karen, sent me a link to a New York Times Article by Mark Bittman. I have read articles by Bittman before and have found them to be kind of a mixed bag, some good, some not so good (but then I suppose many of you could say the same thing about my articles – so I’m not complaining). Anyway, this article was good. It discusses a study conducted in Iowa which demonstrated that growing different crops over time is healthier for the soil, reduces inputs like fertilizer and pesticides, and increases yields.… Continue reading this article “An Interesting Idea”
Fruits and Plains
Recently there have been a number of plant related books that have done really well in terms of sales. Brother Gardeners is one and What A Plant Knows is another. Personally, I think both of these books are nice additions to any horticulturists bookshelf. But there are always those books that have been forgotten. One of those books is Fruits and Plains: The Horticultural Transformation of America by Philip J. Pauly. Published in 2008 this is an accurate history (much more accurate that anything by Pollan for example — Not that Pollan writes bad stuff, but let’s face it, he’s a storyteller) of the evolution of horticulture in the United States over the past few hundred years — If you really want to know the history of horticulture here in the US then this is probably the best place to start. … Continue reading this article “Fruits and Plains”
Pennsylvania is for…..Snake Oil?
This year at the Philadelphia Flower Show there were a few groups talking about compost tea. Meadow Brook Farm, a farm owned by the Pennsylvania State Horticultural Society is one, and another is F2, a company that provides “Scientific Soil Management”. Apparently they do things that are good for the soil, though the “method” section of their website is a little too vague for me. They also offer pictures of the results they’ve had with compost tea on a few different projects. … Continue reading this article “Pennsylvania is for…..Snake Oil?”
Why I Don’t Worry Too Much About Organic Fruits and Veggies
Let me tell you something you already know. If you grow something in your own garden you’ll know exactly what poisons were or weren’t put on it, how much fertilizer was used, and furthermore it will taste better.
If you buy your apples from the guy down the street who you’ve known for 20 years you’ll be able to ask him what he used to grow the crop, why he used it, and you’ll have the satisfaction of supporting a local industry. … Continue reading this article “Why I Don’t Worry Too Much About Organic Fruits and Veggies”
Poisoned bird seed and trust
Over the years I’ve said some nice things about Scotts Miracle-gro products, such as one of their potting soils, and some not so nice things, such as with their Round-up resistant Kentucky bluegrass. I’ve never thought of them as a particularly good or particularly bad company, just a company trying to do the best it could while being reasonably honest about what it was doing (You could argue that they tried to pull something fancy with the Round-up resistant Kentucky bluegrass, but I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they were just exploiting an obvious governments loophole – not exactly good, but hey, it’s a dog eat dog world out there).… Continue reading this article “Poisoned bird seed and trust”
Wandering in the Woods
This past week a friend of mine, Carol Reese, an Extension Specialist at the University of Tennessee (and one of my favorite speakers), told me that she’d like to post a little something about natives. I said sure, no problem, just send it along. And she did. But before posting it sometime next week, I thought I’d post another article that she sent along — one that isn’t quite so sciency and which will let you get to know Carol before you hear what she has to say about natives.… Continue reading this article “Wandering in the Woods”
Tomatoes, Dingleberry Deer, and the Goose Poop
Do you ever get annoyed right after you eat a nice, ripe, homegrown tomato at those little pieces of tomato skin that get caught in your teeth, or even against the roof of your mouth? Sure, the tomatoes are worth it, but those little pieces of skin can drive me up the wall for hours afterwards, especially after eating a bunch of cherry tomatoes.
This post is about how I learned to get rid of those little tomato bits.… Continue reading this article “Tomatoes, Dingleberry Deer, and the Goose Poop”