Easy to make and perfect when served with seasoned meat just off the grill. Ingredients 1 c Diced Watermelon (Seeds removed) 3⁄4 c Diced Strawberries 1⁄4 c Diced Red Onion 2 T Chopped fresh mint leaves 2 T Diced Seeded Jalapeno Chile 1 T Lime Juice 1 t Sugar (Optional, to taste) Instructions Gently stir together all ingredients in bowl. Let stand to blend flavors, about 1 hour. For a dynamite combination, serve salsa with Caribbean or jerk seasoned grilled …
Fall for Roses?
Are you looking for some late season color or something to fill a gap in a shrub or perennial border where a plant was lost or under performing due to last winter? It is time to consider roses. Yes, ROSES! Roses are traditionally promoted as spring items, especially as gifts for Mother’s Day, but the late summer/fall season, from August 15 until September 15, is actually perhaps the best season to plant new roses, or to transplant existing ones. As we …
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Irises
How to Grow Iris: Irises should be planted in July, August, September. It is imperative that the roots of the newly planted iris be well-established before the growing season ends. Irises need at least half a day of sun. Be sure to provide good drainage, planting either on a slope or in raised beds. Ideal PH is 6.8 (slightly acidic). Irises should be planted so the tops of the rhizomes are exposed and the roots are spread out facing downward …
Why Doesn’t my Hydrangea Bloom?
Many customers ask why their hydrangeas aren’t blooming. The primary reasons hydrangeas don’t bloom are incorrect pruning, bud damage due to winter and/or early spring weather, location and too much fertilizer. Let’s start with pruning… Hydrangea varieties can be of the type that blooms on old wood, new wood or both. Old wood is the current year’s growth and new wood is next year’s (spring) growth. Say you purchased a Nikko Blue Hydrangea this year. Nikko’s produce blooms in the fall for next …
Grafted vs. Own-Root Roses, So What’s the Big Deal?
Most roses grown for sale to homeowners are produced by grafting the desired rose variety onto a rooted understock of a different rose variety, often Dr. Huey or Multiflora for northern climates, or fortuniana in southern or western climates. There are several reasons this is done: Growers are able to obtain many more propagation materials by taking bud eyes to graft versus cuttings to root, which can be especially important when there is high demand for a new variety. It …
Fresh Tomato Salsa
This is a great way to use all those fresh tomatoes from your garden. Serve with tortilla chips. INGREDIENTS: 3 cups chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup onion, diced 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (including seeds) 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper DIRECTIONS: Stir the tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, cumin, salt, and …
Harvesting and Preserving Herbs
Extending the Flavors of Herbs from Your Garden It is hard to beat the savory tastes and bold scents of fresh herbs. Michigan winters make it difficult to have fresh herbs. However, preserving them is a great way to enjoy your favorite herbs until next spring. We have a good selection of the most popular herbs now available at the store. The majority of herbs should be harvested in early morning when the oil responsible for their flavor and aroma …
Join Team Green with Kale, Swiss Chard and Spinach
Eating these three amazing green nutritional superstars, kale, swiss chard and spinach, will help you enhance your palate and your body as well. These greens can be added to almost any dish and will enhance the look of your main course while accentuating it’s flavor. When eaten regularly, these three leafy green vegetables can help you to live a healthier life. When it comes to greens, the darker the better. Leafy greens contain vitamins and fiber which are said to help prevent lung …
What is frost, and what does it mean for your garden?
Ice crystals form at temperatures below 32°F, when water vapor condenses out of the air and settles on a cool surface, such as your garden beds or garden plants. Frost is just a frozen form of dew, and it damages plants by freezing the water inside the plant cells, which then burst and die. A light frost can occur at 30-32°F. There’s a touch of white on the ground, but it’s short-lived; as soon as the sun hits it, it’s …
Fried Green Tomatoes
Even though the 1991 chick flick with the same name leads us to believe that Fried Green Tomatoes originated in the south, the history of this “either love ’em or hate ’em” side dish is forever one of my favorites. Matter of fact, it would be something I would request as part of my last meal. It seems this delicious dish did not originate in the south! According to food historian and writer, Robert Moss, it appears that fried green …