I’ve had an ongoing problem over the last couple of years with aphids eating the tender summer growth on my Acer triflorum. Summer growth is the second surge that the tree puts on, and each year the aphids have distorted the leaves and made the last new growth of the season look pretty sad. The [...]

Usually I see the tents much earlier in the season, but then again a lot of things usually happen earlier in the season than has happened this year. Today I saw my first tent caterpiller tent. They were engulfing tiny apples on a nearby apple espalier. Hmmm…I don’t think I’ve seen them tent around actual [...]

Recently, a friend recommended Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon to me. How I haven’t read this book before baffles me. I mean, its been in print since 1981 for goodness sakes! Still, I’ve got a copy of the 6th edition sitting on my desk, and I’m finding it a wonderful read. Not [...]

J. Steele of New Boston, TX asks,
We have two pecan trees in back yard. caterpillows, cut worms or something is making nests and harming trees. IS THERE ANY WAY TO GET RID OF THEM WITHOUT USING DANGEROUS CHEM.?
J - I’ll start off by suggesting you bring out an arborist or horticulturist in your area to [...]

One of the top questions of the summer is, “How can I beat mosquitos without using lots of bug sprays?”.
 Well, there are a lot of things to try, but those pestering little buggers are difficult to fully irradicate. One tiny bit of standing water — in your garden or on neighboring property — can turn [...]

I always dreamed of having a peach tree in my garden. When I was a child growing up on a farm, we didn’t have peaches, but I always wanted them. So, just after we bought our first home, I visited a local nursery to buy a tree for the new garden. I bought the tree [...]