Crossroads GardeningThe Gardening-at-the-Crossroads blog is our way of keeping our readers informed about the ever changing seasons of the garden. Jul 3, 2009, Garden ToolsThere are basic garden tools that every gardener should have. Permalink -- click for full blog post Jul 3, 2009, Chainsaw SafetyA quick recap of chainsaw safety tips to avoid injuring yourself. Permalink -- click for full blog post May 14, 2009, Plant nutrition question
Reila from Washington State asks- "Why is plant nutrition study so important and how do people study it?" May 14, 2009, FertilizerMake your plants grow with the right fertilizer Permalink -- click for full blog post Mar 26, 2009, beginning gardenersAdvice for beginning gardeners to get growing right! Permalink -- click for full blog post Mar 21, 2009, Seed transplantingCathy and Neal spent part of the afternoon transplanting seedlings. Most of the seedlings were started in mid February and are coming along nicely. We are of two schools of thought when it comes to transplanting seedlings. Cathy usually plants the flowers and Neal plants the veggies. Planting and transplanting tomatoes and pepper plants are pretty straight forward. The seeds are big and it's easy to space them out. The flowers are another story. The seeds from the impatiens that Cathy carefully collected last fall are very small. Consequently, the plants that sprouted are rather close together and harder to separate. Here's where the difference of opinion comes. Neal is a survival of the fittest person. Select only the best specimens and get rid of the rest. Cathy wants to try and save every plant and nurture it in the belief that every plant will grow equally well, given the chance. The peppers and tomatoes are easy to grasp and transplant, the impatiens, not so much. Cathy has smaller fingers and more patience to separate and plant the small plants, Neal doesn't. So it ends up that Neal leaves the detail work to Cathy and comes up from the basement to write this blog entry! Mar 18, 2009, What's the temperature today?Temperature is an important thing for gardeners to know and be aware of all year long. Permalink -- click for full blog post Mar 5, 2009, Community Supported AgricultureCommunity Supported Agriculture may be an idea whose time has come. Permalink -- click for full blog post Feb 27, 2009, Gardening with kids grows memories that will last a lifetime!Gardening with kids grows memories that will last a lifetime! Permalink -- click for full blog post Feb 26, 2009, Childrens Gardening BooksA selection of childrens gardening books to help you introduce the joys of gardening to your children. Permalink -- click for full blog post Feb 26, 2009, Fun vegetables to interest and entertain your childrenThese fun vegetables will help you and your child grow a garden that's entertaining and educating. Permalink -- click for full blog post Feb 12, 2009, Fruit Tree CareIf you live in NE Ohio and are interested in or have fruit trees, here is an event you might be interested in. Mapleside Farms in Brunswick is hosting a one day seminar on fruit tree care and pruning. It will be held from 9:00 to 11:00 am on Saturday, March 28th. The cost is $12.00. Run by the Eissen family, Mapleside Farms is a restaurant, bakery and orchard set on a hillside with a spectacular view of the orchards and surrounding area. To reserve your spot, call them at 330-225-5577. Jan 28, 2009, ... and it's STILL SNOWING!Well, Mother Nature kept us from going to Chicago a few weeks ago so we signed up for the Central Environmental Nursery Trade Show (CENTS) in Columbus, Ohio, just a short two hour drive from the Crossroads Garden. We were going to drive down this morning, but a winter storm has dropped over 12" of snow over Northern Ohio since last night! So instead, we were clearing a lot of global warming from the drive and the schools were closed. At least we were spared the ice that has affected so many south of us, keep those unfortunate souls in your prayers and hope for a speedy recovery. Jan 15, 2009, It's Brutally Cold!We had hoped to be reporting to you from the Mid-American Horticultural Trade Show today. Unfortunately, the brutally cold temperatures and snow made a drive to Chicago inadvisable. The Mid-American is one of the largest trade shows for the gardening industry and a great place to see the new offerings by plant breeders as well as all of the cool new gardening items that will be at your local gardening centers this spring. Stay tuned though, we'll hopefully be able to attend the Central Environmental Trade Show in Columbus, Ohio in a couple of weeks. Only 63 days till Spring... Jan 8, 2009, PollinatorsPollinators are an important part of your garden's ecosystem. Permalink -- click for full blog post Jan 8, 2009, HouseplantsHouseplants add another dimension to your gardening experience, brightening the indoors. Permalink -- click for full blog post Jan 8, 2009, Indoor gardening allows you to bring nauture indoorsYou can bring nauture indoors with indoor gardening. From the window sill pot to an advanced hydroponics system there is something for everyone to enjoy. Permalink -- click for full blog post Jan 8, 2009, Christmas CactusCare and feeding of your Christmas cactus Permalink -- click for full blog post Dec 22, 2008, Traditions
Well, it's the week of Christmas here at the Crossroads Garden. We had our first temps in the single digits last night and a little snow. It looks like it will be a semi-white Christmas although rain is forecast for Wednesday. One of our family traditions is to have family and friends over the house on Christmas Eve. We usually visit the West Side Market in Cleveland in the morning and get all the fixins. This is a grand old market with individual vendors selling fruits and vegetables outside and everything else inside. The blend of ethnic foods has changed over the years. Where there were once vendors selling European delicacies, many of these have been replaced with Middle Eastern or Hispanic delicacies- stuffed grape leaves, falafel and empanadas. Chorizo has replaced Kielbasa in some, but not all of the stands. Due to work schedules (Neal has to work Wednesday morning) we will go there today and gather what we need for Christmas Eve. Our first stop is the stand that sells bratwurst sandwiches on a hard roll with sauerkraut- the breakfast of champions! We will browse the stalls where you can still see pig and goat heads on display along with fresh baked bread. Freshly ground peanut butter, poultry and sausages of every type abound. We will end up with bags stuffed with packages wrapped in white butcher's paper and head home. The girls always get a pomegranate or two and some Clementine's and we'll get some blue, purple sweet and yellow potatoes for a gratin. Maybe we will get some salt cod and make Bacala. We hope that you will have time to spend with family and friends continuing or creating new traditions this holiday season. Dec 21, 2008, First day of winter- brrrr!
Well the first day of winter is living up to it's name. Cold and dropping to single digits tonight with a bit of snow. Not enough snow to use the new snow blower, but that's a good thing. Every day without snow is a day closer to spring! A lot of people are saddened by the "shortest day" or Winter Solstice (December 21st). Here at the Crossroads Garden, we look at it as "hump day." This is the day when daylight theoretically starts it's uphill march again. We hope you had a great year in the garden and want to wish all of our gardening friends greetings of the season with a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Cathy and Neal. Dec 2, 2008, PotatoThe Potato has a place in your garden Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 27, 2008, Black FridayVisit our partners for special deals for the Black Friday weekend! Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 25, 2008, Gardening HistoryGardening history dates from the times of our early ancestors Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 25, 2008, EasyBloom Plant SensorHaving a problem getting your plants to grow? The EasyBloom plant sensor can help! Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 17, 2008, Rain BarrelsRain barrels are a great way to conserve resources Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 17, 2008, MulchMulch can help you maintain and beautify your garden and save you time and labor! Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 17, 2008, HostasHostas are versatile plants that can be used in any landscape. Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 17, 2008, Landscape GardeningUsing landscape gardening to beautify yor property and increase the value of your home Permalink -- click for full blog post Nov 17, 2008, Why we garden..."Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's forthcoming attractions." Albert Einstein Nov 4, 2008, Interesting concept in urban gardeningUSA Today had a interesting article about urban gardening that combines many small plots to produce large yields that are shared amongst the people that participate in the program.
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