For many years I have had fun surprising my gardening friends by inter-planting my shrubs and flowers with vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and others. That is until I moved to a house located in a heavily wooded area where sun was a valuable commodity. That’s when I discovered that many wild edible plants, like mayapples and fiddlehead ferns, happily grow in partial shade. Since some “noxious weeds” also like the same habitat, I thought it might be interesting to attempt growing some edible “weeds” in my garden. My maternal grandmother would always gather wild greens in the spring from farm fields and woodlots. She made them into a “spring tonic” and, as I recall, they had the same effect as a good dose of castor oil. She did teach me, however, to appreciate the value of these wayside plants both from an edibility and medicinal…
Author: Former Members
Benefits of a Rain Barrel
Rainwater harvesting is always beneficial, whether the water is used to water one houseplant or an entire garden. Also, the act of collecting rainwater can be an inspiration to other water conservation activities around the house. When deciding on a rainwater harvesting system, you will want it to be as large as you can afford and your location will allow. Most homeowners use 55-gallon rain barrels. There are containers that are 300 gallons or less that are affordable and small enough to fit on most residential or commercial lots. The photograph shows Gwinnett Master Gardener Sue Shaw’s 55-gallon rain barrel that she installed at her home. Although one 55-gallon rain barrel may not provide all the water needed to sustain your plant material, it can certainly supplement any rain we may or may not receive. Planter beds, vegetable or flower gardens and potted plants can easily be irrigated with the…
Mycorrhizas
FUNGUS Fungi are neither plant nor animals but a very different type of organism. They do not contain chlorophyll or the molecule used in photosynthesis to produce sugars with the help of sunlight. They do not have a root system like that found in trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses. As a result, they cannot manufacture their own food, but, do feed themselves by digesting organic matter. Mushroom hunters are familiar with many of the mycorrhizal fungi characteristics of the north temperate forests; especially basidiomycetes such as gilled mushrooms, chanterelles, boletes, corals, puffballs, and jelly fungi. Mycorrhizas in these forests have a small percentage of ascomycetes such as morels, truffles, cup fungi, and elfin saddles. Lesser known of the more common mycorrhizal fungi are the zygomycetes, relatives of black bread mold. Fungi can be divided into three basic categories based on their relationship to their environment: Parasitic fungi that live off…