Well maybe “blight” isn’t at the top of your list of soup ingredients, but Jo raised an interesting question regarding using produce that may be tainted with disease or isn’t in the best condition; and whether or not such produce is suitable for human consumption:

Interested in a nice accent to enhance your backyard, patio, or deck? How about bringing an element of the great outdoors, indoors? A new garden fountain may be just what you need to offer a decorative effect, along with the relaxing sounds of gently flowing water to any setting in the home or landscape? This article provides a basic garden fountain review for ideas on selecting an indoor or outdoor garden water feature, along with a few tips for avoiding costly mistakes when it comes to choosing a fountain for your home.

You love the idea of growing a garden full of vegetables, flowers, fruits, and herbs, but aren’t excited about pulling weeds, applying chemical pesticides, back-breaking digging, plants that don’t grow well, or toiling away under the merciless summer sun. Well here are my Top 5 Gardening Tips that are guaranteed to ease the pains and multiply the enjoyment and satisfaction that you will reap from growing an incredibly attractive and productive garden.

I received an e-mail today from a gardener in North Carolina who shared some concerns that many of us may have regarding the cold weather that is forecast to strike our gardens over the next few days:

I took advantage of the opportunity to attend the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s (”PASA”) 16th annual conference a couple weekends ago. The Farming for the Future Conference’s theme was “Cultivating Excellence - Farming to Serve the Common Good.”

I also tend to be spontaneous when planning the vegetable garden but I do think that it is important to record the garden’s design and layout, even if it’s after the fact, so that you have a record that you can refer back to when planning your future gardens. Or you can take photos of your garden as a record of what was planted when, where, and the results.

The Frost Warnings that were widely scattered across Pennsylvania last night gave me reason for major concern. I had just recently transplanted all of my frost tender heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants out into the garden’s unprotected raised beds.

Providing some type of pea support or a trellis is a good idea when growing sugar snap peas borne on short to medium sized vines. And a strong support system is essential if you choose to grow the taller snow pea and green shell pea varieties.