Give a tree a hug and celebrate Arbor Day on the last Friday in April.

Don’t let a tight budget stop you from starting seeds indoors. Get creative and involve the whole family in the process.

You decided to save money or perhaps try something new and ordered bare root plants from a catalog or through the internet. Now you are wondering what to do with them once they arrive.

So what do you do when those bare root perennials, shrubs, roses, or fruit plants you ordered arrive before you and your garden are ready or the weather is suitable for planting? Don’t despair you can preserve your investment with minimal effort.

Turn your attention indoors and give those tender annuals overwintering a bit of TLC.

Don’t discard those left over seeds from last season. When properly stored, many seeds can last for years, saving you money when you plan and plant this year’s garden.

Black is the classic color of wardrobes and may soon be a classic in your landscape.

Reduce maintenance and improve your plants’ health by creating large planting beds around trees and shrubs.

Don’t let past problems starting plants from seeds prevent you from partaking in this fun and budget-wise garden activity. A clean start and proper care can be the difference between success and failure.

Carrots, lettuce, begonia and other small seeds can be difficult to plant at the proper spacing. Reduce wasting seeds and time spent thinning seedlings.

Overcrowded, poor flowering and floppy perennials can be invigorated with a shovel and a bit of your time and energy.

Yellowing, speckled leaves and small spider webs are sure signs spider mites have taken up residence in your plants.

Give egg shells and empty egg cartons a second life in your garden. Use them for starting plants from seeds.

Extend your enjoyment of potted and forced tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

Early planting and unseasonably cool wet springs can cause bean and corn seeds to fail to sprout or fully develop. These seeds either rotted or were damaged by corn seed maggot.

A tangle of carrots, ill-formed beets, and non-existent radish roots mean it’s time to add thinning to your gardening list.

Help small children handle the anticipation and adults deal with the stress of the holidays while creating a few homegrown gifts.

Parsley is not just a garnish for your meals. This Vitamin rich herb is a great addition to your garden and recipes.

Reduce your grocery bill this summer by growing a few of your favorite vegetables. And the good news, you don’t need much space to produce enough fresh vegetables for you and your family to enjoy.

Picture this - Your guest reaches over and plucks a sprig of mint from a planter to add to their iced tea or Mojito. Nothing beats the fresh-from-the-garden flavor or fun of ingredients right from your own garden.

Get the whole family involved in growing your own healthful holiday treat. And, believe it or not, it can be quick, easy, nutritional and fun.

Many of us are looking for ways to rid our body of toxins, while improving our eating habits. Asparagus is nature’s own detoxifier and one of the most nutritionally balanced vegetables.

Add a bit of fiber to your garden and diet. Consider growing edible soybeans in this year’s garden.

Don’t throw those peach pits, avocado and grapefruits seeds into the compost pile. Have a little family fun and try growing these into a memory.

Make homegrown onions part of your diet. Their flavor is guaranteed to add zest to your meals and their health benefits include lowering the risk of many cancers.

I have a quiz for you - What is white, red or yellow, can be eaten fresh, fried or even raw and is one of the most important staples of the human diet. If you guessed potato, you are right.

Grow a few healthy snacks for you and your family to enjoy. Carrots have the crunch of chips and crackers without the fat and calories.

Give garden transplants a helping hand as they move from the warm humid greenhouse or inside your home to the harsh outdoors.

It’s time to start reaping the benefits of your spring plantings. So break out the garden fork and get busy harvesting.

Break out the garden fork and get ready to start harvesting onions and potatoes.

Make your holiday meals just a bit more special, decorative, fun, and nutritional with homegrown garnishes.

Don’t let going gluten-free get you down. Include some fresh-from-the-garden vegetables to add flavor to your gluten-free meals.

Heat up your meals and improve your health by adding a few hot peppers to your garden and meal plan.

Save energy and money by growing your own air purifier.

Give your garbage disposal and wallet a rest. Convert kitchen scraps into a nutritious soil additive for your garden while raising bait for your next fishing trip. All you need is a container with drainage holes, shredded paper, red worms and of course kitchen scraps.

Get the most flavor and nutritional value from your garden-fresh vegetables with proper harvesting, storage and preparation.

Take advantage of weekends, holidays and school vacations to get the children in your life involved with vegetable gardening.

Memorial Day is a traditional planting weekend for many of us. Whether you are just getting started, changing out your seasonal displays or finishing up, consider adding sunflowers to your landscape.

As you thumb through catalogues or peruse online seed sources your wish list may be growing. Check your seed inventory before placing your final order.

Whether you are sharing a piece of a favorite plant, a bit of family history, or a shared memory, pass-along plants have long been a part of the gardening tradition.

Plant a gift for dad this Father’s Day and give a gift he can enjoy all season.

One of the biggest plant investments you make for your landscape is your trees. Help insure their longevity by planting them right.

Start with a call to 811 at least three days before digging in. This free service will mark the location of all underground wires. This one call can save you money and even your life.

Double your harvest without increasing your garden space. Try planting short season vegetables like lettuce, radishes and beets between long season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, okra, cabbage, and broccoli. When the short season veggies are ready to harvest, the longer season larger vegetables will need the space.

Don’t let cold soil and late spring frost delay the start to your garden season.

The soil has finally warmed and it is time to get pumpkins, melons, squash and cucumbers in the ground.

Tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are sure signs of spring. Get busy now planting a bit of beauty and color for next spring’s garden.

Use shrubs in the landscape for extra color, a bit of privacy and year round beauty.

Are you like me and always squeeze in that extra tomato plant, another row of beans or that one left over pepper plant? It seemed like a good idea at the time. But now you have more produce than you need.

Try a bit of preventative care in this year’s garden. You’ll increase your landscape’s beauty and productivity with less work on your part.

Be a part of history and save money when planting next year’s garden. Collect and save the seeds from your favorite heirloom tomatoes this fall.

Be a part of history and save money when planting next year’s garden. Collect and save the seeds from your favorite heirloom tomatoes this fall.

Whether you are trying to start plants from seeds, get your African violets to bloom, or keeping your indoor plants alive, a bit of extra light can help.

Do you have trouble properly spacing the small seeds of carrots, radishes or lettuce? It's easy to end up with half the package in one short row. This is a waste of seed and time spent thinning.

Don’t panic if your garden plans are bigger than the available planting space. I have some space saving techniques that can help you get the most out of your landscape.

You can start your summer garden months before the traditional planting date. Start cannas, dahlias or other non-hardy bulbs indoors for bigger transplants and earlier bloom in the garden.

Expand your indoor and outdoor garden by taking cuttings from your favorite plants.

Extend the gardening fun and save money by starting your plants from seed.

Don’t let gardening become a painful experience. Warm up your muscles before you dig into gardening.

Fall has many of us scrambling to protect plants from frost, move tropicals indoors or finish harvesting our vegetables. Be sure you collect a few green tomatoes to ripen indoors.

Moving trees and shrubs can be tricky and heavy work. Make the move in spring before growth begins or in fall as the plants go dormant for greatest success.

Summer means lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and that means lots of kitchen scraps to manage. Don’t send them down the garbage disposer or throw them away. Instead, recycle them into your gardens.

Some of your impatiens, geraniums and other annuals overwintering indoors may be looking a bit unkempt. Break out the pruners and get busy with a little grooming.

Save time, energy, and conserve water while caring for your new trees.