Fall Soil Testing - The Key to Your Spring Garden

Fall isn't just for raking leaves; it's a crucial time for soil testing, which sets the stage for a thriving garden come spring.

Autumn, DIY, Fall, fertilizer, Gardening, Plant Care, Spring, vegetable, Victory Garden, Winter, WVU ExtensionJohn MorganOctober 24, 2024soil, testing, soil amendments, science, spring, fall, autumnComment

Bringing The Outdoors Inside for Winter

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you prepare your container plants for their indoor winter stay.

Preparing Your Garden for Winter

Here’s some tips to help ensure your garden not only survives the winter but thrives when spring returns.

Autumn, Winter, Wildlife, Water, vegetable, tools, Spring, seed, Raised Beds, Pest Control, Gardening, FallJohn MorganOctober 10, 2024winter, fall, autumn, garden, landscape, birds, bird feederComment

Curing Sweet Potatoes: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a detailed guide on how to cure sweet potatoes at home.

Fall, Gardening, Plant Care, vegetable, WinterJohn MorganOctober 3, 2024sweet potatoes, autumn, harvestComment

Planting Fall Bulbs

Spring is just around the corner. Really! Here at Bob’s we have baby, thumb-sized ferns that will be massive hanging baskets in 8 months. When the snow starts flying, we will be busy growing flowers for spring. Right now you can plant crops for spring too. Now is the time to plant bulbs for a splash of spring color.

Fall, Gardening, Plant Care, SpringJohn MorganSeptember 19, 2024autumn, fall, bulbs, spring, plant careComment

Dividing Peonies in the Fall

Fall is not just about harvesting and preparing for winter; it's also an excellent period for rejuvenating your garden by dividing perennials like peonies.

Fall, Gardening, Landscaping, Plant CareJohn MorganSeptember 12, 2024peonies, fall, autumn, dividing, perennial, gardeningComment

Root Cellaring

In an era where refrigeration and modern preservation techniques dominate, there's a charming resurgence in the age-old practice of root cellaring.

DIY, Cooking, Fall, Gardening, Home Canning, ProduceJohn MorganSeptember 6, 2024root, roots, root vegetable, cellar, preservation, fall, autumnComment

Unprecedented Drought Grips Mid-Ohio Valley: A Closer Look at 2024's Water Crisis

As we navigate through the summer of 2024, the Mid-Ohio Valley finds itself in the throes of what has been described as an exceptional drought, marking a historic event for the region's environment.

conservation, Editorial, Fall, Gardening, History, Plant Care, Science, Story, Summer, USDA, WaterJohn MorganAugust 30, 2024drought, water, dry, summer, 2024, conservation, climate, environmentComment

Fall Pollinator Plants: How to Keep Your Garden Buzzing Into Autumn

Fall is a critical time for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects as they prepare for the colder months ahead.

Fall, Gardening, Landscaping, Plant Care, Science, Trends, Water, WildlifeJohn MorganAugust 23, 2024autumn, fall, plant selection, pollinatorComment

The Basics of Freezing Produce

Freezing is an excellent way to preserve fresh vegetables at home. Freezing does not sterilize food; the extreme cold simply retards growth of microorganisms and slows down changes that affect quality or cause spoilage in food.

Fall, Gardening, DIY, Produce, WinterJohn MorganAugust 18, 2024freezing, freeze, vegetables, produce, preservation, canningComment

Pressure Canning Basics

Pressure canning is the only safe method of preserving low-acid foods. Low-acid foods include vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry. Pressurized steam creates the needed temperature of 240 degrees Fahrenheit or higher that will destroy the bacterial spores naturally present in these foods. As the jars cool, a vacuum is formed, sealing the food in the jars and preventing any new microorganisms from entering and spoiling the food.

Cooking, DIY, Gardening, Produce, SafetyJohn MorganAugust 17, 2024canning, pressure canner, produce, vegetablesComment

Water Bath Canning Basics

The tasty high-acid menu includes choices ranging from sweet to savory. Fruits, fruit juices, jams, jellies and other fruit spreads, salsas, most tomatoes, pickles, relishes, chutneys, sauces, vinegars and condiments are among items safely preserved using the water bath canning method. Because these common foods contain high amounts of acid or the recipe incorporates the correct balance of acid, water bath canning is the recommended method.

Cooking, Gardening, Project, Summer, DIY, Fall, ProduceJohn MorganAugust 16, 2024canning, home canning, water bath, acidComment

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