Jan 2, 2017 | Myth of the Week
RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason “Wood mulch attracts carpenter ants” This is an oft-quoted and widely circulated myth of urban legend proportions. Judging from my e-mails this season, it once again is gaining steam as it passes,...
Jan 2, 2017 | Myth of the Week
RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason “A compost pile needs to be turned and watered regularly” I can’t imagine gardening without access to the one to two yards of black, crumbly, sweet-smelling compost I have available to me in my compost...
Jan 2, 2017 | Myth of the Week
RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason “The best time to plant trees is in early fall” Not true. Welcome to the fastidious and convoluted world of the Renegade Gardener. Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) should be planted in spring, as early as...
Jan 2, 2017 | Myth of the Week
RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason “Dirt is dirt, and ‘fill’ is dirt” Boy, can this myth bite you in the butt. I’m doing a job right now in west Minneapolis, and the homeowners raised their large, sloping yard by paying $400 for “fill” from...
Jan 2, 2017 | Myth of the Week
RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason “Lawns should be fertilized in early spring” In the north (USDA Zones 2-5): wrong. Research by the University of Minnesota shows that northern lawns actually suffer somewhat from early spring...
Jan 2, 2017 | Myth of the Week
RENEGADE GARDENER™ The lone voice of horticultural reason “You cover perennials with mulch in the fall to keep the ground warm” Wrong, you cover your perennials with mulch (marsh hay, bags of leaves, etc.) in late fall/early winter, after the ground has frozen,...
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