Articles written by Mike Heath Laramie County Master Gardners
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Being Prepared
"Be Prepared". That's the Boy Scout motto. And it applies to every one of us. As I look back on the last several weeks, I've been appalled at the level of unpreparedness of Americans across the...
Re-living Country living 101
We love it! The clean air, unobstructed views, nothing between us and the North Pole but a few fence posts, and the beauty of the starlit night sky amplified by the lack of artificial light. That's co...
Pre-gardening planning what to do
It’s in the air. I smelled it this morning. Did you? It’s coming. Not quite here yet, but Spring is on the way. I went outside this morning and there was a very different feel and smell to the air. It’s not something I can describe, but it’s...
Growing award winning vegetables
Americans have always been competitive. It doesn't really matter what the field is, from racing (the Daytona 500 is going on right now) or playing games or showing off our skills. We all want to be...
Starting Seeds
Here it is mid-February already and I'm listening to the wind howling outside. As I look to the north I see some pretty nasty looking storm clouds. To the south, just a leaden, gray sky. It's hard to...
Winter Maintenance
What an irony. I sit here writing this article as another major snowstorm is bearing down on us like a slow moving freight train. Watching the weather, it sounds like another five inches or so with...
Now for the bedding plants
Okay. After last week’s dissertation I hope everybody has their beds designed and seed purchased. If you do, you should be getting your seeds within the next week. Until you’re ready to start them in pots, be sure to put them in the vegetable...
Spring Planting is upon us
Spring is nearly here and, if you haven't planned your garden yet, you're behind the eight ball. In other words, it's nearly time for seeds to start going into the soil. There's a lot of preparation...
Elderberry - Uses and Benefits
I’ve heard of elderberry all my life, but I’ve never paid any attention to it until recently when I began to learn of some of its medicinal properties. All I’d heard before was how good elderberry wine is. I’ve never tasted it and, as far as...
Garlic - Not just for Taste
When I was a kid, my mother tried to keep me away from garlic because she said it would give me “bad breath”. It didn’t matter that it was good and made a dull dish exciting. It was all about breath to her. But, people have added garlic to...
Poinsettia - Flores de Noche Buena
It’s hard to believe it’s nearly 2020! Another year come and gone and I just don’t know where it went or how it got past me that quickly. I don’t know if I’ve been that busy or if maybe it’s just old age. Could be a combination of both,...
Mistletoe - The Kissing Plant?
Have you every hung dung on a stick over your door frames? Have you heard of anybody that has? Well…I suspect you have. Especially if you celebrate some of the older Christmas traditions. The word derives from two Anglo-Saxon words. “Mistel...
You, too, can be a Master Gardener
Are you interested in gardening? Or, are you one of those who truly believes they have a black thumb and could kill an artificial plant? If you have any interest in gardening, or fresh vegetables, or...
Thanksgiving Foods
The Thanksgiving Day meal is known far and wide as a virtual cornucopia of food. In other words, there’s a lot of different stuff that adorns most tables on that day. I remember growing up we always had Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmother’s...
Thanksgiving
One of the more important holidays of the year occurs next week...Thanksgiving Day. Started by a proclamation by President George Washington in 1789, this day was intended to be a national day of...
Growing Culinary herbs
Last week I started to write about herbs, thinking I was writing about culinary herbs. Especially those that can be grown in the house and used fresh. Somehow the story took a turn and ended up on medicinal herbs. This week I’m going to try to rect...
Herbs and Medicinal Uses
I've pretty much shut down the greenhouse for the year now that we've had a couple of really cold periods of weather. During the day it would heat up just perfect and at night it still stays about 25...
Flowers in Winter
The days are cold The wind starts to blow Colors will pale All is snow But not necessarily. We can’t stop the days from getting cold or the wind from blowing or even the snow from coming down. Yes, the colors outside may pale, but all isn’t...
Pumpkins-all around vegetable
October. This time of year brings back memories of the Halloweens of my childhood. Spiced apples, bobbing for apples, caramel apples, popcorn balls and, of course, jack o'lanterns. Make that pumpkins...
Fall planting
Fall is here. Umph! After last week's snowfall and freezing temperatures, I think many would say that winter is here. Not really. This is just fall in Wyoming. But just because fall is here and the...
Wanted Dead, never Alive - Palmer Amaranth
There's a new villain coming to town. And it wants to take over every piece of ground it can. The name... Palmer Amaranth. We've discussed Dalmatian Toadflax, Cheatgrass and a few other noxious weeds...
Preparing for Winter
Well, I was wrong. Or at least my hopes were. I truly hoped we could squeeze out another two to three weeks of nice, warm weather before it started getting cold. Last night my hopes were dashed. The...
When to plant a tree
Trees. Beautiful and highly coveted in Laramie County. Did you know that at one time, and not all that long ago, there were hardly any trees in Laramie County except for those on the bluffs in Pine...
Journey into Hydroponics, Part 3 - Growing plants without soil
This week I took down my hydroponic system in the greenhouse. No, it wasn't because of disappointment or failure or anything like that. I've learned all I could from that particular system and I had...
Journey to Hydroponics Part 2, Hydroponics Systems
After last week's article I think you may have gotten he impression that I'm sold on hydroponics. If so, you would be correct. But, the question that remains is, "what kind of hydroponic system will...
