Articles written by Mike Heath Laramie County Master Gardners
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Parsley - a highly underrated herb
For most of my life I thought the garnish on my plate at the restaurant was a waste of money for the restaurant and a waste of my time to take it off my plate. It wasn't until I was much older that I...
Natural Air Fresheners
Can plants really purify the air in our homes? That's a good question. Some researchers, such as scientists at NASA, say, "Yes": Other notable researchers, such as Lauren Johnson at CNN, will say,...
Lions and Tigers and Bugs, Oh My!
If someone had told me a year ago that my worst insect problems would be in the dead of winter I would have said they were nuts. If they said that today, I'd have to say, "I know." In the 24 years...
Master Gardeners Fall Time Offerings
This past year has seen nurseries across the United States running out of trees, shrubs, and seeds. Even our local nurseries in Southeast Wyoming and Northern Colorado were running out. I don't know...
Essential Oils
This has been an extremely odd 10 days or so for me. As far as time goes I seem to have been in a daze to the point that I've had trouble remembering what day it was. When I'm busy trying to...
Mullein -- Friend or Foe?
My wife comes from a long line of farmers and ranchers. So naturally when Linda and I were married, long ago, I became part of that community. Fortunately, I really enjoyed the people with their...
Windbreaks and Snow Fences
A few weeks ago Linda was rummaging through some boxes and came across a small book, "Hedges, Windbreaks, Shelters and Live Fences", by E. P. Powell. It's a very small book, only about a half inch...
Stinging Nettle A burning experience
Stinging Nettle could easily be called a Prince among weeds. Not a very illustrious title, but it fits. If you've ever come in contact with the plant then you've experienced the burning, stinging...
Our Changing Weather
WOW! How about that smoke Saturday morning? I went out to the shop not long after daylight and it was pretty clear when I went out. I spent the morning getting my garlic ready to plant and it was 1...
Garlic - Smelly but healthy
Garlic is a fascinating plant that most people just think of as only a seasoning in foods. It is a great seasoning, but oh, so much more, too. I hadn't realized just how special this plant was until I...
Trees and shrubs vs. cold weather
Our first cold snap of the year has now come and gone. If I was a betting man, I would have lost the bet. I told several people that I didn't believe it would snow here. In the higher elevations,...
Food Preservation
So last night we had our first freeze of the season. I have to admit I was surprised that it actually snowed, although we had very little at my place. Mostly we had sleet. I tried to get into the shop...
Harvest
Harvest is here and I'm running late. That seems to be the norm anymore. My entire life I've made a point to be on time and now I always seem to be late for everything. Is that the real benefit of...
My Wilderness Trek
A few months ago I was reminiscing about the days I would spend hiking in the mountains. I never hiked to get to a particular place, unless I was hunting, and even then I would often just stop and...
Fall Bulbs
Fall will be here before you know it and with it the time to plant your fall bulbs. With planting just a few months away the time to start thinking about what you want to plant is now. Now is the...
Gathering your own seeds
Late summer, hot days, cool nights, little to no rain. Sounds like fall is on its way. The grass is turning brown and there doesn't seem to be any way to stop it. Flowers are drying up and starting...
It's Show Time - 4H Projects Shine at the Fair
A couple of months ago I wrote about 4H and it's importance to youth. It's one of the few youth programs that teaches multiple disciplines to give youth the opportunity to learn about areas that...
Why do you garden?
When I was taking a break the other day, my mind began to wander and I started thinking about gardening. Not unusual since that's what I was taking a break from. But I asked myself why I enjoyed working in the garden so much. Why did I put myself...
Red Flag Warning
Just in case you haven't noticed, it's been HOT the last several days. And it's only going to get worse. This is the time of year that everything dries out. We feel really good when we have plenty of...
A Taste of Hemlock, My Dear?
Infamous throughout the ages, poison hemlock has made its mark on history. From public executions to assassination, it has been used far and wide. Probably the most famous person to die from poison hemlock was Socrates in ancient Greece. Socrates...
Growing Root Crops
Summer is now in full swing and we're feeling every bit of it. I don't mean just the heat (and it hasn't been that bad) but the thunderstorms and hail, too. Just this week Cheyenne had hail nearly...
Living in the Country
It seems like every summer I end up writing an article about living in the country. Believe it or not, it's not the same as living in the city, or even a small town. In fact, most people who move to...
Prepare for next year......this year
By now I think everyone can see it coming. Huge temperature swings early. A cool, but dry, spring. Hot temperatures and dry winds sweeping across Wyoming now. The western portion of the state is in a...
University of Wyoming Extension Service and 4-H
We have a wonderful and expensive gem here in Wyoming that, in my opinion, is undervalued and underused. Perhaps that's because few people know much about it. That gem is the University of Wyoming...
Asparagus
This week I finished one harvest. Asparagus. Besides green peas, asparagus is one of my most favorite vegetables. In fact, just because the harvest is done doesn't mean that I'm finished cutting it....
