Posts Tagged ‘plant disease prevention’
USDA Zone Changes – How Does this Affect NW Gardeners?
On November 15, 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an update to its Hardiness Zone Map, moving the Shoreline/North Seattle area from Zone 8b to 9a. The map has long been a useful tool for gardeners to determine which perennial plants are likely to survive their region’s coldest temperatures. Zones are assigned…
Read MoreThe Dance of the Veggies P2: Crop Rotation
Many gardeners have heard that crop rotation is a good idea, but there’s a lot of confusion out there over how to make it happen. Especially when you’re working with a city-sized space or a container garden, a lot of advice you’ll find out there can sound impossible to follow. But, once you understand the…
Read MoreThe Dance of the Veggies P1: Succession Planting
What is Succession Planting? Simply put, succession planting means growing more than one crop, or growing several rounds of the same crop, in the same space within the same year. Does that sound a little intimidating? Don’t worry, it’s not as complex as you might think! If you want to make the most of your…
Read MorePest Damage ID Part 2: Who’s Discoloring My Leaves?
Pest damage isn’t always as obvious as holes in your leaves. In our last pest damage ID post, we covered the most common insect pests that chew or rasp away at plant leaves. This time, we’re taking a look at some more subtle culprits: those that suck the juices right out of your plants like…
Read MoreThe Garden Walk: Daily Checklist for a Healthy Garden
Hi there, dear Sky Nursery readers. Toby Madrone here. I usually stick to a more informative tone, but I decided to change it up a bit today, and share from my personal gardening experience. I hope you enjoy this post in all of its honest plant-nerd glory. I take a walk through my garden every…
Read MorePest Prevention: Stop Problems Before They Start
For natural pest prevention, early spring is the time to start!
Read MoreCompanion Planting
We get a lot of questions about companion planting at Sky. Many gardeners hope for a straightforward list of compatible plants to make it easy to intercrop their garden beds. But ultimately, charts and lists might be a little too simplistic for the beautifully complex world of plants. Instead, we like to think about companion…
Read MoreWhat’s a Rootstock? Grafted Fruit Tree Basics
Most of the fruit trees we sell at Sky are grafted, meaning that they are actually a combination of at least two trees! This goes not only for our “combination” trees that grow more than one kind of fruit, but even for those that only produce a single variety. Grafting is what keeps dwarf trees…
Read MoreSoil Acidity in the PNW
Have you heard that you need to “sweeten” your soil, that you should check your soil pH, or that your soil might be too acidic? Many gardeners have heard about soil acidity or soil pH, but not many of us really understand what it means. It’s an important topic. No matter what else you do,…
Read MoreDividing Perennials
Fall is an excellent time to divide many perennials.
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