Pollinators are essential for the health and growth of our gardens. Two of the most important pollinators are bees and butterflies, both of which have declining populations due to urban growth and less vegetation for food. Bees Bees are beneficial to our yards because they pollinate our plants. Bumblebees and honeybees each have distinct traits […]
Special Issues
Getting Rid of Garden Pests
Many commercial nursery and greenhouse operations have a continual routine of spraying with pesticides, virucides, fungicides, fertilizers and PGRs (Plant Growth Regulators) to bring perfect, lush and consistent products to retail garden stores and the consumer. Road’s End Farm and Nursery located between Edgewood and Moriarty doesn’t follow that approach and is a bee and […]
Keep lawn equipment safety in mind this spring
(NAPSI)—In spring, homeowners are eager to get outside and spruce up their yards. To help, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), an international trade association representing outdoor power equipment, small engine, utility vehicle, golf car and personal transport vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, reminds you to keep safety in mind. “Before you use a mower, trimmer, […]
Garlic Production in New Mexico
Cultivated garlic, Allium sativum, is a hardy, cool-season perennial, although in some areas of extreme cold it may not survive the winter. A relative of onions, chives, and leeks, garlic produces bulbs with flat, solid leaves. As the garlic bulb matures, it becomes segmented into a cluster of fleshy cloves (Figure 1) enclosed in a white […]
Shade Trees of New Mexico
Less than one-third of New Mexico is naturally forested. The rest of the state is natural grassland or desert, with small areas of tundra. Thus, trees planted in our cities and around our homes must grow under climatic conditions and in soil that does not naturally support tree growth. Yet trees are valuable in our […]
High Desert Gardening
One of the things those of us who arrange the Corrales Garden Tour each year understand is that gardening in the high desert is not always easy. Corrales and much of Sandoval County have two distinct ecosystems. The Bosque and the sand hills and each have their own issues, but most will agree that it […]