If the weekend paper insert Parade magazine says something is a national trend isn’t that mainsteam and so?

Did you see the article?  Note what is in paragraph 4 (quoted below)?

What America Really Eats

An article from National Gardening Association’s

Moss in the City Newsletter:

Top 10 Winter Houseplants

With colder weather approaching, many of us are forced to get our gardening fix indoors. Houseplants can help us maintain a connection to nature and keep our green thumbs in shape. With thousands of plants suitable for indoor culture, it’s easy to find some with flowers, foliage, or fragrance that pleases you.

The plants listed below are some of my favorites for fighting the winter doldrums. (For friends in the Southwest and Southeast, many of these are good garden plants, too.) My criteria for selection include color, fragrance, foliage, care required, longevity, and even weirdness. With a little love and attention they will flourish and provide years of winter happiness.

For the complete article and list of plants see this site:

http://www.garden.org/urbangardening/index.php?page=top-10-houseplants 

An article from National Gardening Association’s

Moss in the City Newsletter:

Wire mesh fencing shields woody plants from hungry rodents.

Protecting Plants Against Old Man Winter

Even though my witch hazel and aromatic ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ aster are still blooming, I know the gardening season is ending and it’s time to take steps to help my outdoor plants make it through the winter. The time I take now can mean the difference between plant survival and loss come spring.

for the full article see:

http://www.garden.org/urbangardening/index.php?page=protecting-plants

By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY

Virginia farmer Rod Parker can walk into a grocery store 10 miles from his farm, 40 miles from it and even 100 miles from it and see his fresh produce marketed as “locally grown.”

Some retailers even consider “locally grown” to be something produced a day’s drive from the store, he says. Meanwhile, “I’m sure consumers think it’s grown right down the road,” says the owner of Parker Farms.

Nationwide, retailers from Wal-Mart to Whole Foods are increasingly devoting more shelf space to “locally grown” products including such things as fresh produce and Thanksgiving turkeys. Whole Foods, for one, now spends almost 22% of its produce budget on locally grown products, up from 15% four years ago, it says.

Full article from USA Today can be found here.

And you thought they improved your health when you ate them … try playing them
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpfYt7vRHuY

http://www.gemueseorchester.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Here’s their website with more information:

http://mastergardener.umd.edu/Handbook.cfm

Hands-on Experiences Encourage Future Environmentalists

COLLEGE STATION, TX –- A new generation has come of age since the first celebration of Earth Day in 1970. For this and future generations, environmental awareness is an important and burgeoning point of reference.

Today’s urban children live in environments that offer little chance for direct contact with natural ecosystems, and often have to depend on sources such as television and educators for information about ecology and nature. Many children grow up without the valuable personal experiences in nature that are essential to developing a true understanding of environmental issues.

Educators are being challenged to create learning experiences that mold subsequent generations of environmental stewards: young people who are capable of making knowledgeable and conscientious decisions regarding the environment. But classroom teachers who make environmental education experiences a priority often lack resources, funding, time, and ideas about ways to integrate environmental education into classroom learning. Getting children involved in hands-on activities is critical, and gardening just may be the answer.

Youth gardening programs are becoming popular experiential vehicles to help children get “down to earth” and promote environmental awareness in communities and schools. Previous studies have indicated that children who participate in formal gardening programs have shown improvements in science achievement, nutritional choices, self-esteem, and patience. Recently, researchers studied the effect of gardening programs on the development of students’ environmental consciousness.

O.M. Aguilar, a graduate assistant in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University and lead author of the study, explained; “The objectives of the study were to examine an interdisciplinary and experiential approach to environmental education by use of a youth gardening program for third through fifth grade students. In addition, this study evaluated the gardening program’s effectiveness on promoting positive environmental attitudes and a high environmental locus of control with children.”

More than 80% of children who participated in the study had been previously involved in gardening, either through school programs or informal experiences at home. Test results indicated that children that had any type of experience with gardening had more positive attitudes toward the environment when compared with students that had not gardened. The study showed that hands-on gardening activities are important to the development of environmentally concerned citizens, and that children’s involvement in informal gardening experiences has as much impact on their environmental outlook as involvement in formal school-based programs.

Results from the study also found that there were gender and ethnicity differences among children, with girls and Caucasians appearing to benefit more from the gardening curriculum. Researchers suggested that future research should focus on the development of gardening curricula that target the needs and interests of boys and minority children.

###

The complete study and abstract are available on the ASHS HortTechnology electronic journal web site: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/2/243

AND CHECK out Cornell’s Garden-Based Learning resources here.

For Release: IMMEDIATE                                                                                                           Contact: Maureen Wren
Friday, September 19, 2008                                                                                                                                        (518) 402-8000

NEW YORK TO SEND TEAM OF EXPERTS TO HELP MASSACHUSETTS
FIGHT OUTBREAK OF ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLES
Large Infestation in Neighboring State Highlights Need for Compliance With
NYS Measures Limiting Transport of Untreated Firewood

            New York State will be sending a team of trained DEC forestry staff to assist Massachusetts in surveying and quantifying the extent of tree and forest damage caused by the Asian Longhorned Beetle, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis announced today. A large outbreak of Asian Longhorned Beetles (ALB) has been discovered in Worcester and assistance has been requested to help inventory the extent of the damage and potential threat to surrounding trees.

Asian Longhorned Beetles are exotic, wood-boring insects that attack a variety of native hardwood species, including maple, birch, elm, poplar, horse chestnut and willow. Upon hatching, ALB larvae tunnel through the heartwood of a host tree until fully grown, then they burrow out of the trunk as an adult beetle. This process weakens the wood, often causing limbs to fall off, and eventually kills the host tree. Native to East Asia, this invasive species has the potential to cause millions of dollars of damage to commercial forests and devastate forest habitats across the state. A picture and more information about the insect can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7255.html on the DEC website.

So far, over 1,000 ALB-infested trees have been found in the Worcester, Massachusetts area. New York’s participation will provide Massachusetts with trained professionals knowledgeable in tree identification, the target pest, and landowner interactions. DEC’s forestry team will begin being sent to the Worcester area in early October, with expenses paid for by the United States Forest Service.

“Massachusetts is grateful for the assistance being provided by the State of New York and its forestry professionals in responding so rapidly to this urgent matter,” said Richard K. Sullivan Jr., Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. “Once the presence of this insect is detected, it is critical to quickly determine the size and extent of the infestation and to take whatever actions necessary to contain or eliminate it. We also applaud and thank New York for its help in eliminating the movement of firewood between the states.”

“In addition to helping assess the damages this destructive insect has caused, DEC’s foresters view this as a valuable learning opportunity in their ongoing battle against other destructive invasives,” Commissioner Grannis said. This outbreak also serves as a strong reminder of the need for vigilance and, proactive steps to close off as many vectors as possible for entry of invasive insect forest pests into New York.  On this front, I strongly encourage residents and, vistors to help prevent the spread of invasive forest pests in New York by carefully adhering to our 2008 emergency rules against transporting untreated firewood more than 50 miles from its orgin.”

ALB and many other exotic pests such as the Emerald Ash Borer and Sirex Wood Wasp can unintentionally be transported long distances via human activity - especially the hauling of firewood. To limit this risk, New York prohibits the importation of firewood into the state that has not been heat-treated to eliminate invasive species, fungi and pathogens that can harm our trees. The regulations also limit the transportation of untreated firewood within the state to less than 50 miles from its point of origin. More information about this emergency regulation can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/28722.html on the DEC website or by calling 1-866-640-0652.

New York State DEC professionals have regularly assisted other states and the federal government in responding to emergencies, including this summer’s forest fires in the west, last year’s forest insect outbreak in Maryland, and the recent hurricanes in Louisiana. In 1996, New York received help from other states in addressing ALB following the discovery of the invasive insect in areas of New York City and Long Island, and again in 2007 when a new infestation was discovered on Prall’s Island off Staten Island.

Invasive species are viewed by New York officials as akin to “catastrophic wildfires in slow-motion” – equating the wildfires that have plagued western states in recent years to the threats that insects like ALB pose to the environmental, economic, recreational, historic and aesthetic benefits provided by healthy forests.

U.S. Forest Service experts have said the Massachusetts infestation may turn out to be one of the biggest that the federal agency has dealt with to date. Already the quarantine area exceeds that in New Jersey and is second only to New York’s.

Tools
Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools before putting them to bed. Begin by soaking them in a hot bubble bath. Then use a wire brush to scrub off debris. Use sandpaper or a scouring pad to remove rust, if necessary. Have the tools sharpened professionally or do it yourself using a bastard mill file: Place the blade at a 45-degree angle. Pull the file across and perpendicular to the blade (filing in one direction only). Turn the blade over and repeat the process. Remove burs with the file or with sandpaper. Lubricate all tools with purchased lubricant, or simply spray with olive oil, and wipe off the excess. Condition wooden handles by lightly sanding with fine sandpaper, then waxing with paste wax (available in most hardware or big box stores).

This end of the season tip and several more can be found in the National Gardening Association newsletter (website)

There is still time to encourage gardeners to plant cover crops like winter rye or winter wheat.

Here’s a our Gardening resources cover crop factsheet:

Improve Your Soil with Cover Crops

Here are two articles from organic gardening:

Cover Crop Benefits

Cover Crops Basics