JerseyShoreLisa 
It’s June 2022 and the gardens are filling in just the way I dreamed they would. When we moved onto this patch of sand, I was surprised how new plants would get swallowed up, despite the mulch that should have protected and nourished them. I realized over time that wood chip mulch, even simply layered … Read more
Originally written for and published in the Winter 2022 Master Naturalist Newsletter for Ocean County, NJ Master Naturalists. When it comes to gardening for wildlife and being good stewards of the land, we generally advise those who will listen, to “leave the leaves”. Leaves are a wonderful natural mulch, decompose into a rich food source … Read more
This is a Chinese praying mantis nest – This egg case is also called an ootheca. Adult praying mantis create these in the late fall, right before winter and each nest contains as many as 400 baby praying mantis eggs. I have lots of these in my yard right now. I have an unpopular opinion … Read more
For the first summer in a decade, rather than blogging throughout the growing season, I’ve been consistently updating the YouTube channel of mynjgarden.com with garden tours, featured plant videos and garden happenings. The audience has grown over the past few months to 468 subscribers as of today and it’s exciting to engage with gardeners in … Read more
These are the first signs that the yard wants to wake up for the season. The dafodils are just starting to poke up through the mulch. Time to clean up and make way for all the new growth that’s about to start happening. First thing to do was to clean up the still standing perennial … Read more
It’s Valentine’s Day 2021 – and I’m about to start some cold weather crop seeds indoors to move out into the greenhouse. But first, I had to unbox and setup the Click & Grow Smart Garden 3 that husband got me for my birthday back in September. I feel foolish for not opening and setting … Read more
Months ago, on the way into the Walmart in Lacey, NJ, I noticed a sign that was posted in front of the store. The protective covering was in disrepair and I can’t imagine many local residents take notice of it, but since agriculture is dear to me, I wanted to save this text so I … Read more
For me, gardening isn’t much different during the corona virus pandemic than the seasons before it. There are plenty of new gardeners online asking questions and struggling to find supplies, seeds, plants and tools they want to get started with the smart effort to grow their own food. I have my infrastructure set up already … Read more