Connecticut Garden Journal
For ten years the Connecticut Garden Journal, hosted by horticulturalist Charlie Nardozzi, provided listeners with two-minute garden tips year-round. Listen to our archive below and follow more of Charlie’s work at gardeningwithcharlie.com.
You can catch Charlie a few times a year as a guest on Where We Live, where he shares updates on his garden and answers questions from gardeners across Connecticut. Listen to Charlie’s past appearances on Where We Live below.
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Fall in Connecticut feels longer and warmer. It's an opportunity to garden more, so start planting quick maturing, cool weather loving greens like spinach, lettuce, arugula, escarole, kale and Swiss chard. -
Humans may need a break from the heat, but melons like cantaloups, honeydews and watermelons thrive during hot, wet summers. -
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," except when that rose is a rose of Sharon, which is neither a rose nor from Sharon; it's actually a shrub in the hibiscus family. You can use the edible blooms to make tea. -
Raccoons may be clever and nimble, but don't let that stop you from growing corn in your garden. There's an electric fence that'll help keep raccoon hands off your ears. -
Hardy hibiscus is different from the woody, tropical, shrub hibiscus. Some varieties boast burgundy colored leaves as well as bi-colored pink and red varieties. One light yellow colored variety has the delicious sounding name, 'French Vanilla'. -
Much like cilantro, people either love okra or hate it. Harvest the pods when they're less than 4 inches long for the best flavor and texture. Young okra pods are more tender and have less of a “slimy” mouthfeel. Eat them in soups, stews, fried or sautéed. Okra is in the hibiscus family, so the flowers are edible and delicious stuffed or used as a garnish. -
Known as the “lilac of the South,” crepe myrtle has traditionally been successfully grown in warmer climates. But now with new hybrid, sterile, varieties, we can grow crepe myrtles in Connecticut. -
Oh, dear. What to do about deer? The latest (surprising) finding: Mixing Half & Half with equal parts water worked as well as expensive lanolin sprays for deterring deer. -
You may not see much damage in June from the squash bugs living in your garden, but if allowed to thrive, your squash patch will be a mess come August. -
Too many fruits can lead to tree branches breaking from the weight and the fruits being small and less flavorful. That's why thinning some fruit from trees is a good idea. Remove some young fruits so the remaining ones thrive.
