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About me - The Long Island Gardener

I own a house and garden on the North Shore of Long Island, New York, USA.

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Politics, News & Issues > Food & Agriculture How to "go green" on the farm: Top 10 tips: 1 of 27
Organic vegetables have more flavor and pack a higher vitamin content.But there's more to growing chemical-free corn and carrots than laying off pesticides and weedkillers. Recent discoveries about soil, plant disease and insect behavior have re-written the rules about organic gardening. It's not just about "plant food" and "... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Planning a cottage garden: 1 of 15
You've seen them, a riot of bloom immersing thatch-roofed homes in Delphiniums, Foxgloves and climbing Roses. The path to the door is thick with color. These gardeners' cup runneth over.There's an art to designing the Cottage Garden - those romantic, densely planted plots that flow with flowers.A recent Garden Design magazine... More..
Home & Garden > Lawn How to make mowing your lawn greener: 2 of 18

Let me tell you a secret: I mow my lawn very late at night. In the dark. Nobody knows I do this. I do it quietly. My neighbors think I have a special type of rare grass. Grass that never grows. Truth is, I own the world's greatest lawnmower, a precision German-engineered reel push mower that works on human power. No noise pol... More..
Home & Garden > Lawn A look at eco-friendly lawn mowers: 1 of 9
Gas-guzzling lawnmowers cause more Summer air pollution than your average car. The EPA says these smelly machines shoot out 80 lbs of CO2 per mower each year.Thanks to a new law, things are about to get better.In two years, new diesel lawnmowers will have a new feature: Smog-slashing catalytic converters. That will make mower... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Plants for backyard birds: 1 of 9
Songbirds will flock to your backyard if you plant a varied buffet of the shrubs and flowers they need.Birds feast on seeds and berries all year long. But they also need a safe place to hide from predators, and to build their nests. Migrating birds like the Eastern Bluebird are struggling to survive. By planting carefully, yo... More..
Home & Garden > Weeds & Pests Ways to battle mites on your plants: 1 of 8
Spidermites lurk secretly on leaves everywhere.Indoors and outdoors, invisible and ubiquitous, these tiny, destructive pests creep around your house and garden, sucking the life out of all things green. It's not a matter of IF your plants get Spidermites. It's a matter of WHEN.That explains the profligate use of Insecticides ... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Bugs that are good for your garden: 3 of 23
I hate spiders. Most people do. Yet, the common arachnid ranks as one of our best insect allies. Dangling ominously from diaphanous webs, hungry for blood, spiders devour their planting-eating, sap-sucking insect dinners by the dozens. They are the first and best defense of flowers, fruits and vegetables from the forces of ev... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Plant a Moon Garden: 1 of 7
As night falls on the Summer evening, a whole new garden of flowers begin to bloom in the dark.These Moon Gardens are cherished for the fragrant mystery and magic they bring to Summer evenings. Fact is, the most powerful fragrances belong to flowers that are painted White.Surrounded by dense, vivid scents, your garden glows i... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Organic gardening 101: 4 of 20
Got Earthworms?The underground food chain is your key to a great Organic garden. A flock of happy Earthworms is where it all begins.Figure that the more Earthworms you have, the richer your soil.The reason: Earthworm castings are packed with organic nutrients. They hold 5 times the Nitrogen of ordinary soil. 7 times the Phosp... More..
Home & Garden > Gardening (Other) Lawn-less yard solutions: 3 of 13
Fed up with mowing? Had it up to here with fertilizer, lime, and pest patrol?Join the club of happy, lawn-less homeowners who've banished Bluegrass, Fescue and Bermudagrass from their yards. Some of the world's most beautiful homes are bathed in beds of Chamomile, imported Mondograss, and short, care-free Roses.Nontraditional... More..