The mandarin has many names, some of which actually refer to crosses between the mandarin and another citrus fruit. Varieties with reddish-orange fruit marketed as tangerines, and tangelos (a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine) are all part of the same family.

Smaller than oranges, mandarins are easily peeled with the fingers, starting at the thin rind covering the depression at the top of the fruit, and can be easily split into even segments without spilling juice. This makes it more convenient to eat than many other types of citrus, as one doesn't require utensils to peel or cut the fruit.

Mandarins make a wonderful addition to various kinds of dishes. The freshly grated peel lends an exotic flavor to other foods. Whole segments can be used in salads, desserts and other dishes such as coleslaw or tuna salad for an unexpected, delicious and colorful treat!

Most mandarin varieties are self-fertile (needing a bee only to move pollen within the same flower) or parthenocarpic (not needing pollination and therefore seedless). They prefer warm sunny locations with good drainage and benefit from the addition of a planting mix like E.B. Stone Planting Mix at planting time. Make sure to feed your mandarin every two months year-round with E.B. Stone Citrus and Fruit Tree Food to ensure strong growth and great tasting fruit.

We encourage you to find a spot in your garden for one of these great tasting fruit trees. Once you taste a fresh one, you'll never go back to store-bought!

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One of the easiest ways to save money in these trying economic times is by growing your own fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables. You have total control over what types of plants you wish to grow and, in addition, you can select many fantastic varieties that you might not normally find in your local grocery store. Best of all, your family's health will also benefit from the nutritional value that home-grown organic produce provides, not to mention that the flavors are incomparable. 

It doesn't take as much space as many people think. A 10x10 ft. raised planter can grow quite a few vegetables or berries; if you're space challenged, consider using containers to grow some of your favorite plants. That said, it doesn't take that much effort to replace some older foundation shrubs and trees and turn your garden into a lush garden overflowing with fruit trees, vegetables, berries and herbs. 

With the price of fresh produce skyrocketing over the past year it only makes sense to invest in growing your own. With a little planning, you can gain significant savings not just this year but for years to come. You can purchase herbs and vegetables as inexpensive starter plants or save even more money by purchasing and planting seeds of your favorites varieties. Consider purchasing your favorite berries, grapes and fruit tree varieties during the bare root season when they are less expensive. 

Your only extra costs will be some mulch to amend the soil with, water and occasional fertilizer to keep your trees and plants healthy and growing their very best. If you’re not sure how much time you can devote to growing your own, start with a smaller patch and work your way up to managing more space as your comfort level and confidence rises. But be careful, it’s easy to get addicted to gardening after you taste your first delicious harvest! 

We have a great selection of herb and vegetables seeds along with all the berries, grapes and fruit trees your heart could desire. We invite you to stop by and let one of our staff of nursery experts help you plan the organic garden of your dreams today! 

All we are doing when we make compost is putting back into the earth what we've taken out of it. It's easy! It can be as simple as mowing the lawn and leaving the clippings on--the green stuff is nitrogen! (Just be sure the clippings are small--if you've let the lawn get long and don't have a mulching mower, go back over the mowed area once or twice for the same effect.)

To understand the principles of composting, it will be helpful to understand soil matter. If you're out in the woods, for example, what you see on the top is leaves and decaying plant parts. Dig a little deeper and the material is less easy to identify, since visible and microscopic organisms have been busy digesting the organic matter. The end product is humus--food for the micro-organisms which release the nutrients for your plants. Once the easily eaten parts are gone, humus can last in the soil for centuries. It is this form of humus that improves the soil's structure and its ability to hold water and nutrients.

In making compost, the idea is to keep a balance of carbon (the "brown stuff" such as old leaves and stems) and nitrogen (the "green stuff" such as lawn clippings). You can also add raw kitchen scraps such as fruits and vegetables. No animal waste, meats, or cooked foods--or you may have larger guests than planned! Beetles and worms are a good sign--large scavengers are not.

Soil micro-organisms and plants need water, warmth, oxygen, moderate pH and the balanced supply of nutrients from the organic matter.

When you build compost in a pile, think of lasagna. Add materials a few inches deep, then about a 6" layer of soil after each addition. Let it sit and you're making what's called "cold compost." On its own, it will take about a year--but you can have several piles going at once. Different textures allow more air circulation. Turning the pile will speed things up--which brings us to the other method, called "hot composting."

Hot composting is faster. The more a pile is turned, the faster you have your finished product. Turning, adding water, and balancing carbon and nitrogen encourages organisms to reproduce rapidly, causing the pile to heat up. The temperature in the center of the pile can reach 160° and can kill off weed seeds, disease organisms and roots.

Compost tumblers are popular because they work so quickly and are easy to turn. You can also make bins from large garbage cans and other containers. Make sure the bin is elevated for drainage, and punch holes in the side and bottom for air circulation. A larger bin (around 3' tall, wide, and deep) is better for getting best mass for proper composition--but the smaller bins will work.

Watching for problems

• Ants? That means the pile is probably too dry.
• Odor? It's too wet. Add more carbon (brown stuff) and turn to let in more air
• Seedlings sprouting? It's not hot enough. Avoid adding anything containing seed or make sure seeds are in the center of the pile.

No time and still want to do your part? If you have leftover salads, etc.--just dig a small hole and bury them. Or just fling an apple core or banana peel into the bushes!

Another method is to "compost as you go." When removing old plants, dead annuals, and such, just put them in little piles in an area where you will be working later. By the time you get to it, it's often starting to break down. You can work in what's left later or shake it off and discard or add larger pieces to your main pile. Anything we put back is enriching our soil.

For fun make compost tea. Put a shovelful of compost in a burlap bag. Tie it closed. Submerge in a bucket, garbage can, or other container with water. Put a cover on and let it steep a few days. Then pour around plants. Dilute to the color of weak tea and use as a foliar feed. Use the solids as mulch or put them back in the compost pile.

Some Fun Thanksgiving Facts for You:

• The Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving feast, in 1621, lasted three days.
• On October 3, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a "Thanksgiving Proclamation" that made the last Thursday in November a national holiday.
• In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November, in order to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy. Two years later, he changed it to the fourth Thursday.
• In 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, on the fourth Thursday in November.
• There were no mashed potatoes at the first Thanksgiving dinner--potatoes were brought here later, by Irish immigrants.
• Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.
• Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey a noble bird and wanted it to be the national bird of America, rather than the eagle!
• Native Americans used the red juice of the cranberry to dye rugs and blankets.
• Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
• The pilgrims didn't use forks; they used spoons, knives and their fingers, so if anyone objects to your picking up that drumstick--tell them you are simply practicing traditional American table manners!

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1. Plant groundcovers.
2. Plant a basket of narcissus for holiday bloom.
3. Finish filling flower beds with cool-season flowers for winter and spring bloom.
4. Plant nasturtiums and continue to plant wildflowers from seeds.
5. Plant flowering kale.
6. Continue to plant winter vegetables, including garlic.
7. Prune pine trees and other conifers now through February.
8. Divide and plant agapanthus.
9. Divide matilija poppy.
10. Open up spaces in dense trees to allow wind to pass through.
11. Prune acacias.
12. Prune cane berries other than low-chill raspberries.
13. Cut back chrysanthemums after bloom; clean up the ground.
14. Fertilize cool-season bedding flowers.
15. Continue to fertilize cineraria for growth.
16. Once rains arrive, stop watering succulents growing in the ground.
17. Water bulbs, especially potted ones.
18. Water roses until mid-month--but only if rains aren't adequate.
19. Don't let citrus go dry in cold or frosty weather.
20. Bait flower beds for cutworms, slugs and snails.
21. Stake young trees loosely so they can develop strong trunks.
22. Pre-chill tulips, hyacinths, and crocuses.
23. Wrap the trunks of young citrus and avocado trees with an insulating material to protect them from cold.
24. Mulch, mulch, and mulch some more.

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What does the term conifer mean?

Answer:
Conifers are a diverse group of plants and trees, ranging from tiny dwarf specimens to the tallest trees known. They produce narrow needle-like foliage instead of leaves and often produce cones or berries.

Most conifers are evergreen--for example, arborvitae cedars, cypress, firs, junipers, pines, redwoods and spruce. But there are some species of deciduous conifers that lose their leaves in the winter, including varieties of larch, dawn redwood and swamp cypress.

Conifer foliage color comes in tones of greens, blues and yellows. Some are variegated and some are a different color in winter and summer.

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