Lawn and Garden Posts

How to prevent bad apples

backyard apple tree

This Duluth apple tree has brought many hours of joy to its owners. (September 2022 photo by Maija Jenson)

There is redemption for bad apples; at least for the apples on your backyard tree. You might have a bad apple tree of your own or just wonder “Are those apples on Skyline good to eat?” A little tree love and your Halloween party guests will be bobbing for apples they can actually eat.

Two miracles inspire new cannabis grow store in Lincoln Park

Marios Glitsos, right, and fiancé Brooke Joyce are opening Grow Your Own Garden Supply at 1801 W. Michigan St. in Lincoln Park. The store will specialize in cannabis cultivation. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

It took at least two miracles for longtime cannabis grower Marios Glitsos to open a new Duluth garden supply store.

The Slice: Dave Severson’s Bonsai Garden

Duluth’s Dave Severson’s has spent 25 years pruning bonsai trees for his backyard garden.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

The Slice: Giving Gardens of Duluth

The Duluth Community Garden Program has created gardens for vegetables-loving citizens to stop by for a snack.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

West Duluth Gardens of 1920

There seems to be a gardening boom in 2020, obviously due to more people staying home during the pandemic. West Duluth has a bit of a reputation for having had numerous gardens a century ago that slowly petered out in more recent decades. According to an article in the Aug. 7, 1920 Duluth Herald, gardening in West Duluth got a big boost from the neighborhood’s commercial club.

The Slice: Free Seed Libraries in Duluth

The Duluth Community Garden Program has built and installed seed libraries across the city.

In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.

Starr Brainard & Andy Lipke – “Broccoli”

Broccoli is the Duluth Community Garden Program One Vegetable, One Community initiative‘s 2020 Vegetable of the Year. Above is a clip from WDSE-TV‘s series The Slice, with background info about the new song by DCGP Land Stewardship Coordinator Starr Brainard and Duluth musician Andrew Lipke; below is the full audio track.

Duluth Lawn-care Services

Does anyone know of a good lawn-care person/service in Duluth? We have a small yard, just outside of downtown. We just need a quick mow/trim because the battery in our mower is dead. As such, a mower must be supplied. We can supply a trimmer.

Any recommendations? Do you have a friend who likes to make extra cash? We called the lawn-care companies that showed up on Google maps, and none answered. Help!

Derelict Houses

We’ve got two derelict houses (on one lot) next door. According to our landlord, they are owned by the city. They have some interesting tenants: a flock of pigeons, a family of raccoons and the largest skunk I have ever seen. When that bad boy goes walking past my bedroom window … oof.

We would like to ask the city to raze the buildings and put in community garden space, but I’m really not sure who I should call to get this going. Any ideas?

Sustainable Agriculture

I’m moving to Duluth at the end of this school year (about 10 months) and I am trying to make a plan for some gardening I intend to do. My personal garden will likely be north of Duluth, in the Island Lake area. I know that the soil there isn’t great and that I will be required to haul in some of my own. I also know that Duluth would be in USDA hardiness Zone 3, so that obviously dictates what I will be able to grow.

My question is: what crops have you had success growing in the Duluth area? Any tips or tricks that might help? I’m passionate about returning to localized food production, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Community Composting Fix

Read all about the joys of community composting and why you should pay the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District to take your waste and sell it back to you in the spring.

Nature of Modern Life blog: Black Friday — Dig It

Guess how I celebrated Black Friday? With a trip to the WLSSD Composting & Yard Waste Site, of course!

Victory Garden-Duluth Style

Life has somewhat hit the skids of late for me and as I contemplate the fact that I am too rich for food stamps but not sure how long I’ll be easily feeding myself and my two kids, I’m planning for the future. Or at least as far into the future as I can see, which will be summer and fall.

I am a home gardener and I’m thinking about looking into a plot at the community gardens for an even bigger harvest. Does anyone know the contact info for the community gardens on Arrowhead Rd?

Also, I ROCK at organizing things. Would there be any interest out there for home gardeners to get together and pool our resources and have our own little “barter” group of home grown veggies/fruit/eggs/honey/wild rice/what have you?

I envision people signing up to say that they would participate and letting me know what kind of produce they could contribute. It would depend on how many people are interested and what kind of things they could contribute as to how the next step would proceed. I have ideas there as well but would welcome anyone with experience in this sort of thing.

I participated in a CSA last year but this year, I just won’t be able to afford it. I’m hoping that this idea could be a local, organic, group idea for folks like me.

Please contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in getting on a list of possible participants! Thanks!

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