Agriculture

When it comes to bulbs, we don’t always meet with consistent success. And, before you blame the chipmunks, the guy who mows the grass or the bulb company for their lack-luster performance, consider some of the other factors that influence how well flowering bulbs flower.

Sunlight, crowded bulbs, pre-mature removal of foliage the previous season, or a winter rest period that wasn’t cold enough or long enough may play a role in poor performance.

The life cycle of a bulb is different than other herbaceous perennials.

Horses being added

to Kentucky Proud

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Equine Education Project and the Kentucky Horse Council announced that horses have been added to the Kentucky Proud program.

As the vegetable garden winds to an end, I turn my harvest chores to the figs, persimmons and Chinese chestnuts.

Our nut grove is now a sheep pasture, which is prefect for them because they have pasture and shade from all sorts of nut trees. As it turns out, it looks like my ewes and I share a favorite in the Chinese chestnut.

After they eat their daily grain ration, they snack on chestnuts that have fallen to the ground. 

You probably have noticed them in early fall along roadsides in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The red, orange and purple color of the sumacs usually begins to show up earlier than others and it usually hangs around a little longer, too.

You would be hard-pressed to come up with a plant genus that is better for fall color than the sumacs. Whether you’re a flameleaf, staghorn or smooth sumac, fall color is your middle name.