Comments on Growing The Home Garden: Gardening in the Home Landscape: Gardening on the Radio

I would liked to have heard the program. I'm s...

2009-11-18T19:24:41.507-06:00

I would liked to have heard the program. I'm sure you were great. I'm always amazed at the way people throw out their leaves and pine straw.

Congrats on your radio appearance, Dave!!! It'...

2009-11-18T10:26:21.626-06:00

Congrats on your radio appearance, Dave!!! It's true, no matter what you think you're going to talk about, live radio has a way of heading off somewhere else, doesn't it? Last time I was on I was planning to talk about landscape tricks to make your yard and deck look bigger, and before I could open my mouth, the hosts started asking about techniques for organizing your basement and attic! (And callers have their own pressing issues, which may or may not relate to your topic.) Oh, well, just gotta soldier on. I agree about the leaves (and also about your take on the smell of burning leaves---I too love the smell of woodsmoke, but not leafsmoke; maybe it's because most leaf piles tend to be damp). It drives me crazy that people have their leaves and grass clippings hauled away, then dump chemicals all over their yards and wonder why they still look so bad! I, too, will grab any bag of grass clippings or leaves I can get my hands on. Once an irate homeowner raced out to the curb where I was carting off a bag of clippings and shouted, "Hey, that's my garbage you're stealing!" Oh, my.---Silence

Tina, He may have been a step above many but stil...

2009-11-18T07:55:57.123-06:00

Tina,

He may have been a step above many but still it's hard to believe that people don't even seem to care that it is illegal to burn them! Sometimes I wonder if other people see gardeners as crazy for the things they do, like hauling away other peoples leaves. I may grab a few roadside bags this year myself!

Helen, Thanks, some issues just are too commonsen...

2009-11-18T07:52:20.577-06:00

Helen,

Thanks, some issues just are too commonsensical to ignore!

Frances,

That parking lot sounds like a neat idea. I think they use a type of paver to make the ground solid enough for cars yet porous enough for good drainage. Do they have to mow the parking lot or do they use a low growing grass?

Gail,

No chemicals on this lawn! I don't think chemicals are really necessary. Maybe if you want a lawn like a golf course. I like the wood fire smell but not really the leaves!

Well good for your town Dave and great for you to ...

2009-11-18T07:49:02.673-06:00

Well good for your town Dave and great for you to be on the radio. I don't blame you for trying to get the message out about not burning leaves but I must say, the person who offered the leaves was steps above those that just go ahead and burn them. That is a start. Hopefully someone took them off his hands. I burned leaves here once. That was when we first moved in and the yard was a mess. It was the only way I saw to clean it up. Never again and actually, most of the leaves have fallen and I don't even think I have enough to mulch my beds. I can see some lucky neighbor will be happy to see me come with my tarp to take away their leaves.

Even though burning leaves is a big NO-No and i wo...

2009-11-18T06:46:34.188-06:00

Even though burning leaves is a big NO-No and i wouldn't dream of wasting them or adding to the air pollution...I must honestly admit that I love the smell. I can't think of a better gardener to spread the word in his community about mulching and composting leaves...sometimes I think it's an uphill battle and we are pushing against a $32 billion industry that wants people to remove every leaf so they can add petro-chemicals to their lawns. Sorry there! gail

Oh good for you, Dave! If you only reach one pers...

2009-11-18T05:38:00.146-06:00

Oh good for you, Dave! If you only reach one person and change their habits about using the leaves rather than disposing of them, it is a success! I loved hearing about the rain gardens too. Our community has a small parking lot that is paved with grass and a special grid rather than concrete to help with water runoff. Gail and I checked it out last weekend. It does make us feel good when our areas seem to *get it*. :-)
Frances

This is great, Dave. We should all be following mo...

2009-11-17T22:19:20.755-06:00

This is great, Dave. We should all be following more sensible, as you say, environmental practices. Congratulations on this happening in your area.