What's Fresh in the Poconos

May 30, Contribute to Pocono Gardening1

Mon, 30 May 2011 14:15:32 GMT

Would you like to share your knowledge about pocono gardening? Great, find out how you can submit your story or tip here.

May 4, Contribute to Pocono Gardening

Wed, 04 May 2011 21:58:33 GMT

Would you like to share your knowledge about pocono gardening? Great, find out how you can submit your story or tip here.

Sep 30, World Vegetarian Day 2010

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:27:28 GMT

This Friday, October 1st is the 33rd World Vegetarian Day. Why not participate and have a meatless dinner with your family?

It doesn't have to be tofu, pizza, cheese quesadillas or a dinner salad and bread will do.

Pocono Gardening does not have a recipe section but you can find thousands of vegetarian and vegan recipes on VegWeb.com

Sep 30, Vegetarian Relapse

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 03:18:59 GMT

I have been a vegetarian for 2 years, but about three weeks ago I had a horrible craving for chicken nuggets. You know, the real kind. I dont know why.

My dad was in the kitchen, so I go downstairs, and Im standing next to him while hes putting dishes away. I said Padre, I want some chicken nuggets.

I dont think we have any, he answered. I didnt say anything, I just waited. He snapped his head around and said Chicken nuggets? You know thats meat right? I said yes.

He went and got me chicken nuggets from McDonalds. Dads are great.

Sep 20, Shop Local - great shops, suppliers of garden supplies, plants and tool rental.

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:26:03 GMT

PoconoGardening Shop Local suppliers in the Poconos: bagel shop, insurance, landscape plants, top soil, mulch, outdoor decor and tool and equipment rentals.

Aug 8, Fairs and Carnivals in Northeast Pennsylvania area. Day Trips, Things To Do.

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 02:52:43 GMT

Fairs and Carnivals in the Poconos and Northeast Pennsylvania. A Short Day Trip, Something to Do with the Kids.

Jul 22, Monroe County Meals On Wheels in Stroudsburg PA is looking for volunteer help.

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:16:27 GMT

Pocono area residents wnating to volunteer are needed to assist Monroe County Meals on Wheels. Can you help?

Jul 13, Blueberries: July in National Blueberry Month, U-pick, Varieties and more!

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:46:20 GMT

Can I Grow Blueberries in my Pocono Garden? Of Course You Can! Where to Find Pick Your Own Farms.

Jul 6, Twin Maples Bakery, Lake Ariel, PA : Pocono Gardening

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:25:40 GMT

Twin Maples Bakery now at the Hawley and Wayne County Farmers Markets!

Jul 6, Looking for another great gardening blog?

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:47:45 GMT

Try the Blog Catalog. With thousands of blogs on hundreds on topics, you are sure to find one you like!

Jul 5, Social Spark: Like Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers!

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:06:49 GMT

Finally, quality monetization for bloggers with Social Spark!

Jul 5, Reviews of everything gardening! Tools, Books, New Vegetable Cultivars and more!

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:32:55 GMT

Pocono Gardening Reviews of Books, Magazines, Tools, Equipment, Herbs, Vegetables and everything for your Garden.

Jul 5, Enter the Yard Smarts Boot Camp Contest!

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:28:20 GMT

Enter the Yard Smarts Boot Camp Contest on Facebook. Win a trip to Boston, a new mower, pressure washer and a $200 Sears gift card. Find the link on the Pocono Gardening Facebook page.

Jul 5, Water Your Garden!

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:53:01 GMT

The hot, dry weather of this Independence Day Weekend will continue into next week. We have been abnormally dry so far this season. Remember to get out into the garden and water the vegetables. They will reward you for it later in the season!

Jul 2, Hawley Farmer's Market

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:25:39 GMT

We are off to the Hawley Farmers Market this afternoon. Last week I bought a 2 crust, apple pie from Twin Maples Bakery stand. It was delicious. I will check their stand to see what they have this week. I also plan to get a strawberry scone from Marcia's Homemade and fresh eggs from Zach. He's the teenager with the chickens for sale. Last week he had a box filled with ducklings and Old English chicks. He let me hold a duckling. It was adorable. I can't wait to see what he has in the box this week!

Jun 25, June is National Perennial Gardening Month

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:05:51 GMT

June is National Perennial Gardening Month so get out there and make your perennial plants, shrubs and flowers alike, happy with a good feeding, a mulch of compost and a bit of pruning. Be vigilant in your dead-heading. Perennials that are not regularly dead-headed can stop flower production and go to seed long before they have to. Prune some of the more prolific self seeding plants to disrupt their flower formation. Many varieties of Oregano and Chives flower simultaneously on all stems if not trimmed. While the birds love the seed windfall, you may not like the shaggy appearance.

May 26, The Coutts Blueberry Farm Market is now open!

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:56:03 GMT

This Memorial Day Weekend is the Grand Opening of Coutts Blueberry Farm Market located on Route 6, across from the PP & L Environmental Center entrance, Hawley, PA 18428.

570-390-4888
Open year round, daily 6am - 9pm.

They have everything you can imagine made of blueberries. Soap, lotion, candles, bagels, ice cream and jam just to mention a few. You will find many useful items in the blueberry motif like playing cards and collectibles. They also have local craft items like quilts, jewelry and art.

The Grand Opening will feature 99 cent soft ice cream cones and drawings for lovely prizes, including a beautiful necklace with green stones. See you there!

May 26, Farm Stands in the Poconos - Buy Fresh Local Organic Produce

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:48:49 GMT

Farm Stands: eat local and find great vegetables, maple syrup and honey in the Pocono Mountains. Listings A to L

May 26, PJs Garden Center Review by PoconoGardening.com

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:41:20 GMT

PoconoGardening.com review of PJs Garden Center in Hawley, Wayne County PA.

May 23, New Monroe County Food Bank added.

Sun, 23 May 2010 18:16:25 GMT

The Effort United Methodist Church on Merwinsburg Road in Effort has an emergency food assistance program in place.

If you have extra produce from your garden they would be grateful to receive it. Donations of non-perishable items and farm produce welcomed anytime during the week Monday through Friday 9 am to 2 pm.

May 21, There can be only one!

Fri, 21 May 2010 21:13:38 GMT

Winner of the Herb Companion Magazine List of Likes Giveaway that is. The winner will receive natural bath and body products, mulch blocks, an assortment of garden tools, muck boots, gloves and more. No purchase or subscription necessary to enter.

May 14, June is National Rose Month. Do you grow roses?

Fri, 14 May 2010 04:23:38 GMT

Rose types, growing tips, photos, planting ideas, roses in cottage gardens, where to buy and more for Pocono Gardeners.

May 14, Find a Farm Stand for Fresh, Local Fruits and Veggies in the Poconos.

Fri, 14 May 2010 04:09:23 GMT

Buy Local: Find a Farm Stand for fresh corn, tomatoes or to pick your own strawberries, pumpkins or Christmas Tree.

May 13, New Market set up: who to contact, what to do to set up a new Farmers Market.

Thu, 13 May 2010 21:23:33 GMT

A New Farmers Market is in the works for Gouldsboro PA. How to get started.

May 13, Perfect Starts

Thu, 13 May 2010 17:29:58 GMT

Just an FYI: Future Garden (FutureGarden.com) has a sponge based seed starter called 'Perfect Starts' which comes in two sizes #2 or 20x50mm and #4 or

May 5, Discounts, Sales and Coupons for local Pocono stores and online merchants.

Wed, 05 May 2010 22:43:53 GMT

Pocono Gardening: Discounts available online or locally in the Poconos for seeds, plants and garden tools.

May 5, 4th Annual Lake Region Outdoor Expo

Wed, 05 May 2010 20:06:40 GMT

On Saturday, May 15th from 10 am to 5 pm on the grounds of the Wallenpaupack High School on Route 6 East of Hawley. Admission is FREE. Come see the very latest offerings in RVs, Campers, ATVs, Solar Panels, Spas, Hot Tubs and more items for your yard and garden. Find out about area attractions and thing to do in the Pocono outdoors. Refreshments will be available for purchase and the proceeds from sales will benefit the Wallenpaupack Softball Booster Club. The WAHS has plenty of parking to accommodate the visitors and when you are done at the expo, take a drive into Hawley. Get a bite to eat or an ice cream cone on Main Street & then relax in Bingham Park.

May 5, Sale: Great Garden Products and Plants from online and catalog retailers. Q - Z

Wed, 05 May 2010 00:32:49 GMT

Pocono Gardening: Sale Codes, Coupons and Discounts available online, by mail or locally in the Poconos for seeds, plants and garden tools. Q - Z

May 5, Sales Coupons and discount codes for home and garden products. Pocono Gardening

Wed, 05 May 2010 00:12:58 GMT

Pocono Gardening: Sales Coupons and Discount codes available online, by mail or locally in the Poconos for seeds, plants and garden tools. K - P

May 5, Sales Coupons and Discounts for garden, lawn and greenhouse products. A -J

Wed, 05 May 2010 00:06:17 GMT

Pocono Gardening: Sales Coupons and Discount codes available online, by mail or locally in the Poconos for seeds, plants and garden tools. A - J

Apr 29, Hungry Neighbors in the Poconos. Where to find food assistance programs.

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:11:30 GMT

Your Hungry Neighbors in the Pocono Mountain region. Where to find food assistance programs in your county. How you can help.

Apr 29, How To Compost: the basics of composting in your vegetable or flower garden.

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:36:58 GMT

How to compost your kitchen, garden and yard waste into fertile garden soil. Methods, costs and techniques.

Apr 25, Pocono Weather & Climate: Regional Information, Moon Phases

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:25:03 GMT

Pocono Weather: specific weather & climate information for gardening in the Pocono Mountains.

Apr 25, Enter the Grit Magazine's Grit Gear Giveaway

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:32:12 GMT

Enter for a chance to win the Little Egg Chicken Tractor. Retails for $375 (inc shipping). No purchase or subscription necessary to win.

Apr 25, Free Stuff for gardeners. Samples, seeds, freeware and shareware.

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:46:37 GMT

Free Stuff for Backyard Gardeners. Free gardening software, seeds and samples.

Apr 18, Look out for the Lyrids!

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 18:29:54 GMT

This coming Wednesday and Thursday, April 21 & 22, 2010 the Lyrid Meteor Showers will be visible from the contiguous 48 states.

The forecast so far, is for partly cloudy skies, very light winds and temperatures in the upper 30's. The moon is a waxing crescent and the almanac at Weather Underground shows that it sets at 8:27pm in NEPA so we should have an amazing view this year.

The best time to view them will be after midnight to just before dawn. According to EarthSky.org the Lyrids are bright and often leave trails. You should expect 10-20 meteors per hour. Surges can sometimes bring the rate up to 100 per hour, but these rare outbursts are uncommon.

So bundle up and get out there for some spring shooting stars.

Apr 15, Earth Day is almost upon us.

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:04:29 GMT

April 22, 2010 marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day! Looking for something to do to celebrate? Many organizations, colleges and towns will sponsor Earth Day festivals in the coming week.

Find a local event to attend with your friends, partner or children and learn more about reducing your pollution output, growing your own food, renewable energy and recycling.

The PPL Environmental Center at Lake Wallenpaupack holds a fun and informative event each year. This year's festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 17th. Be sure to purchase some fresh herbs or vegetable plants for your backyard garden at the Earth Day Farmer's Market to be held in the paved lot just outside the entrance to the Center or learn to "drive" a kayak on the big lake. For a schedule and list of activities please visit the Pike-Wayne Earth Day website shown below.

Apr 15, Be a part of the Great American Cleanup!

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:47:36 GMT

Check your county page on PACleanWays.org (using the link below) to find information about cleanups scheduled in your town.

At the time of this post I found events scheduled in Paupack Twp, Mauch Chunk Lake Park in Jim Thorpe, Palmerton, Pocono Twp, Chestnuthill Twp, Lehigh Twp, Blooming Grove and Bear Creek Twp that will be held in April.

Not available for your local Great American Cleanup event? Search the PA Clean Ways site to find another event to participate in.

Apr 15, Mayflies

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:35:41 GMT

The mayflies have arrived early this year. The unusually long stretch of unseasonably warm weather has brought them out. Normally dragonflies precede them by a few days. Don't worry, they do not bite or sting, but they are annoying.

Mayflies provide food for bats, dragonflies, fish and many other area critters.

They began appearing along the shores of Lake Wallenpaupack Tuesday evening.

If you are new to the area and not accustomed to them, be advised that they are a short lived nuisance. The clouds of mayflies that you see hovering in your yard will clear over the next week or two.

Apr 15, Farmers Markets in the Poconos. Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Wayne counties in NE PA.

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:24:48 GMT

Farmers Markets: Directory of where to find great local produce, farm fresh eggs, maple syrup and honey in the Pocono Mountains.

Mar 17, Peat pots used for seed starting. What works for Pocono Gardening.

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:36:27 GMT

Pocono Gardening: Seed Starting Methods: Peat Pots

Mar 17, Aerogarden: how we use it at Pocono Gardening.

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:59:04 GMT

Using the AeroGarden for seed starting and transplants versus other methods.

Mar 9, Herb gardening - varieties that grow well in Pocono gardens.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:36:36 GMT

PoconoGardening.com: Herb gardening in containers or raised beds, oregano as ground cover.

Mar 9, Basil varieties for your Pocono backyard herb garden.

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:29:57 GMT

PoconoGardening.com: Basil and other annual herbs are easy to grow and a great addition to any backyard or kitchen garden.

Dec 28, They have begun to arrive!

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:21:18 GMT

Saturday's mail brought the new Jung Seed and R.H. Shumway's catalogs. Yeah! There is nothing better than flipping through the pages of veggies and flowers with a cup of hot chocolate while it snows outside.

I also visited the Jungseed.com website and discovered that is has had a facelift. It is easy to navigate, but I noticed that there were more than a few items without photos. Image Not Available I believe it said. Lets hope that this is just a side effect of the site upgrade and that they will be added soon.

JCP

Nov 26, Seed starting methods: herbs, vegetables and flowers. PoconoGardening.com

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:23:40 GMT

Seed Starting Methods: Pros and Cons by Pocono Gardening

Nov 26, 2010 PA Garden Expo

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:52:24 GMT

According to Karen Rousche at Journal Publications the PA Garden Expo has been scheduled for February 26 - 28th, 2010 at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. Tickets are $12.50 each or you can get the Multi-Day Pass for $18. Children under 12 are admitted free.

They have updated the website and while it looks like the Expo will be a bit scaled down, when compared to 2008, it will be fun and informative as always.

JCP

Nov 19, Local Sales on gardening supplies, plants and seasonal items. Pocono Gardening

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:56:03 GMT

Local Sales, Specials and Discounts in the Poconos. Find great stuff for your vegetable garden.

Oct 29, PA Garden Expo

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:26:02 GMT

The 2009 Pennsylvania Garden Expo was canceled. The organizers felt that due to the recession the show would lack the vendors and attendance needed to be successful. For months their website PAGardenExpo.org had a notice about the cancellation.

Recently the website appears to be back up. Inviting and colorful, it outlines exhibits, sponsors and special events. Please be aware that this is the 2008 schedule!

They have not yet posted 2010 information. We have contacted them and are waiting for an official response.

I will keep you posted.

JCP

Sep 1, The Summer That Never Was!

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:52:49 GMT

September's Harvest Moon is almost upon us, but this year has not yielded much of a harvest. The tremendous amount of rain has ruined gardens all over our region. Unless you have ideal drainage and great sun exposure you have most likely suffered some serious damage. I have gotten reports from a number of Pocono gardeners who report fruit and vegetables rotting on the plant before they ripen. Powdery mildew is rampant. Others report a huge increase in slug and snail damage. The good news is there's always next year! Here's to hoping that next year brings more favorable growing conditions. Please visit your local Farmer's Market or Farm Stand to purchase veggies, fruit and decorative corn stalks, gourds and pumpkins. Farmers need our support this year. They have been hit with a double whammy. Recession and poor weather. Think sun!