Welcome to the Poconos, an area of both breathtaking natural beauty and challenges for potential gardeners. Gardeners who take the time to learn about local ... - Read more

North Pocono Garden Center. Map It! North Pocono Garden Center Video. A family owned and run garden center located in the beautiful Pocono's. - Read more

Resource for gardeners in the Pocono region. What and when to plant, composting, weather and climate, directory and reviews of local farmers markets. - Read more

Extending the Gardening Season

Plant seeds of long-season crops indoors in pots before the last frost date in your area in Wilkes Barre. Start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants 8 weeks early, cole crops about 4 to 6 weeks early, and vine crops 1 week early. Extend your harvest into fall by planting second crops of short-season vegetables, such as snap beans, peas, greens, radishes, cole crops, and turnips later in the season so they mature after you harvest the first crop.

How-To Project: Identifying Insect Pests

A cabbageworm, the larva of a common white butterfly, feeds on the leaves of cabbage, broccoli, and other cole crops. Insect Control Rule Number 1: Never spray an insecticide until you've identified the culprit. Not all insects are pests -- many are beneficial, most are benign. Don't assume that any insect crawling around on a plant is there to cause trouble.

How-To Project: Growing Plants on Trellises

A trellis covered in morning glories brightens up an old shed. Instead of imagining your garden in Wilkes Barre as a flat canvas, look at it as a three-dimensional space. Picture plants growing up -- on trellises. There are a number of reasons, both aesthetic and practical, for growing plants on vertical structures.

How-To Project: Protecting Yourself Against Summer Insect Pests

The list of illnesses in Wilkes Barre carried by summer's insect pests is daunting: encephalitis, West Nile virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, malaria, dengue fever, Lyme disease. Although the likelihood of contracting any of these diseases from an insect bite is very small, it still makes sense to protect yourself.

How-To Project: Preventing Garden Diseases

The discolored foliage on this vinca is the result of a late frost, so rule out environmental factors before assuming there's a disease present. Most garden diseases in Wilkes Barre are caused by fungi -- microscopic relatives of the common garden mushroom. Mature fungi release millions of spores that are then carried on the wind or otherwise get transferred to our plants.

Flowers

Collect black-eyed Susan seeds when the seed heads dry and turn brown or grey. Saving seeds can be economical, since a single flower can generate dozens or even hundreds of seeds. Although the procedure is simple, there are a few techniques that will improve your chances of being a successful flower grower.

Mowing and Trimming a Lawn

Mowing and trimming -- especially when done properly -- improve the health and appearance of your lawn in Wilkes Barre, reduce its need for water, and lessen your maintenance time. Tools and Materials String trimmer Rotary lawn mower with sharp blade Lawn mower Tape measure or ruler Rake Broom Trim first . If you use a string trimmer, use it before mowing.

Maintaining a Vegetable Garden

Healthy, vigorous vegetable plants in Wilkes Barre produce the most flavorful and bountiful harvests. Give your garden plants the moisture and nutrients they need, and keep them weeded and harvested for tasty and nutritious crops. Tools and Materials Water source, hose, or watering can Organic mulch Hoe Fertilizer, 5-10-10 Water.

Fire Ants

Fire ants range in size from 1/8 to 1/3 of an inch, but their bite feels like they're much bigger in Wilkes Barre.

Flea Beetle

These tiny beetles earn their name by jumping like fleas when disturbed. There are many pest species with varying markings and colorations. The blue-black flea beetle shown here is most common in Wilkes Barre.

Controlling Slugs

If there's one garden pest that's universally despised, it's slugs. Not only do they eat prized vegetables, herbs, and flowers at night while you sleep, but when you do catch them, they're so slimy and squishy that many gardeners won't even touch them, let alone kill them in Wilkes Barre.

Coping with Pest Deer

Deer in rural areas are often more timid of human presence and activity than those in suburban areas, so different control methods may be effective. Your county agricultural extension service or local wildlife management office can give you the most accurate information about deer activity in your area in Wilkes Barre.

Maintaining a Perennial Garden

Perennial gardens in Wilkes Barre require less maintenance than lawns, but they do need regular care to look their best and stay healthy. The following tasks are arranged in order of frequency from weekly to annually. Tools and Materials Scissors or hand pruners Trowel Water source, soaker hose or sprinkler Hoe with small, sharp blade Half-moon edger or garden spade Lawn rake Steel rake Perennials.

Pruning Brambles

"Bramble" the name given to plants in the genus Rubus, which includes the many forms of raspberries(including red, golden, black, and purple kinds) and blackberries (both upright and trailing types) in Wilkes Barre.

Controlling Whiteflies and Aphids

Few insect pests are more widespread than whiteflies and aphids. They attack indoor and outdoor vegetables, flowers, herbs, shrubs, and trees. They breed quickly, and once their numbers are high, they can damage leaves, stems, fruits, and even roots by sucking plant juices in Wilkes Barre.

Aphids

Aphids are found throughout the United States. These small, soft-bodied insects may be pale green, pink, black, or yellow, depending on the species. Some stages of the life cycle are winged, others wingless.

Nurseries

Eliminating weeds and getting the soil ready for your flowers and vegetables are important first steps in growing a successful nursery. Time spent in preparation reduces the time you'll have to spend maintaining and weeding your garden over the course of the growing season.

Codling Moth

Caterpillars bore small holes in the fruit, usually at or near the blossom end. Inside, the pinkish-white worms with brown heads feed on the flesh, leaving tunnels full of sawdustlike frass (droppings). Infested fruit often drops prematurely from trees in Wilkes Barre.

Curculio

Curculios are diminutive, so they're not easy to spot. You're more likely to see the damage they cause. Initially they make small, circular scars in the skins of developing apples and pears under which they lay eggs in Wilkes Barre.

Cucumber Beetle

There are two forms of cucumber beetle -- one striped and the other sporting a dozen black spots. Cucumber beetles are pests of far more plants than their name indicates in Wilkes Barre.