If you have some time on your hands, check out our conversation with host June Stoyer on The Organic View: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-organic-view-blog-talk/id384349742. We had a comprehensive discussion about the history of SafeLawns and the making of A Chemical Reaction in a segment titled "The American Lawn Care Obsession." And in our weekly appearance on NBC, we talk natural pesticides: http:// ...

[caption id="attachment_1760" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="This photo of the groundcover golden creeper comes from PlantCreations.com."][/caption] Week 4: Golden Creeper Among the fair criticisms of our national organization is that much of our information is geared for the northern part of the country. As the SafeLawns founder, I have traveled North America extensively, from the Florida Keys, to ...

Here's a link to information we supplied to The Daily Green (pre-broken wrist): http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/organic-lawn-care-tips-47071704?click=getstarted ...

Calling his product the "holy grail" of natural selective weed control, the chief technical officer of Neudorff is positively ebullient about the reception of "Fiesta" in Canada. "The launch of Fiesta in Canada has been a great success," says Cam Wilson, Neudorff's chief technical officer in North America. Neudorff North America manufactures Fiesta, which is sold as Ortho "EcoSense" weed killer in the Unite ...

[caption id="attachment_1645" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="Stonecrop sedum adorns the grave of President John F. Kennedy"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1646" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="The low-ground plant will spread quickly."][/caption] Week Two: Stonecrop Goldmoss Sedum I remember becoming fascinated with this plant when I visited the grave site of President Kennedy in Arlingto ...

[caption id="attachment_1626" align="alignnone" width="237" caption="Commercial tea brewers are available from a variety of sources."][/caption] Applications of compost "tea" have been around as long as gardening has been around. Long before science proved the efficacy of compost tea, our forebears just instinctively knew that the substance — biologically active liquid — would have beneficial results in the ...

Slugs are not a huge problem on most lawns, but can be an awful nuisance just about everywhere else. Here is a how-to video that discusses some treatment options: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118886. Here's a link back to an article we had on the subject last July: http://www.safelawns.org/blog/index.php/2009/07/here-are-your-options-with-slugs/. I sure hope it doesn't rain so much tha ...

[caption id="attachment_1592" align="alignnone" width="360" caption="Thyme remains evergreen all winter in our Zone 4B climate"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_1591" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="From Estabrook's Greenhouses, Yarmouth, Maine"][/caption] With the onset of summer and in honor of beginning our second year of the blog, we're adding a new feature beginning today: Groundcover Wednesda ...

[caption id="attachment_1585" align="alignnone" width="432" caption="Strawberries that grow wild on our pesticide-free lawn are just coming into season in Maine."][/caption] I mowed my lawn last night. After a long day that included dropping the children off at daycare, registering the car, driving said car 350 miles and then dashing back to the office to answer a few dozen emails, I came home and took out ...

[caption id="attachment_1550" align="alignnone" width="414" caption="Fire ants often do need to be control in a lawn environment."][/caption] With the unofficial arrival of summer across North America often comes the mad dash to the pesticide aisle of your local garden center for insect control, especially ant sprays and baits. Having spent four years producing a television show with Roger Swain for HGTV, I ...