"American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America" is full of spectacular photos showing the garden every step of the way, from planting to harvest.

By Henry Homeyer -- Journal Gardening Columnist

I recently was reorganizing my gardening books and came across a great book by Michelle Obama: "American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America" (Crown Publishers, 2012, $30 in hardback). I must have gotten it when it came out, but never read it until now. It's a wonderful book, and every library should own it. Not only is it a good gardening book, it is a look into the life and character of Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama grew up in Chicago and never had the chance to garden as a child or young adult. But as a mom, she knew she wanted her children to eat fresh, organic food whenever possible. When she and the family moved into the White House she had the opportunity to have a garden. With the help from fifth graders at nearby Bancroft Elementary School, Michelle Obama created a vegetable and herb garden. They also got help from National Park Service staff, a professional farmer, and the staff of the White House, especially the cooks. Their garden thrived and the food was not only eaten by the Obamas, but shared with the children who helped plant it, and with a local homeless shelter called Miriam's Kitchen.

This book is more than a feel-good story. Yes, a third of the food went to the homeless shelter. And yes, low-income children got to work in the garden and eat the results of their labor. But it also tells the story of how to create a garden, starting with removing the sod. It's full of useful gardening information. It is full of spectacular photos showing the gardens every step of the way, from planting to harvest. It has diagrams and layouts of the gardens. It explains the importance of getting a soil test before planting. And it has recipes for using (and knowing when to pick and how to store) things like bok choi or cauliflower, which most of the Bancroft Elementary students had never encountered.

Like most beginning gardeners, Michelle Obama had doubts: "What if the seeds or seedlings were not set in correctly and we ended up with empty beds? What if we couldn't control the weeds? I worried about the weather ...; What if the plants didn't grow? And what if, after all this effort, the food that did grow didn't taste good?" But her fears were unfounded, and the garden was a huge success. The book includes profiles of others who worked in the garden with her and really gave full credit to everyone who helped, taking none for herself. And the book includes vignettes and photos of many community gardens around the country. I particularly liked a section on a container garden in Houston, Texas. The Houston Parks Department donated 34 huge planting containers that were installed on a stone patio in front of a high-rise office building. Each floor got one or more of these waist-high containers and a choice of vegetables to plant. Office workers took turns watering and weeding - and taking home the lettuce, okra, tomatoes and more.

As most of you know, Michelle Obama has been a supporter of nutritious diets and active lifestyles for children as a way to be healthy and reduce obesity. This garden, which she calls a community garden, is part of that effort. The book also profiles others - some well-known athletes, some ordinary citizens - who are doing things that support her goals. I loved a picture of 400 kids in purple T-shirts doing jumping jacks on the South Lawn with her in an effort to break a record for the Guinness World Records. And they did, more than 300,000 people participated at the same time around the country.

Not everyone can have a garden, or even pots on a patio. The first lady spent time in the book lauding farmers' markets, too. Fresh, local food is good food. She pointed out that Thomas Jefferson had started the first farmers' market in Washington, D.C. (and that he also had a kitchen garden at the White House). So she lobbied city officials and got approval for a farmers' market near the White House. I haven't tried any of the recipes in this book, but they look very good. Her corn soup made with fresh corn and thyme looks great. I shall try it next summer. And the spinach pie seems like a winner. So as I bundle up to go outside on a cold January day, I like to think back to summer and my own vegetable garden. I like going to my freezer to extract bags of kale and squash for making my own soup. And I enjoy sitting by the fire and reading about other fine gardens. I think you would like Michelle Obama's book. I did.

Read Henry's blog, and get an email alert every times he posts, by going to https://dailyuv.com/gardeningguy. His e-mail address is henry.homeyer@comcast.net. You may reach him by writing to him at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. If you want a reply, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

By Mary Beth LaneThe Columbus Dispatch • Sunday January 15, 2017 4:49 PM

Coyotes are on the prowl across Ohio, including in its cities, putting some people on edge about letting their pets out at night to do their business. Residents in Fairfield County posted cautionary messages on the Facebook group page "Lancaster's Talk of the Town" recently, some sharing stories about coyotes attacking or attempting to attack their pets. A similar neighborhood group for Hilliard residents also featured a coyote discussion, including a photo of a coyote seen recently in Franks Park.

The coyote population is not necessarily higher than usual, but the bare winter landscape, their opportunistic feeding habits and the start of mating season make them more visible this time of year, said Karen Norris, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife. There is no official estimate on how many coyotes Ohio has statewide, but they are found in all 88 counties and are so numerous and such a nuisance to livestock farmers that state officials encourage hunters and trappers to bag them without limit year-round. A hunting license is required.

The Division of Wildlife has scheduled coyote hunting and trapping classes this month at regional offices across the state. The free classes have drawn enough interest that they are filled, and there are waiting lists, Norris said. The division likely will schedule another round of classes next year, including at its district office on Dublin Road in Columbus, she said. "It's a renewable resource that we would like to see our constituents take advantage of," Norris said. "We do need help controlling the population." The coyotes reported in Fairfield County recently were seen on the outskirts, but they have been spotted nosing around the city, too. "My husband took the trash out one evening and was startled by a coyote in our alley," said Donna Hochradel, who lives in Lancaster. "It was in our neighbor's trash. It is alarming reading all the reports about the coyotes and people's animals."

Coyotes have become so common in central Ohio that they've been spotted in recent years on the Ohio State University campus and elsewhere in Columbus and the surrounding suburbs. Coyotes don't pose a threat to people, Norris said, although they should always be treated as wild animals. "They do attack and defend their territory," she said. "They could see a dog as an adversary."

Urban coyotes are very adaptive to living in human environments and seeking out food sources, including rabbits, mice, voles and other small mammals. People who don't want coyotes visiting their yard should clear away spilled bird seed, grease-coated cooking grills, bowls of pet food and other attractions, Norris said, and should make noise and throw things if they see coyotes hanging around.

Coyote mating season from January through March — at its peak in February — makes hormone-filled males more aggressive and more defensive. Coyote attacks on large dogs are generally rare, but the chances of attacks are greater during this time of year, said Stan Gehrt, an Ohio State University professor who researches coyotes in urban environments. Coyotes looking for food potentially will attack small dogs left outside at any time of year, he added.

People should always walk their dogs on a leash, turn the lights on and keep a close eye on them when letting them outside at night, and keep the outdoors clean of any food bowls, Gehrt said. "If people walking a dog see a coyote watching them, they shouldn't run away. That stimulates chase instincts," Gehrt advised. "Pick up your dog and back away or throw something and then yell and wave your arms. Coyotes don't want to have anything to do with people."

Visit wildlife.ohiodnr.gov for hunting and trapping information.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Here is a WONDERFUL article regarding Monarch Butterfly Gardens! Clary's will be focusing some events around this AMAZING butterfly later this year... no shame in starting early!!

Although there's not much blooming in my garden yet, four kinds of Milkweed, Bergamot, Boneset, Echinacea, Salvia, Goldenrod, Phlox, Mallow and loads of annuals will be ready when the Monarch butterflies arrive.

A Monarch Waystation is an intentionally-managed garden that provides food and habitat for the struggling Monarch butterfly population. As a rule, a waystation must include at least 2 types of Milkweed, the 'host' plant for Monarchs.

This year, I've registered my garden as a certified Monarch Waystation, through MonarchWatch.org. This means that my garden has met the criteria for providing food, shelter, and breeding grounds for Monarch butterflies and that my gardening practices have proven sustainable enough to continue supporting Monarchs into the future.

I'm pretty excited about this. Read on to find out how you can do the same!

PLANNING YOUR MONARCH WAYSTATION

A Monarch Waystation has to meet several criteria in order to be registered, but luckily for small-space gardens, size is not a very big hurdle. While your Monarch plants must be sited in plenty of sunlight (which butterflies thrive on) the overall size of your plantings need only be 100 square feet total.

You'll be asked to fill out a form accounting for how well your garden performs in the following categories:

Host Plants

A butterfly host plant is the place where butterflies lay their eggs for the next generation. Host plants also act as the sole food source for the developing caterpillars, so that they can become strong, healthy butterflies.

• Monarchs exclusively rely on Milkweed as their host plant. There are several different varieties of milkweed, including Common Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Swamp Milkweed, Whorled Milkweed, and Tropical Milkweed.
• A certified Monarch Waystation must have a minimum of 10 milkweed plants, made up of at least two different varieties.
• Planting multiple varieties of milkweed, which often have varying bloom times, helps to prolong the time frame that Monarch butterflies can make use of your waystation.

Milkweed and Butterfly Weed are two varieties of the same plant, and are both members of the genus Asclepias. Butterfly Weed is the only Milkweed that goes by a different name!

Monarch caterpillars need plenty of milkweed to become butterflies; one caterpillar alone will eat 20-30 large leaves!

Nectar Plants

While host plants are food sources for caterpillars, nectar plants are food for fully-developed butterflies. Recent research suggests that a lack of nectar plants may be playing a bigger part in the decline of Monarchs than previously realized.

• Annual plants, which bloom quickly but don't return for a second season, play a crucial role in a Monarch Waystation. Examples include: Gaillardia, Cosmos, Marigold, Verbena, Zinnia and more.
• Perennials, which are slower to establish when first planted, but survive and thrive in subsequent seasons, are also important additions to a Monarch garden. Examples include: Bee Balm, Black Eyed Susan, Coreopsis, Hollyhock, Echinacea and more.
• Early and late-season bloomers. Be sure to plant varieties that will provide food for Monarchs at the extreme ends of your gardening season. For example, I've allowed a large block of Goldenrod to naturalize in my garden, which provides food for many pollinators (including Monarchs) late into the fall, when other flowers have faded.

Annual nectar plants, like marigolds and zinnias, provide food for Monarch butterflies.

Check out our full list of host and nectar plants below

Sustainable Gardening Practices

While providing habitat and food for Monarchs is a great focus all on its own, we also want to be sure as gardeners that our big-picture practices are aligned with the overall protection of these pollinators. Monarch Watch does a great job of reminding us that how we do things in the garden really matters.

• Elimination of pesticides. This can be a tough one for everyone to get on board with, especially if you're experiencing a particularly horrific bug infestation. But as butterfly-lovers, we do need to develop an awareness that many insecticides are designed to kill a wide range of pests - pollinators included!
• Thinning, dividing, mulching, and watering. You'll need to provide some information about how actively you care for your plants. Practices such as weeding, thinning, and watering ensure that your plants are at their best and are capable of producing high-quality blooms for your visiting Monarchs.
• Removing Dead Stalks. This one really made me think! Because of the declining bee population, I've been following the advice to leave dead plant growth in-place throughout the winter, in order to provide habitat for all kinds of bugs, big and small. I can only assume that removing dead stalks has to do with limiting the spread of disease among developing caterpillars. For me, the jury's still out until I can dig a little deeper and weigh all of the pros and cons around this idea.*

*Update: After the season wrapped up, I decided to leave my plants in place to overwinter. Many forms of wildlife, both visible and microscopic, rely on the food and shelter that spent and dormant plant matter provides.

Should you leave dead plant matter in place throughout the off-season to provide habitat for teeny, tiny bug life? Here, last year's Bee Balm stays put while this year's growth develops.

CERTIFYING YOUR MONARCH WAYSTATION

Now that you know what will be required of your garden to become a certified Monarch Waystation, you're welcome to register your site. To do this, you can visit MonarchWatch.org and download a print form to mail in or fax, or you can fill out your form online.

Benefits and Extras of Certifying Your Monarch Waystation

• For just a little bit extra, you can get a cool sign to hang in your garden! You can even choose a fun name for your site, which will be printed on the sign.
• You'll receive an official Certificate of Appreciation. Mine lists my Monarch Waystation as number 13582.
• Your garden will be listed on the interactive online map, along with all of the other Certified Monarch Waystations in the US.

If you pay just a little bit extra, you'll be sent a sign to post, making your Certified Monarch Waystation official! Mine looks pretty boring right now, but some quick-climbing plants should fill in and frame my sign nicely.

FULL LIST OF HOST AND NECTAR PLANTS FOR YOUR MONARCH BUTTERFLY GARDEN

Host Plants - Potted Perennials

Potted Common Milkweed

Potted Tropical Milkweed

Host Plants - Seeds

Common Milkweed Seeds