How is your soil? Is your garden ready for the growing season? Does the soil contain the nutrients needed for healthy plant growth? Is it rich in organic matter? These are important questions that can only be answered by obtaining a soil test from a reliable laboratory. Soil testing ...

In another article on ephemerals, I mentioned mayapples as spring flowers. I needed to get some for a forest area in my yard, so I began to research. Mayapples, Podophyllum peltatum, grow as colonies in shady forests. They come up in early spring and bloom between April and May. Everyone ...

Here are upcoming gardening events through the Ohio State University Extension Office. For more information and a complete list, contact: • OSU Mahoning County Extension Office, 490 S. Broad St., Canfield. 330-533-5538. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. • ...

DEAR READERS: Memorial Day arrives each year wrapped in red, white and blue, but at its heart, it is a day of quiet gratitude. It is the unofficial beginning of summer, yes. There will be hamburgers on grills, children running barefoot through backyards, flags waving from porches and maybe a ...

DEAR HELOISE: I recently read a letter from someone who suggested using a tackle box as an earring holder. I have another idea that works great for me. I use plastic ice cube trays. They hold 12 sets of earrings each. They’re stackable, and you can see all the earrings in a single tray, ...

DEAR DR ROACH: My brother-in-law is a lovely man, but for years, he’s suffered from obesity. He also gambles and drinks alcohol too much. I hesitate to get too involved, but I recently read that the new weight-loss drugs based on GLP-1 agonists are also helpful in reducing alcohol and ...