I would like to grow some vegetables, but I work long hours during the day, so I don’t have that much time to devote to the garden. What vegetables would you recommend that I try?

Low-maintenance vegetables to grow would be peas, beans, peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Once these plants are established, there is little time involved other than watering, weeding and fertilizing. Stay away from trying to start your own plants from seed. To save time, buy well-established vegetables from your local garden center. This will not only save time, but will also give you a couple weeks jump start on your garden.

Soil conditions are very important. Adding sphagnum peat will help with drainage and help retain moisture as well as enrich the soil.

More time is usually needed at the beginning of any garden – whether it is an annual, perennial or vegetable garden. Once plants are rooted, your garden will take far less maintenance other than a few hours a week.

I have moss growing in my lawn. Why is that? Is it a problem? Should I get rid of it? If so, how?

Moss, like any other weed, is very opportunistic – where the ground is bare and conditions are somewhat favorable, it will grow. Moss can be very beautiful in the right setting, but in the lawn it is a weed.

Moss grows in most any soil, in sun or shade, under acid or alkaline soil conditions. It tends to do best where the soil is slightly to heavily compacted and where it is frequently moist.

Moss hugs the ground tightly but has no root system. Large areas can simply be raked off. Burn-off type killers such as Security Moss and Mildew Killer, and Scott’s Moss Control for Lawns quickly turn the moss brown. It will then disintegrate into the soil or can be raked away.

To prevent the moss from growing back, loosen the soil, aerate if practical, and reseed the large spots. Remember, your best deterrent against any weed (including moss) is a good, thick turf.

On the north side of my house, there is mature English ivy (6 or 7 years old) growing well in a 6 by 25 foot area. How can I get rid of the ivy and prep the area for planting? (I need more space for perennials!) I would rather not use herbicides, but pulling up all that ivy would be really tough. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately, English ivy is a very tough plant to remove without the use of an herbicide. As you stated in your question, pulling up all the English ivy is going to be difficult at best. Not only is it tough to physically remove the vine, it is going to be even tougher to remove all of the roots from under the ground. This plant can sprout back up from roots that are left in the ground, so it is very important to remove everything, which is not an easy task! English ivy is even hard to get rid of with your “average” herbicide. It is recommended to use a more powerful herbicide such as Bonide Poison Oak & Ivy Killer in accordance with the directions on the bottle.
With a plant as tough to remove as English ivy, the only real alternative is to use an herbicide. I hope this does not deter you from making more space for your perennials!