Time to Spring Clean the Garden to enhance it's beauty.

Spring is finally here! For most of us, we can breathe a sigh of relief that this crazy winter is finally over. But winter has left a mess that we’ll need to take care of. As you finally emerge from your dark winter home to walk around your yard, here are a few things that you might notice… downed branches broken tree limbs matted leaves in the flower beds snowRead More →

Garden hat, tools and watering can are the gardeners tools.

How is it some gardeners end up with massive amounts of beautiful blooms and an overabundance of produce while other gardeners just gather in minimal amounts of flowers and vegetables? Some might say that the growers just have a green thumb. But I don’t think so. I think that anyone can become a prolific gardener with the right gardening mindset. Here are 5 habits of a highly productive gardener thatRead More →

It’s the dead of winter and snow covers the ground. But it’s not too early to begin planning for the coming garden season. Here are ten things you can do now to get your garden ready for Spring. For most of us, we can’t go out and plant our flowers, herbs or vegetables. But there are some indoor garden activities that we can do to make the process easier onceRead More →

Cosmos growing beside a fence in the cutting garden.

Do you remember your Grandparent’s garden when you were growing up? There was something so special about the old-fashioned flowers they grew. You could wander through the garden and feel a sense of peace and calm. The bees were buzzing all around. Birds were enjoying the seed pods. And you were enjoying the little flowers exploding everywhere. Back when you were young, you probably didn’t think much about what wasRead More →

A wheelbarrow full of autumn leaves.

We finally had a killing frost last night.  We’ve been squeaking out a few tomatoes, peppers and raspberries most days, but after last night we are officially done.  Once you have a very cold night, it’s difficult to salvage your plants. Even if you cover and try to protect them.  So now it’s time to wrap up the garden for the season. There are certain chores that need to beRead More →

Shasta Daisies growing in the garden.

My cutting garden has slowly faded away as the days and nights have grown colder.  Yesterday, my husband made me a sweet bouquet from the last of the zinnias.  The sunflowers stopped blooming weeks ago, although I have been saving the seed heads for winter food for the birds.  The cosmos and black-eyed susans have just a few scattered flowers.  The coneflowers, daisies and all the rest are completely gone. Read More →

Bucket of bulbs with gloves and spade.

Daffodils, tulips and crocus are the last things on my mind right now.  Instead, I’ve been thinking of pumpkins and apples.  Processing the garden herbs and harvesting the last of the produce.  If you garden, then you know that this is a busy season where you’re trying to wrap everything up for the year.  But if you want some beautiful blooming flowers next spring, then now is the time toRead More →

Woman wearing gloves with fresh vegetables in the box in her hands.

You’ve been waiting and waiting for that garden to grow.  You planted and fertilized and watered and now you are finally seeing the results of your hard work.  Slowly the produce starts to ripen and you are enjoying the “fruits of your labor”  But then something happens.  The fruits and vegetables start to ripen more rapidly and all at once you have a massive amount of produce to handle.  HowRead More →

Several bags of frozen vegetables ready for the freezer

It won’t be long before our gardens will be overflowing with produce.  Or we’ll be visiting the Farmer’s Market and find a great buy on corn.  The fruit trees will be laden with ripe fruit and the raspberries ripen all at once.  The abundance of fruits, vegetables and herbs during the summer is one of the blessings of living in an agricultural area. Once the harvest season starts you needRead More →

Daisies growing in the garden

Raise your hand if you like flowers. There’s something so special about growing flowers in your yard and garden. But if you can bring them inside, that’s even better. They offer not only something beautiful to look at, but they give off a lovely fragrance as well. A number of years ago, I began planting a cutting garden so I had flowers to bring inside without using my shrubs andRead More →