When I first began to garden, I didn’t have a good understanding of all the tasks that needed to be accomplished in the garden. I didn’t keep track of anything I was doing. So each year as I planted my flowers and produce, I would make the same mistakes over and over. I would over-plant some things, while not planting enough of others… too much zucchini and not enough basil.Read More →
Last year, we created No Dig Beds in a grassy area of our backyard. I had high hopes for all that we could grow in these new beds, and I wasn’t disappointed. My husband went along with my plan, but I think he was a little sceptical that we could create new beds so easily. There was some groundwork that went into creating the beds, but the No Dig methodRead More →
I absolutely love the last week of the year. It’s like one final gift of the holiday season. Here are some reasons to enjoy this week. The hustle of Christmas is over and there’s time to slow down. You can relax in your completely decorated home with no more lights to hang, no more shopping to do or errands to run. You’ve finished the baking and making activities. Ahhh, it’sRead More →
Each garden season, I like to save flower, herb, and vegetable seeds from my garden. I do this for two main reasons. First, I enjoy harvesting the seeds I’ve grown. It’s so rewarding to grow your own plants from seeds and save them again for next year. Second, when you save seeds, you know what you’re going to get when you grow that plant. You know the size of theRead More →
For many years, I thought it was too much effort to grow and save dahlia tubers. There are so many chores to complete as fall sets in. Digging up dahlias each year didn’t sound like a good use of my time. And figuring out how to dig and store dahlias was intimidating. But that was before I became addicted to dahlias. Little did I know how rewarding it would beRead More →
Do you have a favorite season? For gardeners, summer is king. It’s the height of what we love to do. Flowers are blooming everywhere you look. The produce, fresh from the garden, is delicious. Abundant herbs provide flavor for meals and a lovely fragrance in the garden. The days are longer, giving us more time to enjoy it all. Ahhh, summer it’s the gardeners’s favorite season. But for gardeners, whatRead More →
When it comes to flowers, more is better! Take a walk through your garden. Do you see areas that could use more blooms? Are there spots that look a little bare or sparse? You can easily fill these holes in your landscape if you increased the number of plants you’re growing. The biggest problem with increasing flowering plants is the cost. The price of nursery stock has jumped this year.Read More →
Every morning, I take a stroll around my newly planted garden areas. The seedlings are coming up and the dahlias have broken ground. It’s so exciting to see all the new growth. While my plants are growing slowly, all around them is a massive amount of very determined plants that have sprung up. Some of these plants are weeds and some are overachievers in the garden. What is an overachieverRead More →
Do you remember the story of Chicken Little? He ran around shouting, “the sky is falling, the sky is falling.” Of course, the sky wasn’t falling. We’ve heard so many scary stories lately… the economy is going to crash, we’re headed for WW III, and more pandemics are on the horizon. And maybe you’ve heard the rumors of a coming food shortage. We don’t have a crystal ball to tellRead More →
Some days it’s really hard to tell that we’ve moved into spring. The calendar says it’s spring, but the weather doesn’t always cooperate. The weather reminds me of a two-year-old. One day, the weather is beautiful with crystal blue skies and warming temperatures. And then the next day it turns cold and blustery. Although we want to jump in with both feet and start gardening, we have to be patient.Read More →