Share my passion for all things gardening!
I’m delighted to announce that the highly-anticipated Spokane County Master Gardener plant sale is on for this year! This annual event had to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Fortunately, the organizers figured out a way to set up an online plant ordering system. Then you will pick up your plants at a pre-determined day and time at […]
Read more
Eating fresh blueberries from our garden is one of my favorite summertime treats. Did you know they’re quite easy to grow? In this week’s column, I go over the cultural needs of blueberries. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Growing blueberries is a treat for yourself. (you can also read the text of my column […]
Read more
I am so excited to announce that Monty Don, the British garden guru and host of the BBC’s “Gardener’s World” program, will be a very special guest on the Joe Gardener podcast today! I spoke with my friend, Joe Lamp’l, last week. He explained that today’s podcast is the episode 200. Wow! He and his team felt they should do […]
Read more
The topic of my next garden column and video is on growing gutter peas! Yep, you read that right and I’ll explain in a moment. You can read my column in The Spokesman-Review: Help peas get a good start in the gutter. (and no, I don’t write my headlines, LOL) You can also read the text of my column at […]
Read more
I am on the Gardenerd podcast today! Christy Wilhelmi is the delightful host of this popular podcast. We talk about garden bugs, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and how it all relates to my new book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook.* Christy lives in the Los Angeles area. One of her most despised pests is the cucumber beetle. I feel so […]
Read more
Starting veggies early is the topic for this week’s garden column and video. I’ve decided to push the envelope by planting lettuce waaaaay earlier than usual this year and, to make matters worse (although I hope not!), I am encouraging you to try this, too. Here’s the link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Get a jumpstart […]
Read more
It’s time for my second garden column of the 2021 growing season. Since I want you to have the best success possible, the topic is choosing your vegetable garden site. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Follow the sun to find the right place to plant your garden. (you can also read the text of […]
Read more
Well, today is a milestone! My first garden column, which is essentially a season introduction, is running in The Spokesman-Review newspaper here in Spokane, Wash. Here’s a link to it: Look to the past before plowing into the future. You can also read the text of my column at the bottom of this post: it won’t be as pretty as […]
Read more
Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Gardener by Jessica Walliser (Storey Publishing, 2020, 206 pp., $24.95) by Susan Mulvihill Many gardeners are familiar with the concept of companion planting: some plant combinations promote better growth and production while others inhibit these desirable outcomes. Or do they? A long time ago, I read Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise […]
Read more
Yup, my newest video is on seed starting… again! There’s so much information that I’ve been wanting to share with you. That means I needed to shoot a third video on this very important topic. In this video, I share information on seed treatments ( vernalization, stratification, and scarification). This will help you grow things like artichokes or New Zealand […]
Read more