Share my passion for all things gardening!
For today’s garden column, I’ve focused on something that we probably all know, but tend to forget about. That is observing good cultural practices in the garden so our plants thrive. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Follow best practices to keep plants thriving. Or you can read it below (don’t miss this week’s video […]
Read moreYes, that’s a long title for this blog post, but it really sums things up! I’ve been meaning to write about this topic for a few weeks but just haven’t had the time. But now that I’ve seen TV and newspaper accounts of the return of black flies to the Inland Northwest, it’s definitely important to address this subject. I’ve […]
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If you live in the Inland Northwest, you won’t want to miss the Friends of Manito Spring Plant Sale next weekend! That’s the topic of my garden column and here’s a link to it in The Spokesman-Review: Find water-wise plants at Manito sale. Or you can read my column below (don’t miss this week’s video underneath it!). The Friends of […]
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My husband, Bill, is a genius! He’s come up with a great method for controlling slugs. I place rings of copper tape around the base of my cabbage family seedlings to keep the slugs away. Here’s the amazing thing. The skin and antennae of slugs reacts electrically with copper. That means you can use it as a deterrent. I’ve been […]
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We gardeners do love our glorious spring bulbs, don’t we? And once they’ve finished blooming, we do love a tidy flower bed, too. But before you remove any bulb foliage, read this: While you might not realize this, those leaves are busily putting energy into the bulbs for next year’s bloom. You certainly wouldn’t want to jeopardize that, would you? […]
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I’ve been really excited about writing this week’s column and even more so about making our very own pollinator garden. It’s something we’ve been thinking about for the past few years and are finally doing this spring. Here’s a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Create an oasis for pollinators. Or you can read my column […]
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Most gardeners know that when it comes to growing cabbage family crops, insects are likely part of the package. In my garden, these crops are susceptible to slugs, aphids, cabbage worms and sometimes even pillbugs. Talk about your bug magnets, eh? Members of the cabbage family (a.k.a. cole crops or Brassicas) include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and kale). Whenever […]
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Take a look at this tomato seedling. I just planted it in the garden yesterday and am very pleased with the shape it’s in. I’m not posting this to brag. But, in my humble opinion, this is absolutely the perfect size tomato seedling for transplanting. You might recall that I mentioned a few weeks ago when I plant my tomato […]
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Do you grow beans in your garden? They are one of my favorite vegetables. Why? They are so flavorful and abundant enough to also give you plenty to preserve for fall and winter eating. In my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review, I share tips for successfully growing bush and pole beans. Here’s a link to it: Placement counts […]
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And now for something completely different! Bill and I recently decided to build a garden scarecrow. Why? It’s primarily for the purpose of scaring the quail away from some of our vegetable crops. But it’s also there to add a bit of whimsy. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know we are birdwatchers and bird-lovers. We do […]
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