Share my passion for all things gardening!
Have you watched the video about my pole bean trellis? I wanted to better show you how it’s set up in my garden. As you can see by the above photo, I have 4 arbors. They span a 3-foot-wide path between two of my raised beds. Each arbor has spikes that you push down into the soil for stability. If […]
Read moreJoe uses cattle panels to support his tomato plants in his salsa garden. In my column in today’s Spokesman-Review, I’ve written a profile of local gardener. His name is Joe Hutchinson and he is crazy about tomato salsa. Each year, he grows a lot of tomatoes, onions, peppers and herbs in his salsa garden. That way, he and his wife, […]
Read moreLook at these gorgeous Victoria lily pads at Longwood Gardens! Wow. It’s two-fer Sunday! First I wrote my garden column for today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review (see post). Then I wrote a travel article about our trip to see the amazing Pennsylvania gardens. Here’s a link to it: A gardener’s vacation. Hope you’ll enjoy the photos that accompany it as […]
Read moreThese blackberries have been frozen individually. Are you growing berries in your garden? We grow strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. While I enjoy making jams and jellies, it’s nice to freeze some of the berries for those winter fruit cobblers and crisps, too. Freezing blueberries is a piece of cake: you just pick them, wash them lightly, pop them into […]
Read moreI recently planted cover crops in some of my vegetable garden beds that are done producing for the year. So, what are cover crops anyway? They are usually members of the legume or grass families. They’re are planted in idle soil to suppress weeds or maybe to protect soil from erosion. They add nutrients into the soil as well. That […]
Read moreEvery year I grow a lot of green beans. I usually only grow pole beans (‘Italian Snap’) but am also growing bush beans (‘French filet’ style beans) which have been really productive. I have to admit that I’m a bit of a chicken when it comes to canning low-acid vegetables, which beans are. That’s because of the risk of botulism […]
Read moreThe veggies are ready to go into the oven for tomato sauce! Boy, are we in the middle of tomato-harvesting season and I’ll bet you are, too. We primarily grow paste tomatoes for making sauces and catsup. However, we don’t always have the time or inclination to break out all of the canning gear. Today, I picked our first big […]
Read moreAre you’re wondering how my vegetable garden is coming along? You’ll be pleased to know that my column in The Spokesman-Review today is an update on that very topic. Most everything is growing and producing well, but I’ve had a few frustrating setbacks. Take a look: Good summer for vegetables. Or you can read my column below. The photo above […]
Read moreCan you believe it’s the middle of August already? It’s time for another of my columns in The Spokesman-Review: Ornamental grasses add winter interest. (or you can read my column lower in this post.) Today’s topic was a request from one of my Master Gardener friends and colleagues. It’s about ornamental grasses that provide interest in the landscape during the […]
Read moreMary Lee Gaston Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: ‘Lasagna gardening’ yields big harvest. (or you can read my column lower in this post.) Throughout the summer months, I enjoy meeting with local gardeners and writing profiles of them and their wonderful gardens. Today’s column is a profile of Mary Lee Gaston, who […]
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