Share my passion for all things gardening!
Every year, I grow one or two varieties of paste tomatoes for making sauce, ketchup and salsa. Why paste tomatoes? They typically are meatier types that cook down fairly quickly. That’s because they don’t have as much juice as a regular slicing tomato. For the last several years, ‘Italian Pompeii’ (center of top photo) has been my go-to paste tomato. […]
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How do you feel about slugs? If you just shuddered and if your blood pressure just went up a few notches, we’re on the same page! I despise slugs. Why? They seem to want to eat the very same veggies that I love to grow and eat. Yet they can be tricky to control, especially organically. That said, I’m willing […]
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Throughout the growing season, I enjoy profiling local gardeners. Especially those who have a spectacular garden or a special skill to share with you. In today’s column, Tracy and Alan Lewis have both! They explained how they set up a drip irrigation system as an add-on to their existing sprinkler system. Here’s a link to it: Drip system need not […]
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I know next spring seems so far off but fall is the time for planting spring-blooming bulbs. But not just any bulbs, mind you. Why not plant some of the less common specialty bulbs? That’s exactly what I wrote about for today’s garden column. Here’s a link to it: Plant bulbs this fall for a colorful display next spring. (you […]
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‘Tis the season for picking Italian plums, isn’t it? In addition to drying them, making jam or tarts, they are awesome in spiced plum butter. We made it for the first time last year and discovered a fabulous, can’t-eat-just-one appetizer to make with it. Take a pita cracker, top with some Cambozola or other creamy cheese with a bit of […]
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My husband, Bill, and I grow three kinds of grapes: ‘Canadice’, ‘Glenora’ and ‘Vanessa’. The first to ripen is ‘Glenora’. Sometimes we use the grapes for jelly and oftentimes we make grape juice. Doing the latter is very simple, especially if you have a steamer/juicer. Step by step: 1. Pick the grape clusters, leaving them on the stems. 2. Wash […]
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For years, I’ve grown geraniums in pots on my front porch. At the end of each garden season, I’d toss them in the compost pile. That seemed like a huge waste of money to me. Then I learned that overwintering geraniums is easy as can be. That’s the subject of my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review. Here’s a […]
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On Thursday evening, we had quite the downpour. While we were tickled to get the moisture, it’s not such great news for baby California quail. They have very little protection from the elements when they’re little. That means they have to rely on their parents to keep them warm. While eating my breakfast yesterday, I glanced out the sliding glass […]
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The growing season is coming to close. Yet none of us wants to fill our basements or closets with green tomatoes, right? It’s a topic of great interest to gardeners these days because they’re frustrated and watching the days zip by. As you might already know, I’ve been filming short videos on how to get your green tomatoes to ripen, […]
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I’ve been growing celery for several years now and just love how flavorful it is. The only down side is that there’s always more than we can keep up with but we certainly don’t to waste it. What’s the answer? Preserving it, of course! Today, I’m going to show you how to freeze celery. If you’re wondering why you’d want […]
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