Share my passion for all things gardening!
Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Welcoming good bugs will help oust pests. (you can read my column lower in this post.) Today’s topic is about attracting beneficial insects to your garden. For years, I’ve prided myself on growing everything organically. When I occasionally have insect problems, one of the things I’ve used is […]
Read moreI thought you might be interested to hear how things went in our quest to grow cherries organically this year:
Read moreI wanted to do a follow-up to my July 13 post (“Keeping the birds out of the cherries“). That way, you’ll know how things are going. You’ll recall I recently purchased some 2″-wide holographic bird scare ribbon. They’re my attempt to keep birds away from the ripening cherries. Well, it has worked great! It hasn’t completely kept the robins out of […]
Read moreYou might recall I’ve written in the past about how there are some types of stink bugs that cause an awful lot of damage to edible crops like veggies and fruits. (see these posts: Stink bug news and Invasion of the stink bugs) While at Manito Park last week, my husband saw something a bit worrisome to both of us. […]
Read moreThis is what floating row cover looks like. It’s terrific! Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Products boost plant health organically. (you can also read my column lower in this post.) This one’s about how I garden organically through the use of some very helpful, environmentally-friendly products. I hope you’ll find it interesting […]
Read moreOver the years, I’ve written about my battles with leaf miners. They are the larvae that tunnel in between the cells in the leaves of spinach, beets and Swiss chard. How do they get there in the first place? What are leaf miners? Well, the adult is a fly that lays eggs on the leaves. Once the eggs hatch, the […]
Read moreLast fall, I posted information on stink bugs as they were damaging the produce in my garden. I am wondering if they’re going to be an even worse problem this year . I intend to keep my eyes open for the little stinkers (no pun intended). They damaged our artichokes and tomatoes last summer, which did not make me happy […]
Read moreSpotted Wing Drosophila: Photos courtesy of Beverly Gerdeman, PhD, WSU Research Associate and WSU Whatcom County Extension. Even if you can’t pronounce the name of this dreaded insect, you need to know about this. And especially if you grow fruit trees or berry plants. The Spotted Wing Drosophila (or SWD), Drosophila suzukii, has been found in Spokane. It is very […]
Read moreI know that sounds like a “B” movie, right? It appears local gardeners are having problems with stink bugs eating their vegetable and fruit crops. That is worrisome to me. I think a lot of us grew up thinking stink bugs were those large black beetles. You know the ones that smelled nasty if you stepped on them. It turns […]
Read moreYesterday, a friend of mine was asking what floating row covers are since I mention them frequently in my columns. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to do a post about this topic. That’s because it’s one of my favorite tools for growing a productive vegetable garden. What is floating row cover? Floating row cover is a lightweight, woven fabric. It […]
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