Share my passion for all things gardening!
I grow Swiss chard every year, without fail. That’s because it’s heat-tolerant and if you harvest individual leaves rather than whole plants, they’ll feed you all season long! Latin name: Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris Plant Family: Beet (Amaranthaceae) Cool-season crop Did You Know? Swiss chard is native to southern Europe and cultivated for its leaves and stems. In a field trial […]
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In the early years, I didn’t like to grow spinach due to insect problems. Once I learned about covering my plantings with floating row cover or agricultural insect netting, my plants were pristine! Latin Name: Spinacia oleracea Plant Family: Beet (Amaranthaceae) Cool-season crop Did You Know? Spinach was first cultivated in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran), followed by India and China. […]
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I love to grow beets! For pristine leaves and roots, cover them with either floating row cover or agricultural insect netting. Why? That’ll keep damaging leafminers away. Latin Name: Beta vulgaris Plant Family: Beet (Amaranthaceae) Cool-season Crop Did You Know? Beets have been cultivated for their greens since ancient times. But their roots weren’t harvested for food until the mid-1600s. […]
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I’m always sad when the growing season comes to a close. But boy, did I learn a lot this year! In my newest video, I share my top garden takeaways. It’s so important to take the time to reflect on how the garden season went. This includes successes and failures, although I prefer to call the latter “learning experiences!” That’s […]
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I don’t know about your weather, but fall is getting serious here in Spokane, Wash.! It got me to thinking about fall gardening and what I’ve learned you should or shouldn’t do right now. I love this time year, especially because of the beautiful fall colors. And having the garden wind down is also nice because I’ve worked hard all […]
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This year has been a real challenge for gardeners everywhere. Primarily, the problem has been the weather extremes, which have caused some tomato problems that I don’t ordinarily encounter. For the most part, tomatoes and other crops have been very slow to ripen. The two main tomato problems have been damage from tomato fruitworms and catfacing. Let’s take a look […]
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I’ve been very excited to shoot this week’s video because it’s a topic near and dear to my heart. My lifelong goal has been to help you grow bountiful vegetable gardens. In the video, you’ll learn my most important tips for garden success. If you’re curious about the photo to the left, that is a ‘Sweet Jade’ Kabocha winter squash. […]
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About a week ago, I asked my Facebook followers to let me know what their vegetable garden questions are. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that if one person has a specific question, a whole lot of other folks want to know the exact same thing. If you’re curious about the photo to the left, those are a […]
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On May 25, I posted a short video about the masses of aphids on a lupine plant. At the time, I told folks not to worry because the beneficial insects would soon come to the rescue. Boy, was I wrong! Take a close look at the photo to the left. All of those tiny things are aphids! Yikes. Many gardeners […]
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Lots of gardeners get discouraged when they try to grow broccoli or other cabbage family crops. Why? They are very popular with the bugs. And you have to admit it’s rather unappetizing to serve broccoli along with an assortment of bugs on a plate! Yuck. Aphids, cabbage worms and slugs think broccoli plants are delicious. Being an organic gardener, I […]
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