Share my passion for all things gardening!
I recently planted one of our favorite members of the cabbage family: broccoli. One of my best friends recommended the variety ‘Early Dividend’, so I decided to see how it grows for us. As I was planted the seedlings, I realized that I should share a few tips with you. Why? Growing cabbage family crops can be tricky due to their […]
Read more
Well, today is an exciting day! I’ve been looking forward to writing about insect hotels for quite a while. Since I’ve been wanting to build another one for our garden, I can check both off the list! (notice photo at left) Before I jump into a discussion of the importance of insect hotels, let me give you a link to […]
Read more
In today’s garden column, I talk about organic gardening. This is something that is very easy to do by using good cultural practices. Here is a link to it in The Spokesman-Review. Investigate different ways to control pests. (or you can read my column lower in this post) By the way, I hope you’re not getting tired of hearing about […]
Read more
Don’t let flies prevent you from enjoying your porch, patio or deck this summer. There is no need to spray poisonous chemicals to control them, however. Our neighbor boards horses and we keep chickens. Between these two sources, there is a potential for a lot of flies. We have been using the Rescue Fly Traps since 1993 with great success. Their early […]
Read more
I thought it would be helpful to write a column on some of the problems that can come up. I’m specifically talking about garden pests that can be very challenging. Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Identify the pest before choosing the remedy. (or you can read my column lower in this post) […]
Read more
A long time ago, I grew calendulas at our old house. I remember seeing small black beetles on the flowers but never knew what they were. Two years ago, I started growing them again and — sure enough — those beetles are back. After doing some research, I learned they are blister beetles. I needed to come up with some […]
Read more
One of the great things about traveling to other countries and visiting other gardens is that you get wonderful ideas. Then you can put them into practice in your own garden. Today, I want to show you some of the crop protection covers I saw while traveling through England last month. I’m referring to the methods gardeners used to keep […]
Read more
Growing apples is a bit problematic because they are susceptible to some nasty insect and disease problems. Growing apples organically is even more challenging for the exact same reason. And yet, my husband Bill and I have taken on that very challenge in our home orchard. Why? We love the idea of eating apples that were grown without chemicals. To grow […]
Read more
I think I’m going to have to eat crow… or something along those lines! Last June, I wrote about pillbugs in a blog post. In it, I talked about their reputation for munching on the stems of young Cucurbits (melons, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins). This occurs while they’re at their most tender stage. Pillbugs also have a benign role of helping […]
Read more
The Praying Mantis is an insect with a voracious appetite. Because of this, it’s always a treat to find them in the garden since I know they’ll help me keep insects in check. While my husband, Bill, was trimming back our large lavender patch, he came across all sorts of Praying Mantis egg cases attached to many of the plants. How cool […]
Read more