Share my passion for all things gardening!
Organic Gardening for Everyone by CaliKim (Cool Springs Press, 2020, 160 pp., $22.99) I love it when a gardening book comes along with a mission of getting everyone to grow their own food and to do so without the use of insecticides or synthetic fertilizers. So I was intrigued when I learned about the brand-new release of Organic Gardening for […]
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Do you bring in plants that were outdoors during the spring and summer months? And do suddenly end up with tiny flies indoors that drive you insane? Well, those are fungus gnats. And yes, they used to drive us nuts… that is, until I discovered a simple, organic solution to the problem. Last winter, I had brought my hanging baskets […]
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Inland Northwest gardeners are in for a treat when Oct. 10 rolls around. Joe Lamp’l, host and executive producer of the popular PBS program, “Growing a Greener World” will be here! He’ll the keynote speaker for this year’s Spokane County Master Gardener Fall Banquet! Yes, “that” Joe. That’s the topic of my garden column, which you can read in today’s […]
Read moreAs you probably know, we get plenty of critters in our garden. Many of them are certain the garden was planted specifically for them. Sometimes, dealing with them means you need to get creative. This year, Bill and I have found some new methods that are working pretty well. That’s the topic of my column today, which you can find […]
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For today’s garden column, I’ve focused on something that we probably all know, but tend to forget about. That is observing good cultural practices in the garden so our plants thrive. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Follow best practices to keep plants thriving. Or you can read it below (don’t miss this week’s video […]
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My husband, Bill, is a genius! He’s come up with a great method for controlling slugs. I place rings of copper tape around the base of my cabbage family seedlings to keep the slugs away. Here’s the amazing thing. The skin and antennae of slugs reacts electrically with copper. That means you can use it as a deterrent. I’ve been […]
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This morning, I posted this photo on my Facebook page and Instagram feeds. I wanted to post it here in case you don’t follow those accounts. As you can see, my insect hotel has a bit of snow on it. I hope my little solitary bee buddies are tucked in for the winter. I built this insect hotel last April, […]
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Have you heard the term “crop rotation” before? Chances are, you’ve discounted the notion of it because you’re not a farmer. Well, crop rotation applies to humble vegetable gardeners like you and me because it is an easy way to ensure the health and productivity of our gardens. If that caught your attention, you’ll be happy to hear that I’ve […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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