Share my passion for all things gardening!
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 […]
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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 […]
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I’ve recently returned from a wonderful 2-week trip to England. It’s been fun sharing some of the things I saw with you through Facebook over the past few days. I wanted to write about something I repeatedly saw in some of the beautiful gardens I visited. That was the use of natural materials for plant supports and/or keeping pests away […]
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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 […]
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Don’t we all hate weeds? After all, they get in the way of the lovely plants we’ve placed in our gardens on purpose. I recently had a request to share some of my weed strategies, so have written a column on that very subject. Here’s a link to it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Best weeding tools are your […]
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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 […]
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Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects. Published by the Xerces Society (Timber Press, 2016, 287 pp., $24.95) Don’t you just love learning new things? I know I do. I’ve been wanting to find out more about attracting butterflies to our garden. And I just found an ideal guide for that exact purpose. Gardening for […]
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I know I’ve talked about this before but crop rotation is a big deal! It’s the best tool vegetable gardeners have to cut down on insect and disease problems. And it’s free, too. Crop rotation involves keeping records of where you grew each crop in the previous 3 to 4 years. That way, you can grow them in different locations […]
Read moreWhen I talk about attracting insects to the garden, this is a common reaction: “Why would I do that?! I don’t want more insects in my garden!” Attracting beneficial insects, as well as pollinators, is exactly what we need to do. That way, we’ll keep damaging insects in check and create a balanced ecosystem within our gardens. When I think of […]
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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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