Share my passion for all things gardening!
I know next spring seems so far off but fall is the time for planting spring-blooming bulbs. But not just any bulbs, mind you. Why not plant some of the less common specialty bulbs? That’s exactly what I wrote about for today’s garden column. Here’s a link to it: Plant bulbs this fall for a colorful display next spring. (you […]
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‘Tis the season for picking Italian plums, isn’t it? In addition to drying them, making jam or tarts, they are awesome in spiced plum butter. We made it for the first time last year and discovered a fabulous, can’t-eat-just-one appetizer to make with it. Take a pita cracker, top with some Cambozola or other creamy cheese with a bit of […]
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My husband, Bill, and I grow three kinds of grapes: ‘Canadice’, ‘Glenora’ and ‘Vanessa’. The first to ripen is ‘Glenora’. Sometimes we use the grapes for jelly and oftentimes we make grape juice. Doing the latter is very simple, especially if you have a steamer/juicer. Step by step: 1. Pick the grape clusters, leaving them on the stems. 2. Wash […]
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For years, I’ve grown geraniums in pots on my front porch. At the end of each garden season, I’d toss them in the compost pile. That seemed like a huge waste of money to me. Then I learned that overwintering geraniums is easy as can be. That’s the subject of my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review. Here’s a […]
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On Thursday evening, we had quite the downpour. While we were tickled to get the moisture, it’s not such great news for baby California quail. They have very little protection from the elements when they’re little. That means they have to rely on their parents to keep them warm. While eating my breakfast yesterday, I glanced out the sliding glass […]
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The growing season is coming to close. Yet none of us wants to fill our basements or closets with green tomatoes, right? It’s a topic of great interest to gardeners these days because they’re frustrated and watching the days zip by. As you might already know, I’ve been filming short videos on how to get your green tomatoes to ripen, […]
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I’ve been growing celery for several years now and just love how flavorful it is. The only down side is that there’s always more than we can keep up with but we certainly don’t to waste it. What’s the answer? Preserving it, of course! Today, I’m going to show you how to freeze celery. If you’re wondering why you’d want […]
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This summer, I’ve been taking you along on a vegetable garden tour about every 3 weeks. I can scarcely believe we’re at the end of August already. You’re going to see some changes in my garden for this 4th tour. Here we are, with September just around the corner. I’m really starting to focus on harvesting as many crops in the […]
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One of the nicest things about being a garden columnist is that I get to meet and learn from awesome gardeners. In my column today, I introduce you to Master Gardener/Master Composter Ryan Herring and learn about permaculture. Here’s a link to it in The Spokesman-Review: Permaculture goes beyond the garden to daily life. Or you can read my column […]
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Every year, we grow a nice patch of Swiss chard. We love how tasty it is and how it doesn’t bolt to seed in the heat like spinach can. But there’s always more than we can eat at any given time. Bill and I have come up with a great method for preserving it. I wanted to show you how […]
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