Share my passion for all things gardening!
The other day, I noticed this leaf damage on one of my artichoke plants. I immediately suspected slugs, and quickly confirmed this when I saw a bit of a slime trail on the underside of the leaf. Grrr! In the past, I’ve used organic slug bait or handpicked them whenever I found any. And when I give talks about vegetable […]
Read moreThis is a quick update to let you know that Bill and I installed a second door in our hoop house. Our goal was to provide better cross-ventilation. The new door frame is directly across from the original door. It was getting mighty toasty in the hoop house although the plants didn’t seem stressed. I wanted to make sure bees […]
Read moreHere is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Regal climber. (or you can read my column lower in this post.) It is a feature story on one of the most-loved vines for the garden, the clematis. For the article, I interviewed Carol Newcomb, who is the owner of Northland Rosarium (later renamed to Rosarium Garden […]
Read moreHere is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Contain tomatoes, not excitement. (or you can read my column lower in this post) This one is about growing tomatoes in containers. I had the pleasure of consulting with Spokane County Master Gardener, Marilyn Lloyd. She’s been growing them, and other types of veggies — in containers […]
Read moreYou’ll recall that my husband, Bill, and I built a small hoop house last October. We wanted to grow veggies through the winter months. Well, there’s no point in not using it year-round, right? My plan has been to grow warm-season crops in it during the main growing season. I want to see if they will grow more vigorously and […]
Read moreOur new insect hotel. Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Insect hotels keep good bugs cozy. (or you can read it lower in this post.) I’m glad today is finally here because I’ve been so excited about presenting this topic to you! It’s about adding an insect hotel to the garden. The purpose […]
Read moreThis shows the hoop house in its new location. You might recall that my husband Bill and I built a hoop house last October. A hoop house is a plastic-covered greenhouse, which we’re primarily using to grow cold-tolerant vegetables through the winter in. Ours is 10 feet wide by 9 feet long and it fits over two of our raised […]
Read moreHere is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Working smart keeps body happy. (or you can read my column lower in this post.) The primary focus is on gardening comfort. It is about the things we can do to make gardening easier and more comfortable for our bodies. I’m talking about stretching beforehand, not doing […]
Read moreMelon – Eden Gem Happy Easter, everybody! Here is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Heirloom seeds bear benefits of history. (or you can read my column lower in this post.) This one is all about heirloom vegetables and why heirlooms are so vital to both our heritage and the diversity we should have in […]
Read moreHere is a link to my column in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review. Raised beds keep garden tidy, give roots room to thrive. It’s about one of my favorite topics, raised-bed gardening. You can also read my column below. Raised beds are very popular in our own veggie garden. At this point, we have 26 of them! Most are 3′ […]
Read more