Share my passion for all things gardening!
You might think a column about organic products is an odd topic but it contains some very important information. As you probably know, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook contains solutions for dealing with commonly-encountered insects organically. I did a lot of research on organic products and was surprised to learn many of them have negative impacts on the environment. For […]
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Who wants to know more about the beneficial insects in our gardens? If you raised your hand, you’re in luck because that’s the topic of today’s garden column. You can read it in the online edition of The Spokesman-Review: Some insects are good for your garden. Or you can read the text of my column underneath this week’s video. While […]
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It’s time for one of those seasonal milestones because day because my final garden column for the 2021 growing season runs today. It’s about fall garden tasks. You can read my column underneath the video below. What kind of fall garden tasks am I referring to? How about overwintering annual geraniums (Pelargoniums) and canna lilies? Leaving seed heads for birds […]
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If you just groaned when you read the title of this post, I completely understand! Dealing with flea beetles in the garden is extremely challenging so that’s why I’ve focused on them for today’s column. You can read it online in The Spokesman-Review: Flea beetles are a recent problem for area gardeners. (or you can start reading it underneath my […]
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Have you become a greener gardener in recent years? I’m talking about adopting environmentally-friendly practices while engaging in gardening activities. It’s the perfect way to be kinder to the planet. That’s been on my mind lately, due to our exceptional drought, extremely high temperatures and wildfire smoke. Being a greener gardener is the topic for today’s column, which you can […]
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As you probably already know, I’m a huge fan of using row covers in my garden. This includes floating row cover, bridal veil netting, shade cloth and bird netting. That is the topic of this week’s garden column, which you can read in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Covers help keep vegetable crops happy and healthy. (or you can read […]
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Happy 2nd birthday to our pollinator garden! Since I get so many questions about it, I knew it was time to write a column and update you on how it’s doing. You can read it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: Pollinator garden provides habitat for birds and insects – and beauty for humans. (or you can read my column […]
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Bugs, bugs and more bugs! For my column, I wrote about how to attract beneficial insects to your garden. You can read it in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review: How to attract beneficial bugs. (or you can read the text of my column at the bottom of this post) As most of you know, my new book, The Vegetable Garden […]
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I am on the Gardenerd podcast today! Christy Wilhelmi is the delightful host of this popular podcast. We talk about garden bugs, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and how it all relates to my new book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook.* Christy lives in the Los Angeles area and it turns out that one of her most despised pests is the […]
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Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Gardener by Jessica Walliser (Storey Publishing, 2020, 206 pp., $24.95) by Susan Mulvihill Many gardeners are familiar with the concept of companion planting: some plant combinations promote better growth and production while others inhibit these desirable outcomes. Or do they? A long time ago, I read Carrots Love Tomatoes by Louise […]
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