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: 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 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 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 moreEvery year, I write garden columns for The Spokesman-Review from February to October. I’m happy to report that my first column of the 2015 garden season, which is about soil care, has run in today’s edition of the paper. Here is a link to it: Time to dig deep. (or you can read my column lower in this post.) In it, […]
Read moreI’m sure all of you are anxious to begin seed-starting and plant your veggie seeds. That way, you can get the 2015 garden season under way! I completely understand, but correct timing is critical so you don’t end up with leggy, root-bound seedlings. Susan’s growing season I live in Spokane, Wash., which is in USDA zone 5 (or 6, depending […]
Read moreI wanted to let you know about a few modifications we’ve made to our hoop house. My husband, Bill, and I felt it needed to be a bit more “buttoned-up” for the winter. Here’s what we’ve done: 1) We purchased a 4-inch-wide roll of greenhouse repair tape from FarmTek. We built the front and back walls of the hoop house […]
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