Yoinks, y'all. I'm not going to link to the chain of articles that got me here, but suffice it to say one of the new authors over at Garden Rant's claim to fame is a scathing critique of the British NGS charity open garden system, which of course, I read. The gist of which is… Continue reading Virtue Signaling In The Garden
Y'all! We are MAKING IT. Through winter I mean. For my part, I have been quite thoroughly enjoying the ever-increasing daylight during my drives home from work. It is the most tangible sign of the move towards Spring, even when the snow is in the forecast and the bottom is dropping out of the thermometer.… Continue reading February.
Oh, let's throw ourselves into the hedonistic optimism of gardening gear for 2021 and, maybe (just maybe), a return to something resembling normalcy? It is likely? Probably not. But at least gardening is a proven Pandemic Approved Hobby(TM)! Let's get shopping! Opinel Hand Pruners ($59.00) How lovely are these? These feature a Beech wood handle… Continue reading Gift Guide! 2020!
Oh November, The Season of the Haus Panther. Our sweet and weird tortoiseshell cat Audrey is known affectionately as the Haus Panther, a take on this House Panther: https://www.youtube.com/embed/xH_d8ymHwxo She showed up on our doorstep (literally) 3 years ago Thanksgiving weekend. Since she was about 1.5 years old- maybe- when she adopted us, we decided… Continue reading November
So, you are off to the nursery to buy yourself some veggies and/or flowers. Huzzah! Support that local nursery if you can (I'm not at all convinced the plants at big box stores get the same sort of love as they do at a nursery, but I've absolutely bought plants there, so you know, go… Continue reading What to Look for at the Nursery.
There have been, in my experience, a number of gardening lessons that I had to learn the hard way. Not that someone didn't mention it somewhere, just that if it was mentioned either my hubris or their lack of emphasis meant it didn't lodge in my brain. I'm going to share those things with you… Continue reading The Things They Don’t Tell You About Growing Vegetables.
I have a soft spot for heritage and lost (and obscure) apples. I also find the stories of these long-forgotten plants and varieties to be impossibly romantic. The folks who seek them out, scour the history books, and put name to apple are poet-pirates, hunting valleys and ancient maps to find trees planted so many… Continue reading Lost & Found Apples.
Alright Team, time to talk little logistics that make a big difference in the garden. I’m talking about the seemingly insignificant or weird stuff that you need to know to ensure Zen-like energy through the growing season. Ready? 1. Don’t use Sharpies on your plant labels unless they are made of wood. Use pencil or… Continue reading My Best Gardening Tips and Tricks.
I shall proffer, firstly, my definition of the Midwest for this post's purposes: Wisconsin, Minnesota, both Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, northern Illinois, and... bear with me... Montana, Wyoming, and northern Colorado. Now, if you'll indulge this tangent, I'd never consider (as a lifelong Midwesterner) anything west of the Missouri River to be the Midwest. But as… Continue reading Growing Vegetables in the Midwest.
I'm sure most of the world is scraping the bottom of their usual well of content, so I thought I'd toss out some of my favorite content in case it is something that will help y'all pass the time. Sharing is caring! Photo by Burak K on Pexels.com THINGS TO WATCH:A Year at Kew (YouTube)-… Continue reading Quarantine Content
All this talk of American Gardens, pioneering spirit, and rewilding got me thinking about what, exactly, spurred my love of prairies. I suspect it had much to do with our years spent living amongst them. We lived in South Dakota, near Sturgis and in Rapid City, at the base of the Black Hills for about… Continue reading South Dakota.
I'm sure by now you've all figured out that I'm a fan of podcasts- particularly gardening ones. They are the ideal medium for my work and I manage to learn things while I screen cases. Just before the New Year I found "Roots, Wings, and Other Things" featuring Master Beekeeper Jez Rose and Chelsea Award… Continue reading Great Expectations.
I was pottering around Facebook Sunday morning and, as I follow Modern Farmermagazine, saw this salacious posting: "'Cherokee Purple' and 'Brandywine' will always be among the best heirloom tomato varieties, but what else is out there? Michael Pollan and other experts share their favorite heirloom tomatoes." Is that right? Cherokee Purple and Brandywine? Always among… Continue reading Tomato Fight.
I don't know about your holiday extravaganzas, but for us celebrations are going to start hot and heavy in a few weeks with Thanksgiving and roll straight on into the New Year. We are lucky enough to be able to host most of the celebrations- which, yes, is a decent amount of work, but it… Continue reading Holiday Helpers, 2019 Edition
Dear Readers- I'm such a bad blogger. I suspect its not just because it is summer and there are more pressing things to do than write blog posts. Its because there's something about this medium feels more like a drag/effort (which it absolutely should not be, talking about ones own garden should always be fun!)… Continue reading Trying Something New.
This video is from 2016, so certainly not new, but it is new to me and I want you all to watch it! Its just north of an hour, so it might be best suited to a slow evening and paired with a glass of wine. Or perhaps a weekend morning with a cuppa. Either… Continue reading A Chat With Monty Don and Tim Richardson
Box & Bay 