Edible weeds


Tue. Aug. 7, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min Garden Bite radio show:  Edible weeds

Last week I talked about noxious weeds and discussed living with clover and plantain and dandelions, but what if you could just EAT your yard?

The lazy gardener’s veggie garden!

Many parts are edible (in fact all of them)… Dandelions are well known edibles.  Every part of the dandelion is edible from spring to fall.  The leaves are best when picked in spring before they become bitter.  The flowers can be made into wine and the  … [Continue reading]

Celebrating Farmers Markets and some tips for shopping


Mon. Aug. 6, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Celebrating Farmers Markets and some tips for shopping

It’s National Farmers Market week!  What a wonderful opportunity for those who LOVE fresh produce but don’t have a vegetable garden, or room to plant all the veggies they want or  have had their produce poached by Peter Rabbit and his pals!

 As you wander the rows of fresh produce, you can’t help but have a different sense of where your food comes from and a connection that we miss

 … [Continue reading]

Don’t pinch your natives and other sage advice


Fri. Aug. 3, 2018

Click below to listen to my  2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Don’t pinch your natives and other sage advice

I recently interviewed one of the co-authors of a new book called “Climate-Wise Landscaping – practical actions for a sustainable future”.  It’s a great read with a lot of information presented in an easily digestible way.  You’ll be able to find the full interview HERE on August 13th, 2018

While there’s way too much in it to share here, Sue Reed, offered some quick nuggets, nibbles of knowledge, that we  … [Continue reading]

Noxious weeds part 2


Thu. Aug. 2, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Noxious weeds part 2

Not much compares to Wild Parsnip and Hogweed in terms of, literally, physical pain to gardeners but there are many other Noxious/OBnoxious weeds that wreak havoc on our ecosystems.

Call them Most Wanted Weeds, or least wanted!  These weeds are not only invasive but destructive to our environment including roads, livestock, crops and property.  Some are poisonous; others damage our ecosystem by displacing our native species.  WI Noxious weed list  MN Noxious Weed list … [Continue reading]

Fertilizers, herbicides and weeds – oh my


Wed. Aug. 1, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Fertilizers, herbicides and weeds – oh my

Crabgrass and Clover and Dandelions oh my!  Yes the weeds in our lawns tend to give many a homeowner a fright.  As we step into  August, a typically hot/dry month, you might notice more issues.

Listeners have asked what they can do to, not only get rid of weeds but also to feed their lawns.  Now is NOT NORMALLY the time to fertilize.   If you must fertilize your lawn, the time  … [Continue reading]

Tough season for trees around the Upper Midwest


Tue. Jul. 31, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Tough season for trees around the Upper Midwest

Yesterday it was about flooding and your vegetable and fruit plants.  Today, I’m going to talk about the unholy winter of 2017/18.  Or the winter that wouldn’t end and then, suddenly, it did.  That was rough on Evergreens in the Upper midwest.

As you may recall…there were pockets of heavy piled up snow in April and then in late April we had warm, very windy days with low relative humidity  … [Continue reading]

Produce and flooding, late starts and zucchini


Mon. Jul. 30, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Produce and flooding, late starts and zucchini

The waning days of July, a month that brought a lot of moisture to many areas in the Upper Midwest.  I talked about water conservation and got a flood of emails regarding soaked gardens.

The University of Minnesota noted that floodwaters can be contaminated with all kinds of things, including raw sewage from septic systems or municipalities, manure from farms or fields, and chemicals or other contaminants.

So, when it comes  … [Continue reading]

Container makeovers


Fri. Jul. 27, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Container makeovers

If you have a bunch of those plastic containers that your new plantings came in, consider recycling them with a spray paint makeover.  This is fun for adults and kids.  If your containers are smooth, you’ll have to rough them up a bit with a little sand paper, if they’re a little rough… all the better for paint to adhere.  With all the spray paint colors available, you can have a blast getting creative.  Use multiple  … [Continue reading]

Drying herbs


Thu. Jul. 26, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Drying herbs

It’s herb mania right now.  I’ve got a wonderful sweet basil growing right now. The aroma is incredible and the taste, sensational when added to tomato soup as well as a number of other dishes.  I also have some ‘Hot & Spicy’ oregano, which I plan to dry.  Drying your own herbs is not only a great way to preserve your harvest but to get the best quality for a cheap price.  There are several drying  … [Continue reading]

Variegated leaves reverting (turning green)


Wed. Jul. 25, 2018

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  Variegated leaves reverting (turning green)

A friend of mine, Faith Appelquist, is a fabulous local arborist with her company Treequality.  She puts out a monthly newsletter where she shares great information on trees, quotes from cool people and yummy recipes! Sign up for her newsletter, it’s really worth it!

Anyway, the reason I brought her up is she had just shared about variegated shrubs reverting back to their old ways.  And I was amazed by that,  … [Continue reading]