Diatomaceous Earth


Thu. Aug. 11, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Diatomaceous Earth

UGH, those ants just won’t stop. The little biters are still hanging out in my gardens. I weed and wind up with the little ankle biters.

I’ve tried diatomaceous earth multiple times. It looks like a white cloud and then IF there were rain, it just turns kinda gooey and loses any effectiveness it might have had.

What IS Diatomaceous Earth anyway?

Very basically it’s tiny water organisms that have fossilized. Their skeletons are made of  … [Continue reading]

Plant wilt and why buy local


Wed. Aug. 10, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Plant wilt and why buy local

I purchased some new plants about a month ago. Heliopsis and Dwarf Joe Pye Weed. And they wilt. I water and they wilt.

There is a reason that some of your plants are wilting even with water. They are trying to protect themselves.

Plants wilt to reduce leaf surface exposed to the sunlight to save water loss. By evening they should perk up. My plants on the west side, where my  Heliopsis  … [Continue reading]

Clay soil in drought 2022


Tue. Aug. 9, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Clay soil in drought 2022

I’ve often talked about clay soil but with this year’s drought conditions adding to last year, I felt like we should revisit the subject and what it means for us right now.

Clay soil IS nutrient rich.

It’s packed with pockets that hold water. Sandy soil just drains that delicious liquid away quickly. I can vouch for that as the City built my rain garden with a LOT of sand But we’re not  … [Continue reading]

Hot weather affects your vegetable garden


Mon. Aug. 8, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Hot weather affects your vegetable garden

Whew… this heat is really affecting our vegetable gardens. The University of Minnesota Extension notes that some home gardeners are seeing beautiful bushy cucumber plants with no fruit, tomatoes not ripening and beans with few flowers.

In my own garden I’ve noticed small yields on tomatoes and peppers while my sunflowers are stunted.

My Grape ‘Juliet’ tomatoes were doing wonderful but now, they are tiny.

The high temps are affecting our gardens  … [Continue reading]

Celebrating National Farmers Market week Aug. 7th – 13th 2022


Fri. Aug. 5, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Celebrating National Farmers Market week 2022

National Farmers Market week starts on Sunday! I LOVE Farmers Markets. There’s one every Saturday in my hometown along the River. Directory to US Farmers Markets

Fresh produce, flowers, handmade goodies and so much more!!! Artists and musicians and delightful treats of the edible and non-edible abound.

There’s also a farmers market a couple of blocks over taking place during the week. I bought beets and apple bread last week!

And zucchini  … [Continue reading]

Wild parsnip 2022


Thu. Aug. 4, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Wild parsnip 2022

From Minnesota to Pennsylvania, wild parsnip is on the obnoxious noxious weed list.

Wild parsnip is highly invasive and if ignored can spread rapidly, developing into large monocultures that replace native animal and plant habitat.

It reduces the quality of agricultural forage crops and can also impact livestock if eaten… and NOT in a good way. The plant sap contains toxic chemicals that are activated by sunlight and can cause serious burns and blisters  … [Continue reading]

Drought tolerant perennials 2022 update


Wed. Aug. 3, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Drought tolerant perennials 2022 update

Once again, many of us are living with drought conditions. Our climate is changing, that’s a fact and we really need to start considering more drought tolerant plants if we don’t want to water constantly.

My rain barrel FINALLY got filled up but it doesn’t take long for 55 gallons to be drank up by thirsty container plants and houseplants.

Finding perennials that are pest resistant, drought resistant and bloom all summer long! 

 … [Continue reading]

Tomatoes 2022 – dehydrating and roasting


Tue. Aug. 2, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio/podcast show: Tomatoes 2022 – dehydrating and roasting

This year I planted just 2 tomato plants. A grape variety called ‘Juliet’, who’s been producing beautifully.

And ‘Super Fantastic’ which just allowed me to have my first BST! Bacon, Spinach, Tomato sandwich. I highly recommend both of these varieties.

While it was a late start this year due to a cold spring, all those who planted tomatoes are now starting to harvest.

Likely they’re being eaten right away, however, I DO

 … [Continue reading]

Lawn mower damage


Mon. Aug. 1, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Lawn mower damage

 I have a neighbor. My neighbor has a large lot with rentals on it and uses a big riding lawn mower. My neighbor has repeatedly wounded my Ancestry Oak tree in the last 2 years. 

So what’s the damage?

My neighbor is a nice person but with the property a rental he mows as low as possible to save him coming back often.

The Oak is also, technically, on his property. And just so you  … [Continue reading]

Daddy-longlegs: spider or not?


Fri. Jul. 29, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Daddy-longlegs: spider or not?

Happy Friday! Let’s talk bugs. I’m revisiting the question as to whether Daddy-longlegs are spiders since a co-worker had an encounter with one and thought it best to kill it. Hmmm, here are some cool facts I found out when a listener told me to check out Daddy-longlegs.

For those who are spider squeamish, don’t worry, daddy-longlegs aren’t spiders!

  • They don’t have venom
  • They can’t spin a web
  • They are generally beneficial – they
 … [Continue reading]