Maple syruping


Mon. Mar. 22, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Maple syruping

The sap is flowing! It’s not too late to tap your trees for some golden goodness.  Although it looks like water coming out of your tree!  You don’t have to have Sugar Maples to make some great syrup.  The only difference is the percentage of sugar content in the tree sap.  

Years ago we tapped Silver Maples that produced delicious stuff.  YOu can also tap Boxelder trees.  So, apparently there is one good thing from a  … [Continue reading]

Spring Equinox 2021


Fri. Mar. 19, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Spring Equinox 2021

Looking for hope after a long isolating year plus, Spring hopes eternal and Saturday, March 20th, is the Equinox.

“Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest.
The soul, uneasy, and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.”

? Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

Happy Vernal Equinox!  That’s a funny word, vernal.  The word means ‘fresh’ or ‘new’ and related to Spring.

Frost  … [Continue reading]

St. Patrick’s Day and the Shamrock


Wed. Mar. 17, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: St. Patrick’s Day and the Shamrock

 What’s St. Patricks day without shamrocks?  Shamrock is a kind of slurred pronunciation of the Irish word seamrog, meaning little clover.  It’s really White Clover also known as  trifolium repens.  A 3 leafed plant that WAS thought of as a weed but is now a great lawn replacement!

It’s also related to oxalis, also called shamrock. I have a super cool video of how the plant closes it’s leaves at night  … [Continue reading]

Vegetable crop rotation


Tue. Mar. 16, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Vegetable crop rotation

Some are takers and some are givers.  Plants that is.

Crop rotation is one of the simplest ways to discourage disease and keep your soil in good condition.

Ideally you could rotate your crops each year, but even if you do it every few years, you’re making an impact.  Certain plants take certain nutrients out of the soil, while others actually put it back!

PS, carrots love tomatoes!

But what crops do you rotate with? … [Continue reading]

Disease resistant vegetables


Mon. Mar. 15, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Disease resistant vegetables

Between concerns over produce contamination, viruses, our desire to lower our carbon footprint and eat healthier; vegetable gardening has increased in popularity by the handfuls (of soil!)

If you’re new to gardening or just tired of fighting diseased plants, you may consider planting disease resistant varieties of vegetables.  These are plants that have been bred with plants that are naturally more disease resistant.  These are not genetically engineered with certain herbicides or pesticides.  For more  … [Continue reading]

Tiptoe into Spring


Fri. Mar. 12, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tiptoe into Spring

The sun is sparkling in the sky, our temperatures have been flirting with the 50’s and we’re super excited to get out into our gardens and get a head start on spring cleanup! But wait. Flirting with 50’s is fun, however, we are not in a long-term relationship yet.

While the frost is coming up out of the ground, the soil is spongy. If you want to get out there, tiptoe! Not like a thief,  … [Continue reading]

Toss and walk gardening


Thu. Mar. 11, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Toss and walk gardening

A friend of mine does this every year.  He tosses seeds of leaf lettuce, radishes and even brussel sprouts on his garden this time of year and walks away.  Toss and walk…..

If you cleaned up your garden last year, then toss the seeds willy nilly onto the surface, no rows, and let them be.  No putting more soil on top, no watering, just walk away.  Toss and walk…

Sometime this month when the  … [Continue reading]

General seed starting


Wed. Mar. 10, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: General seed starting

We cold climate gardeners are an optimistic bunch! I often call us Extreme Gardeners. Some have already started seeds indoors.  Be aware of HOW early you start some seeds. Right now (early March) you’ll plant seeds that take a long time to germinate. Check the info below!

What you need:

  • a place to put your seedlings! Sunny window? Basement with artificial light?
  • sterile containers or peat pots or those peat pellets
  • soil-less seed starting mix
 … [Continue reading]

Mad for Monarda


Tue. Mar. 9, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Mad for Monarda

 As mentioned on a previous Garden Bite show, the National Garden Bureau announced Monarda for their perennial of the year for 2021. It’s a magnet for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and smells wonderful while producing for a good long season. It’s also prone to powdery mildew in humid areas… hello, Minnesota!

But, there are cultivars that are bred to withstand this fungal disease. ‘Bees Knees’ has shown an extreme tolerance to mildew.

It’s a  … [Continue reading]

What to do with all that dog doo!


Mon. Mar. 8, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: What to do with all that dog doo!

Just a month ago we were at 30 below zero and, in my area, we just hit 50 degrees! That means everyone has been outside, breathing fresh air… and/or taking care of business. The family dog’s business.

Poop detail in the backyard can get mucky this time of year and I always get this question, Can I compost my dog’s waste? There are a lot of mixed messages out there  … [Continue reading]