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]

Cutting back ornamental grasses


Fri. Mar. 5, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min.  Garden Bite radio show: Cutting back ornamental grasses

At some point, soon we hope, it’ll be time to start cutting back those ornamental grasses. They’re really looking pretty winter weary now. 

You’ll be ready when it’s time… that will be when the snow’s gone and it’s a bit drier out there! Hand cutting or an electric hedge trimmer can be used to clean up the tops of grasses.   

Warm season grasses such as…

  • Miscanthus
  • Switchgrass
  • Big and little bluestem
  • Prairie dropseed
  • Indian
 … [Continue reading]

Getting a jump on bulb planting


Thu. Mar. 4, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Getting a jump on bulb planting

Bulbs is an all encompassing term that includes rhizomes, corms and tubers too! You can get a jump start on these bulbs by planting them indoors from about mid-March through April! Then, when the weather has warmed, plant them outdoors in your garden beds or leave them in pots.

 

There are slightly different planting techniques for each of the types of bulbs. First, make sure your bulbs are in good shape.   … [Continue reading]

Microgreens


Wed. Mar. 3, 2021

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

March is here but for those of us in cold climates, our weather just isn’t suitable for outside growing yet! In come microgreens!

They are really popular and super easy indoors. They are not sprouts (germinated seed), they’re edible immature greens, harvested with scissors less than a month after germination, when the plants are up to 2 inches tall. More information on the difference between sprouts and microgreens from Microveggy. 

They’re pretty much any green leafy  … [Continue reading]

Garden trends for 2021


Tue. Mar. 2, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Garden trends for 2021

I talked about one of the trends this year, Immunity gardens, last month. Planting a rainbow of vegetables.

Today, as we continue through the era of Covid, there are a few more emerging.

One is the Quiet Garden, a place to relax and contemplate. A place to find inner peace.

Many people are working from home full time now and have to juggle with at-home learning for the kids making their lives feel  … [Continue reading]

Celebrating calibrachoa


Mon. Mar. 1, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Celebrating calibrachoa

Today we’re celebrating one of the most popular annuals for containers and hanging baskets. Calibrachoa is closely related to petunias, as noted in their flowers! In an article in Northern Gardener magazine, they note that calibrachoa was only introduced in the early 90’s, making it just 30 years old. In the grand scheme of things, that’s really new!

These stunning plants grow to maybe 9 inches but trail up to 24 inches and the colors, oh  … [Continue reading]

Wildlife comes to town


Fri. Feb. 26, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Wildlife comes to town

Garden Media Group contends that, with the era of covid and cities around the world having been essentially “shut-down”, plants and animals started reclaiming human space, from coyotes on the streets of San Francisco to a resurgence of bees and rare wildflowers in the UK.

Gardens are not only human spaces but richly woven ecologically functional spaces. Claudia West, co-author of “Planting in a Post Wild World” explains that, “Nature doesn’t live ‘out there’  … [Continue reading]

Winter seed sowing and indoor planting


Thu. Feb. 25, 2021

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Winter seed sowing and indoor planting

Frigid temps are but a memory, as I write this Garden Bite.  In colder climates, you still have a week to get outside and plant native seed.  Yes, I said plant!  According to Prairie Moon Nursery, from late October thru the month of February is a good time to broadcast native seed for a prairie. 

Planting now gives Mother Nature time to stratify seeds and work them into the ground through freeze-thaw  … [Continue reading]