Fertilizing annuals and perennials


Thu. May. 7, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fertilizing annuals and perennials

Many of us have made our way to our local Garden Centers! Stocking up on things to do outside where social distancing works so well! Of course then we had a drop in temperatures and some of your plants had to be covered!

Generally, I’ve not been one to add a lot of chemicals to my gardens which includes fertilizer.  However, to boost the bloom and get the foliage flashing –  fertilizing is the  … [Continue reading]

Kids and gardening in the time of Covid


Wed. May. 6, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Kids and gardening in the time of Covid

 At the time I recorded this, Minnesota’s Stay At Home order was to be lifted on May 4th. It was extended to May 18th. Social distancing and keeping in check the virus means gardening is the place to be! And gardening with your kids is a great activity for several reasons! First, who doesn’t love playing in the dirt?

Turns out, that while we weren’t trying to be healthy, diggin’  … [Continue reading]

Road work and removal of plants


Tue. May. 5, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Road work and removal of plants

 I live on a corner where both roads are getting redone. They need it! But, that means I needed to dig up all the plants in my corner butterfly garden. This is the start of their 4th year, so there was plenty of spreading.

In fact, I was able to share some of those plants with my neighbors! In particular the monarda. It really did offer me the chance to divide them  … [Continue reading]

Yew removal and what’s to be


Mon. May. 4, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Yew removal and what’s to be

 I had a yew that had taken over a corner of my house. An arborist friend of mine said, it’s beautiful, don’t get rid of it. One gardener’s dream is another’s nightmare.

 I didn’t want that heavy looking thing there anymore! So… with a truck, a winch, a log chain, a teenager! We got ‘er done.

A 10k winch loosened it but ended with pulling it by the truck!

The next question,  … [Continue reading]

EAB – it ain’t leavin’


Fri. May. 1, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB – it ain’t leavin’

Emerald Ash Borer ain’t goin’ nowhere… except closer. More counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin have recently reported the Ash tree killing insect.

There’s an irony in reporting on EAB amid Covid-19.

They are both suspected everywhere but have not yet reared their ugly heads everywhere. And they’re both requiring quarantines to try to stop the spread. Those tactics are certainly slowing things down.

In the case of EAB, scientists continue to work on  … [Continue reading]

Ravishing radishes


Thu. Apr. 30, 2020

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

When I was little mom used to slice radishes and salt them.  I remember loading up the little round red bulbs from the grocery store with loads of salt to hide the bitter taste.  Not so much anymore!  Garden radishes offer far more flavor and many varieties…

For instance, black radishes have a horseradish (hot) flavor if eaten fresh but when cooked mellows to a nutty sweetness.  ps these are not small…

Baker Creek Heirloom seeds  … [Continue reading]

Fertilizing your lawn – why you should wait


Wed. Apr. 29, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fertilizing your lawn – why you should wait

This is a yearly ponderable by the lawn faithful.  According to research, Spring is NOT the best time to fertilize your lawn.  I know, I can hear many of you gasping, but the BEST times to fertilize your lawn are Late summer and fall.

This is contrary to the traditional springtime application. Early spring applications of nitrogen cause a surge of top growth in the plants, which makes the  … [Continue reading]

Dandy Dandelion


Tue. Apr. 28, 2020

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

One gardener’s weed is another’s lunch!  Let the dandelions ROAR!

From the roots to the flowers, from culinary to medicinal, all parts are edible!  From soup to egg salad to coffee and wine.   Allrecipes.com– wine.  Dandelion cookies

Johnny’s Selected Seeds sells an Italian dandelion called ‘Clio’.

Remember to NEVER eat anything that’s been treated with a pesticide…  pick only clean greens.  One of my favorite magazines has an article about dandelions along with some  … [Continue reading]

Lawn care and weed killing


Mon. Apr. 27, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Lawn care and weed killing

Does forsythia bloom foretell the coming of crabgrass?  Actually… sorta.

Mother Nature is fickle, as I said last week about the month of April!  Sometimes we get above average temperatures, sometimes we get two feet of snow. While there are still plenty of folks that want that pristine lawn, I’ll talk about Preemergent herbicides today.

Preemergent herbicides affect germinating seeds. That means, to be effective, the herbicide should be applied two to three  … [Continue reading]

The poop on manure


Fri. Apr. 24, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The poop on manure

Manure happens… abundantly. But that doesn’t mean all kinds can go on the vegetable garden! It’s best to buy composted manure

Temperatures in a compost pile should reach 130 to 140 degrees to kill weed seeds and pathogens.  It should stay at that temp for at least 5 days.  Most folks stay away from pig manure.  It’s best to stick with dairy, sheep, horse or poultry manure.

Never use dog or cat manure.  It’s  … [Continue reading]