This summer, I’m one of the garden writers growing the new variety, Gherking cucumbers, for the folks at Burpee. They sent me two small plants in May, and they are terrific and prolific. No disease and lots of harvest. While I wouldn’t exactly say that I have too many cucumbers—it was getting close on Saturday. That’s when I decided to…
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Being the big jam maker in my family, I was once asked: What’s the difference between jams, jellies and preserves? Here’s the rundown, and recipes or links to recipes for jams, jellies and preserves. Jelly: Clear and Sweet Jellies are made from the juice of fruit rather than the whole fruit. Clear and sweet, jellies are great to make with…
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During a recent podcast on growing roses sustainably, David Zlesak talked about how to deal with Japanese beetles and a new predator for the beetles that has arrived in Minnesota.
It’s peony season here in Minnesota, which usually means an abundance of blooms and a few peony problems. Peonies are a heritage plant in our part of the world and typically bloom for a couple of weeks in early summer. We have several peony breeders in the state and some hold open days during this time of the year. On…
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I started growing lilies in containers out of pure frustration. I had planted some gorgeous orange-red lilies I’d gotten from the MSHS Bulb Sale in my garden borders. Every time the bulbs stems or leaves popped up, a rabbit was there to munch it down—for a couple of years, I never saw a bloom. Then, I caged the bulbs with…
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