Earlier this week, I had my first vegetable harvest—some lovely leaves from my three lettuce salad bowl gardens, dressed with a ranch-style dressing spiced up with snips of chives and parsley from the yard. I love the taste of home-grown leaf lettuce, which seems softer and more earthy than the big, crunchy heads you get at the grocery store. These…
Read More
Imagine if the hunter or fisherperson in your household was told that the opening weekend had been moved back two, maybe three weeks? Anxiety? Disappointment? Lots of pent-up energy? Yes, to all that, as we gardeners well know having endured one of the most protracted ends to winter that I can recall. But, this weekend is it! The weather promises…
Read More
A Facebook friend of mine wrote today that she is just plain numb when it comes to our weather here in Minnesota this spring. For my town, another 6 to 9 inches of snow is predicted for later today — yes, 6 to 9 inches on April 22! Last year, by this time, we had had several days in the…
Read More
Like many Minnesota gardeners, I’m getting itchy to put some plants in the soil. I have lettuces and greens under lights in the basement and some tomato seeds planted, but not yet germinated, in a warmer spot upstairs, but that’s not the same. It’s still pretty cold here and as I write this post on Friday afternoon it is snowing….
Read More
Over this past weekend, I had a chance to attend the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, as part of a Garden Writers Association meeting. This is my second time at the show, and I really enjoy the colors, the flowers and the great information we garden writers are exposed to. (More on that in future posts.) But the truth about…
Read More