I’ve been canning and pickling for about 15 years now — starting with applesauce when my kids were young and then graduating to jellies and jams, relishes and pickles. But, I’ve never had good tools to do the job with. That is, until recently when I bought some legit canning tools until this year — and what a difference good…
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I’ve been on four garden tours so far this summer, and despite rain falling on every tour, the gardens looked lush and beautiful. Tours give me ideas for my own garden as well as for stories for the magazine, plus it’s fun to walk around and see how differently people create spaces in their gardens. Here are some trends I…
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Why do my tomato plants look so stellar and yet have very few fruits? Why is my tomato harvest down? That’s been the big question among gardeners this year, and the short answer is blame the heat. Blossom drop is a fairly common problem with tomatoes (though not the problem I usually have). What happens is that your plants look…
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Along with about 300 other garden writers, horticulturists and bloggers, I get sent sample plants from Proven Winners each year, including the beautiful calibrachoa above. PW is one of the largest plant brands in the country and introduces a couple of dozen new plants each year. The sample plants are scheduled to be in garden centers and nurseries next year….
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The growing season where I live would never be considered long—most folks consider my climate one that requires short season gardening. Even in a year with an unusually early spring, like 2010, the season is no more than five months long. And, with a later spring, like this year, we’re lucky to get four full months of good gardening in….
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