This is shaping up to be a fantastic season for fall raspberries. I was busy with a variety of work-related activities during the latter part of last week and, consequently, was away from my little raspberry patch for about four days. When I went out to pick today, the berries were literally dripping off the canes. I picked about 12…
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I had a fun afternoon at the Minnesota State Fair Wednesday, where I worked at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society booth, selling memberships (a heckuva bargain at $55 with lots of perks and goodies) and visiting with fairgoers. The fair really is a great get-together. Not only did I talk with many readers of Northern Gardener — always a pleasure…
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Back in the day, I worked for a large agricultural supply cooperative in Minnesota, which sold seed to farmers. To say that the co-op’s seed guys were fixated on nitrogen fixation—the way plants add nitrogen to the soil— would be an understatement. Nitrogen fixing is the process by which certain legumes take nitrogen from the air (N2) and, with the…
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If you had a chance to see the movie Julie and Julia, you know it’s full of images of fantastic food. But the scene that made me salivate was the one in which Julie Powell (played by former Chanhassen Dinner Theater actress Amy Adams) prepares bruschetta for her husband, and he devours it with messy gusto. With tomatoes finally coming…
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For a visual reminder of why soil matters so much to the health and vigor of plants, see the two photos below. These are identical sunflower plants. I planted them on the same day late in the spring. The plants are located less than 20 feet apart in identical full-sun exposure. Why are some of the sunflowers only waist-high, while…
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