My Northern Garden

It's a Major Award

Yesterday I received word that one of my blog posts had earned a Silver Award in the Garden Writers Association’s annual media awards. The post is self-described as “A rambling discourse written over several days about dried beans, home gardens, and the creative impulse.” The post was entered in a relatively new category for electronic writing. The great thing about…
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Thank You for Blooming

Plants

I’m feeling grateful toward this pot of forced tulip bulbs that has started to bloom despite being terribly mistreated this winter. Forcing bulbs or branches is a fun way to bring spring color into your home while it’s still cold outside. I wasn’t planning to force bulbs this year, but while planting bulbs this fall, I put a bag of…
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Best Books for Beginning Vegetable Gardeners

Books/Writing

I haven’t done any kind of comprehensive review of vegetable gardening books, but I read a lot and I love books on cooking and gardening the most. While there is a lot of gardening information on the internet, not all of it is trustworthy, besides sometimes a book just feels right in your hands. If I were just starting a…
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More Proof of the Boom in Food Gardening

Why We Garden

I was in Menards the other day buying some gear to start seeds indoors when the helpful guy in the light department told me they were out of the kind of light I was looking for and it would not be in stock for another week. It seems more folks are starting vegetables from seed, he noted. Now we have…
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Book Review: A Sane Approach to Critter Issues

Books/Writing

Like many northern gardeners, I’ve battled critters pretty much as long as I’ve gardened. At my old house, the issue was raccoons, who had a cozy home in the storm sewer under our street. At my current house, we’ve dealt with mice, pocket gophers, and most recently moles and beavers. Unlike many northern gardeners, deer are not a problem where…
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