Edible Garden Landscaping

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2011-01-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

It's Not Edible, But It is a Bit of the Garden

2010-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

This amaryllis is a tiny piece of spring that we can enjoy in the cold of winter; and some days its indoor blooms like these make the long cold winter easier to take. The white in the background of the picture is actually a snow bank outside which really helps to see the contrast between indoors and out.Actually it's been pretty nice here as we're enjoying a January thaw. Pretty nice is 34

The First Step to Planning Next Year's Garden

2010-01-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

The reward for getting through the holidays was to dig into the gardening catalogs that have been steadily arriving since mid December. Now that the tree is down and the decorations are put away, I finally earned the reward and dove into the catalogs today. I only had a short time available to start seeing all the new varieties available for 2010, but I've already got a wish list started.While I

Enjoying Fresh Garden Flavors in the Middle of Winter

2010-01-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Today we enjoyed fresh garden flavors despite the fact that the second day of the new year dawned with the mercury in our thermometer completely buried in the ball at the bottom. It was so cold that our window-mounted thermometer couldn't give an exact reading.This is exactly the sort of day that can be made better by planning for this year's garden.We also made it better by enjoying some of the

2010-01-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!I don't know about you, but I've decided not to make any resolutions this year. But, I am making some promises to myself. For one, I've promised myself that I will make the time every day to work on my edible garden landscaping passion. For my readers and friends, that means more blog postings, more Examiner articles and a website that get's regular updates again.I have a lot of

Fall is a great time to divide perennials

2009-09-24T06:50:00.001-07:00

Now that it is officially fall, it's a great time to divide perennials that have gotten too big for their current location, are producing fewer flowers, or as in the case of plants like Iris, have a dead whole in the middle of healthy foliage.I have several to tackle this year, and last night a bearded iris got my full attention. Not only was this plant huge, it had a huge whole in the center and

Doing our part for the bees

2009-09-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've always loved fields of sunflowers. It's one of the wonderful sites of late summer and early fall that make me smile. And, knowing that they attract bees is an added bonus, especially with the current plight of this creature that is so vital to the survival of all living beings.Earlier this week I witnessed how the sunflowers and bees were really symbiotic as I watched them feed on the

Slug soup and other creative pest measures

2009-09-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

I HATE slugs. I know it's somewhat irrational, the fierce feelings these slimy creeping plant eaters conjure up in me, but they really bring out the worst in me. I know there are many very sane ways to attack a slug problem--from ground-up eggshells spread around plants, to flour spread on top of the soil and from commercial slug bait to beer-filled saucers.This last option reminds me of a

A strange edible gardening season

2009-09-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

The performance of edible plants varies from year to year. This year is no exception, in fact, it's probably a year that fits one of the extremes - at least in the Northern Midwest.It's been colder than normal, and as a result, everything is at least one month late. In fact, I'm glad we included Early Girl Tomatoes in this year's plantings. True to their name, they were earlier than the others;

Free garden stakes, just look around your flower beds

2009-08-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Although I prefer to grow edibles in our landscape, I am a sucker for beautiful flowers and as a result have a variety of lilies - day, tiger, oriental, etc.Today I was spending some of my garden time cleaning up the spent day lilies and trying to figure out what I could use to stake the pole beans and cucumbers when I had an AHA moment. Daylily stems are sturdy, tall, and free!Viola, plant

A New Use for Nasturtiums

2009-08-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year when we're enjoying the incredible fresh flavors from the gardens. This is actually the first year I've grown nasturtiums in my edible landscape, and I'm glad I did. They are pretty flowers that just make you want to smile.From an edible point of view, the leaves and flowers add a nice tang to salads. However, having the same thing over and over is downright boring, so I

Time for Fall Planting & My Spring Lettuce Still hasn't Bolted

2009-08-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

It's the time of summer when we start thinking about what to plant for fall harvest. The odd thing this year is that the early season lettuce that I planted in early May is still going strong. In a normal year it should have bolted (gone to seed) long ago. The lettuce is just another testament to the cool summer those of us in the upper Midwest have had this year. Other signs are the bounty of

Buried in Zucchini

2009-08-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when the zucchini is taking over our lives. Zucchini is a wonderful summer squash that can be among the most prolific plants in your garden. When this plant takes off, it takes over. Once the zucchini starts producing you'd be wise to check the plant a couple times each day. Otherwise, the perfect, cucumber-size squash you decided to give just one more day, may grow to

It's Berry Time - How to Beat the Birds to the Fruit

2009-07-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

It's time for the wonderful taste of fresh berries...strawberries are just done, or almost there in most of the country. But,raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries and all the other wonderful berries are getting into full swing.There's nothing more frustrating, however, than heading out to pick a few, only to find that the birds and other berry munching wildlife have beat you to

Bees Are A Gardener's Friend... Or So I Thought

2009-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

This gardener is a little irritated because she's been stung twice in as many days. Both times on the right ankle, just above the sock line. The stings are wonderfully symmetrical,too. One on the front and one on the back. It's like a grand plan or something. I might even believe there was a master plan, but it happened in two different yards. Fortunately I am not allergic, so while I'm

Grow Italian Parsley in the Garden or In a Container You Can Move Indoors

2009-07-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Italian Parsley planted in our garden (pictured here) has come into it's own and we're enjoying the fresh flavor it adds foods. It is far superior to dried parsley from the spice section of the store; in fact, they're not even in the same league. I used some just this week in the cheese filling for stuffed shells and it was out of this world delicious.Italian Parsley is very easy to grow

Go Mediterranean with Rosemary

2009-06-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

Photo from delhiseeds.orgRosemary is a fragrant and flavorful herb that is an evergreen perennial in Zones 8-10. For the rest of us, however, it’s best to grow rosemary in a container that can be move indoors when the temperatures dip too low. You can keep a small planter in a sunny window and have access to fresh rosemary all year long.The flavor or rosemary reminds me a bit of lemon and a

Bunches of Basil

2009-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00