GARDENING BASICS

This month the garden is winding down for most of us. It’s the last chance for a major clean up effort before the weather turns wintery. And depending on how far into October it is when you’re reading this, you may have had a light frost or two, and if…

You want to start plants from seed, and you want it to be easy. So, you get out some pots, fill them with potting soil, pop your seeds in, and water them. As you place the pots next to your sunniest window, you nod your head and think, “that was…

As a beginning gardener, one of my biggest frustrations was getting things to grow in parts of my yard that were too dry, shady, hot, or windy. Sun, shade, heat, wind, slope, precipitation, and soil type all work together to create microclimates in your yard. Do you struggle to understand…

I remember how excited I was, as a kid, to see all those autumn leaves floating down and creating a beautiful, colorful blanket on the ground. My mom would rake them up into huge piles on our lawn. I couldn’t wait to bundle up, run outside, and dive right into…

We live in an era of instant everything. Instant rice, instant communication, and most importantly … instant-dry nail polish! But one thing that can’t be sped up is your garden. I learned that when my fourth-grade teacher had us start sunflower seeds in a paper cup. I woke up each…

A couple of weeks after starting your seeds indoors, your shoulders sag as you look at your seedlings. They don’t look right. They’re thin, pale, wispy things – all stem, and hardly any leaves. It feels like a seed starting disaster! And you wonder, “can I salvage these leggy seedlings?”…