Prepping the landscape for winter


Sat. Oct. 28, 2023

Click below to listen to my Garden Bite podcast: Prepping the landscape for winter

To rake or not or not to rake? Another question I get all the time is what to do with your perennials?  What are the advantages/disadvantages to leaving them be?  

To assist wildlife, the answer is simple. Leave the leaves. They provide shelter for local wildlife including bees, beetles, butterflies, moths and more. This from the Xerces Society: At the end of summer, mated queen bumble bees burrow only an inch or two into the  … [Continue reading]

Aster yellows or mites? A special Garden Bite


Sun. Jul. 23, 2023

Click below to listen to my show/podcast: Aster yellows or mites? A special Garden Bite

What is that weird growth? The fear that creeps in when you see some weird growth on an otherwise beautiful coneflower is real!

My first thought was Aster Yellows, a dreaded disease spread by aster leafhoppers. The disease severely deforms plants and is incurable. It mostly affects plants in the aster family, but all plants are susceptible. When I became a Master Gardener (a while ago) it was drilled into us that you  … [Continue reading]

Fabric raised garden bed


Sun. May. 14, 2023

Good Morning!

I’m trying something new. I bought this fabric 8 ft. raised bed late last season on sale.

Since I’ve had issues with roots in the wood raised bed (no barrier underneath), I wanted to try this. It took 1/2 cu. yd of soil.

I used an old 6 ft. tabletop for it to sit on. Shoring it up with pieces of 2×4’s. I also placed dried grasses on the backside after I took these photos!

I planted some herbs in one pocket. Plan is to move tomatoes out  … [Continue reading]

The seed journey 2023 – so far!


Sat. May. 6, 2023

Good morning on a cloudy, drizzly Saturday! May 6th, 2023

I started planting seeds I received from All America Selections on April 1st. Here’s a link to that Garden Bite.  PS, Coast of Maine stinks. Just so ya know.

Then….

I used a lighter mix when transplanting.

  • Transplant seedlings that outgrow cell packs into larger containers. Larger peat pots or plastic cups with holes punched in their bottoms work well.
  • Lift seedlings by the rootball using a spoon or plant tag for support if necessary.
  • Never hold the seedling by
 … [Continue reading]

Garden Bite closes a chapter


Fri. Apr. 28, 2023

Click below to listen to my  2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Garden Bite closes a chapter

In March of 2007 I started this 2 minute radio program after being approached by a local media distribution company. My background in radio and television along with becoming a Master Gardener in 2003 cemented my desire to create this show.

I have loved producing a space for home gardeners who yearn to learn without feeling judged. Providing a fun, inclusive atmosphere and sharing my “nibbles of knowledge on all things in the  … [Continue reading]

Arbor Day 2023, diversity and the Musclewood tree


Thu. Apr. 27, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Arbor Day 2023, diversity and the Musclewood tree

As mentioned yesterday, tomorrow is Arbor Day. Celebrated on the 4th Friday of April. Nebraska newspaper editor, J. Sterling Morton had an enthusiasm for trees and advocated strongly for individuals and civic groups to plant them. That link gives some differing information on Arbor Day’s origin, nonetheless, it’s “mostly” correct! Ahh, research always leads to more research! 😉 

When he became secretary of the Nebraska Territory, he further spread  … [Continue reading]

Trees and grass, can they relate?


Wed. Apr. 26, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Trees and grass, can they relate?

 I have often quoted information from my friend, Faith Appelquist, an arborist with her own company Treequality.  She puts out a great newsletter and in one of them she discussed grass and trees.

Friday is Arbor Day and I thought this would be a great topic. Faith says, “trees and turf grass were never meant to live together”. Trees evolved in the forest with twigs and leaves as a ground cover.  … [Continue reading]

Prairie up and enjoy


Tue. Apr. 25, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden  Bite radio show/podcast: Prairie up and enjoy

Another author I’ve interviewed, and a MAJOR advocate of normalizing prairie lawns, Benjamin Vogt, has a phrase: Prairie Up. He’s referring to eliminating your lawn that offers pollinators nothing and is not the natural state of things. He uses ONLY natives. I have cultivars too.

While lawns have a purpose for those who play yard games, have pets or maybe used as a path, etc. the era of the Great expanse of lawn  … [Continue reading]

Re-thinking No Mow May


Mon. Apr. 24, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2  min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Re-thinking No Mow May

 As I close the chapter on my Garden Bite radio show this week, I’m going to focus on rethinking our lawns and my own gardening philosophy. Today I want to focus on a popular initiative that is getting a 2nd look. That is No Mow May.

The idea of it was to assist pollinators by allowing early flowering, however, I recently received information from University of Minnesota Extension turfgrass educator, Jon Trappe, wherein

 … [Continue reading]

Earth Day 2023


Fri. Apr. 21, 2023

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Earth Day 2023

Tomorrow is Earth day. During the pandemic we saw what our industry has done to the planet. We’ve noted how climate change has, literally, changed our climate zone map and we’re seeing a lot of native species become extinct. More on global warming from NOAA. 

However, I want us to focus on how beautiful Earth is and celebrate it. As Van Gogh said “if you truly love nature you’ll see beauty everywhere”.  It’s  … [Continue reading]