Fall vegetable garden


Fri. Aug. 19, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Fall vegetable garden

Planning a Fall vegetable garden. Those vegetables we grew in spring can be repeated and add brussels sprouts and beets too!

I eat salads nearly every day for lunch. Planting lettuce, kale and other “leafies” sounds like a good idea!

There are some pretty cool reasons for planting as our temperatures begin to cool off. 

  • Pests are fewer, those that irritate our plants and those that irritate us. Mosquitoes are first to come to mind.
 … [Continue reading]

Why a raised garden bed?


Thu. Aug. 18, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Why a raised garden bed?

My community puts on a Garden Tour each year. This year there was a place with only raised beds. It was beautiful. 

I asked her why and she simply said she doesn’t want to bend down any more. That was the best answer I could think of!

More reasons to love raised beds:

  • You control the soil type
  • Better drainage
  • Soil heats up faster in spring allowing you to plant earlier
  • Weeds are
 … [Continue reading]

Hardy hibiscus are Summerific – 2022


Wed. Aug. 17, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Hardy hibiscus are Summerific – 2022

Hardy hibiscus take those of us in cold climates to the tropics.

Blooming from July to September, some cultivars have flowers that can reach up to 9 inches across.

While blooms only last one to two days, there are MANY buds that continue to show off their colors.

It’s important to note that this zone 4 plant takes time to emerge in spring.

Don’t get nervous if you don’t see any growth  … [Continue reading]

Aster yellows


Tue. Aug. 16, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Aster yellows

Have you seen Aster Yellows? While that sounds like it would be a pretty flower, it’s anything but. I’ve heard from listeners that it’s in their area.

Aster yellows causes bizarre symptoms on plants.

Typical symptoms include veins that turn pale, yellowing of new leaves, abnormally bushy growth, deformed flowers, and stunting. Some look like they’re growing another plant in a flower itself. It can look like witches broom. Or sometimes you don’t even know something’s  … [Continue reading]

August vegetable garden tips 2022


Mon. Aug. 15, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: August vegetable garden tips 2022

It’s August garden tips 2022 version.  This has to be my most disappointing year for vegetable gardening. 

The Mandevilla flowers look better than any of the other plants. The tomatoes had nice growth, then petered out. The peppers aren’t much and even the herbs have been so-so. I just talked last week about how our hot weather is affecting our vegetable garden.

Tips for mid-August

  • Before watering your plants with the hose,
 … [Continue reading]

The gladiolas are late – 2022


Fri. Aug. 12, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: The gladiolas are late – 2022

I love gladiolas. But they’re late this year. The heat, and perhaps, the fact I planted them in a container, has affected their growth. Below is a photo from last year. July 26th, 2021

August 2nd, 2022

 Gladiolas are part of the Iris family but have a very different look! The sword like foliage is really awesome planted with the delicate look of some native grasses.

For those of us in cold  … [Continue reading]

Diatomaceous Earth


Thu. Aug. 11, 2022

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

UGH, those ants just won’t stop. The little biters are still hanging out in my gardens. I weed and wind up with the little ankle biters.

I’ve tried diatomaceous earth multiple times. It looks like a white cloud and then IF there were rain, it just turns kinda gooey and loses any effectiveness it might have had.

What IS Diatomaceous Earth anyway?

Very basically it’s tiny water organisms that have fossilized. Their skeletons are made of  … [Continue reading]

Plant wilt and why buy local


Wed. Aug. 10, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Plant wilt and why buy local

I purchased some new plants about a month ago. Heliopsis and Dwarf Joe Pye Weed. And they wilt. I water and they wilt.

There is a reason that some of your plants are wilting even with water. They are trying to protect themselves.

Plants wilt to reduce leaf surface exposed to the sunlight to save water loss. By evening they should perk up. My plants on the west side, where my  Heliopsis  … [Continue reading]

Clay soil in drought 2022


Tue. Aug. 9, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Clay soil in drought 2022

I’ve often talked about clay soil but with this year’s drought conditions adding to last year, I felt like we should revisit the subject and what it means for us right now.

Clay soil IS nutrient rich.

It’s packed with pockets that hold water. Sandy soil just drains that delicious liquid away quickly. I can vouch for that as the City built my rain garden with a LOT of sand But we’re not  … [Continue reading]

Hot weather affects your vegetable garden


Mon. Aug. 8, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Hot weather affects your vegetable garden

Whew… this heat is really affecting our vegetable gardens. The University of Minnesota Extension notes that some home gardeners are seeing beautiful bushy cucumber plants with no fruit, tomatoes not ripening and beans with few flowers.

In my own garden I’ve noticed small yields on tomatoes and peppers while my sunflowers are stunted.

My Grape ‘Juliet’ tomatoes were doing wonderful but now, they are tiny.

The high temps are affecting our gardens  … [Continue reading]