Planting asparagus


Tue. Sep. 15, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Planting asparagus

Gardeners have been growing asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) for more than 2,000 years.  A well-maintained asparagus bed will start bearing one year after planting and will stay productive for 10 to 15 years. The University of MN has a lot of great information on planting asparagus.

While many sites I visited recommended optimal planting in the Spring, Fall is just fine as temperatures cool off.  In fact you can purchase 2 year crowns from  … [Continue reading]

That cold snap!


Mon. Sep. 14, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: That cold snap!

Yowza, it was cold last week! With temperatures dropping to the point of freeze warnings for those tender plants, it certainly felt more like October. I hope you didn’t lose any tender tomatoes or peppers. I picked plenty and started dehydrating them, adding to my storage for Winter!

 If you did lose some of your produce, don’t forget those local farmers markets. I have two very close to me and will be headed there this  … [Continue reading]

Fall plant picks for perennials and trees


Fri. Sep. 11, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fall plant picks for perennials and trees

 As we work our way into Fall there are some plants that we all associate with that time of year.  I talked about some annual Fall picks last week, in particular, mums – the annual kind and the hardy mums! 

But what about other perennials. Sky Blue Aster is a true native plant with a sturdy growth habit of around 3 feet tall.

There’s also Smooth Blue Aster, another similar  … [Continue reading]

Lawn renovation and Fall lawn care


Thu. Sep. 10, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Lawn renovation and Fall lawn care

Our lawns are in prime growth period right now, the cooler temps and, usually, more frequent rainfall create this growth spurt.

It’s a good time to dethatch and aerate your lawn. Thatch is that brownish looking layer of dead tissue between the green grass and the soil. If left alone, thatch can eventually kill your lawn.

Renting a mechanical dethatcher is the best and easiest way to rid your lawn of thatch. … [Continue reading]

Make the switch! To Switchgrass Panicum virgatum


Wed. Sep. 9, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Make the switch! To Switchgrass Panicum virgatum

Every season is great for native grasses, oh but Fall is when they really start rockin’. They are one of my all time favorite staple plants, they add height (at least in some) movement, an ethereal beauty and are host plants for many caterpillars. Catch my Labor Day installment on the variety of grasses!

I talked about the new Big bluestem ‘Blackhawks’ last week, today, I’m making the switch for a  … [Continue reading]

Jumping worm warning Update!


Tue. Sep. 8, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Jumping worm warning!

 Seriously… that’s the headline from the MN DNR. They’re cautioning gardeners and anglers to be on the lookout for invasive jumping worms. Who had THAT for 2020? Actually I have a Garden Bite from 2013 on these invasives. They’re more prevalent now 

These destructive worms can quickly degrade soils and damage garden plants and lawns. Jumping worms are a relatively new species to our area, they turn good soil into what looks like coffee  … [Continue reading]

Fermented vegetables


Fri. Sep. 4, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Fermented vegetables

Fermentation has been around for like forever, it’s pretty ancient but it sort of fell by the wayside when folks started freezing and canning. Within the last 5 years or so, and the understanding of how great probiotics are for us, fermenting has kicked into high gear.

When freezing and canning techniques took over, fermenting fell by the wayside.  But with the probiotic rage going on, fermenting is back.

All you need is salt, your chosen  … [Continue reading]

Meet the Kiwiberry


Thu. Sep. 3, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Meet the Kiwiberry

I was just introduced to the kiwiberry by the University of Minnesota extension. Kiwis? In the cold north? YUP! So we don’t have the typical kiwi with it’s fuzzy outside, what our cool zones can grow is, as the name implies, more like a berry, it’s more grape sized and sweeter!

 The skin of kiwiberries is thin and smooth, there’s no need to peel before popping…into your mouth…

There are 2 species that can be  … [Continue reading]

Annuals for Fall


Wed. Sep. 2, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Annuals for Fall

As I mentioned yesterday, I stopped at my local nursery for some annuals as Fall approaches. The temperatures were pretty warm but they’ll cool off and many of the annuals I bought this Spring were looking pretty bedraggled. I picked up a couple of mums. Which by the way were in the wrong bin. I thought I was buying yellow when I got them home the tags said purple. Oh well.

There’s celosia on the  … [Continue reading]

Big Bluestem ‘Blackhawks’


Tue. Sep. 1, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Big Bluestem ‘Blackhawks’

I was devouring my new Northern Gardener magazine sitting on my front porch with a cool beverage when I came on an article by Debbie Lonnee, who works in the horticulture industry, about a new cultivar for Big Bluestem.

 Let me tell you, this one is a beauty! Called ‘Blackhawks’, the foliage evolves throughout the growing season.

Emerging green in the Spring, the long strappy leaves take on purple hues by June. Throughout the  … [Continue reading]