When people gaze out over their lovely flower beds, they think of bouquets, sweet fragrance and beauty as they walk through their yards. Rarely do people think, “What’s for dinner? Flowers!” Yet, perennial and annual flowers bring a delightful mix of taste, texture, color and nutrition to the table. When I do mixed lettuce bags […]
A number of years ago, our local master gardeners asked me to speak at their monthly meeting. I inquired, “Is there a particular topic you would like me to speak on?” The coordinator told me there was lots of interest in saving seeds. People wanted to know how that was done and we’re having a […]
Lettuce is a super easy veggie to grow. Although it looks rather delicate, lettuce is super hardy. I plant early in the spring and it has tolerated snow storms, freezing nights and can take a good amount of shade. I personally like to use a lettuce mix to get a fun variety of taste, color […]
One of the biggest challenges here in the West is nighttime temps that drop to near or below freezing, even in June! The daytime temps can be warm, in the 70’s, but with the dry air, the temperature at night can plummet, destroying in no time all your hard work on your tender veggies! I […]
Here in the arid Southwest, water is a precious commodity! It is in our best interest to save every drop. I love the water collection systems that are sold at hardware stores and garden shops, but the are EXPENSIVE! I have learned how to make my own with garbage cans or other storage containers. This […]
In 2012 Marti arrived at my front door and handed me a book she had found. Marti said, “You need this more than I do. It describes your life.” I looked at the cover of the children’s book, The Garden of Miss Mouse, and said, “Great, I have my twin grandsons here and I will […]
For lack of a better word, I use “passive” composting to describe this method. It really is passive, as I make a huge pile of organic yard waste, do nothing and ignore it, for years! I begin with a section of yard, no bigger than 6 feet by 6 feet. I lay down cardboard, (see […]
I have found people are somewhat intimidated to start a compost bin. They are afraid they, “will do something wrong,” and the whole thing will fail. Not so! Compost is a natural process designed by God to keep our natural world in order. Can you imagine life on this planet if nothing ever decomposed?!?!?! In […]
Ads abound for compost bins declaring compost in 2 weeks! The bins are expensive, rather complicated and do not deliver what they promise. The more expensive they are, the less effective they are! Compost is a natural process which occurs whether we are involved or not. Having your own bin allows you to utilize many […]
Hello Gardening Friends! A very popular and long-lived house plant is the Christmas Cactus. Many people come to me and say, “I have a Christmas Cactus, but it blooms at Thanksgiving.” I tell them, “That is probably a Thanksgiving Cactus.” I explain to them how to tell the difference. There are actually two, distinct blooming […]
