If you want lots of pretty bouquets for your house and to give to friends, you’ll want a nice mix of perennial and annual flowers. In Part 1 we discussed the best annuals for flower arrangements. Now let’s discuss perennials. The pros and cons of perennials Perennials are plants that grow back year after year,…

Last spring I told you about cold frames I made using dresser drawers. I’m sorry to report, the results were not as successful as I’d hoped. The bok choi got too warm and bolted before it got any where near mature enough to eat. (Note to self: open up the cold frame on warm or…

It’s still too early for getting much from the garden. Does that mean that you are still doomed to eat frozen or canned veggies for another two months? Perish the thought! Early spring vegetables The best part of this season is asparagus. Asparagus is so coveted in our family that once it starts growing, we…

This carrot harvest this year was a good one and it’s time to make a report. First, the most notable thing is that this year I planted my carrots in a raised bed. I want to add 2-3 raised beds to my garden every  year until the entire garden is raised beds. So I made…

A stroke of luck I am so excited to tell you about a new source of seeds that I just discovered. It was almost by accident that I ran into one of the owners of Prairie Road Organic Seed today. I was traveling home from two days in Bismarck and Dickinson and decided to check on some…

One of the main reasons I garden is to provide fresh, tasty and chemical-free food for my family. But it seems like the bugs and pests are determined to thwart me at every turn. When you see your broccoli covered in green worms or cabbage moths have destroyed your cabbage, it’s enough to make you…

So who’s my favorite? Growing herbs and creating my herb garden has brought me so much satisfaction. It’s my favorite part of gardening. So which herb is my favorite? Oh dear…I can hardly say. That’s like asking who your favorite child is. I’d hate to have to answer that. But, if you want to know…

After my  vegetable garden, the thing I am most proud of (and get the most pleasure from) is my herb garden. I love using herbs in cooking and I love herbal tea. But buying fresh herbs can be expensive and the selection is often limited. So I grow a variety of herbs to use in…

In case you couldn’t tell, I love herbs. I’ve been cultivating a perennial herb garden for four or five years now. I use herbs for everything–home remedies, soothing cosmetics and, of course, cooking. I have some favorites–basil, of course. And parsley is a long-time friend. But I have to say, for versatility, comfrey comes in…

Meet Lori Living a mile down the road, Lori is my closest neighbor. She has made other attempts at gardening in the past, with varying levels of success. But this year her garden looks to be about the best one ever–lots of lush green plants flourishing in almost weed-free soil. Breaking new ground Her first challenge:…

It’s the end of the harvest and our storehouse is full to overflowing. Here are some highlights from this year’s garden: We got a bumper crop of blackberries and Nanking cherries. Gallons and gallons of blackberries and cherries in the freezer. Plus a couple batches of jam and several pies. Our apple tree produced a…

Pamper-your-plants Easy does it Now, the leaves are limited on how much nutrients they can take in. Too much fertilizer will create mold or scalding spots on the leaves, so a little goes a long way. Use a very diluted fish emulsions, liquid

How many seed catalogs… …have come to your front door? So far I’ve gotten 30 catalogs, with new ones coming in every week. I’ll probably still order from my favorites, but there are a couple new ones that have caught my eye. I think I may try a couple seed varieties from them. In another six weeks…

There really is a difference between seed companies and this picture shows what quality seed looks like. The beet seeds on the left came from an organic heirloom seed company and the seeds on the right are beet seeds that I bought at a local big-box hardware store. See how much plumper the seeds on…

We love Bergeson’s We just made our anual trek to Bergeson Nursery yesterday. Yes, there are nurseries that are closer and many that are cheaper. So why would we travel 80 miles to go to this one? First: Locally grown. Most of the plants they carry are not only bred especially for our area, but…

Since one of your goals this month is to start gardening, it’s also time to start keeping (or updating) a gardening notebook. Keep a record There’s a saying among scientists: the work’s not done until the paperwork’s done. Like a good scientist, a good gardener will want to keep a record of his/her gardening experience:…