Trees for Urban Gardens


Mon. Oct. 24, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Trees for Urban Gardens

While the planting season is pretty much over, you can start dreaming and scheming for next year! Just last week I touched on the importance of trees in our landscape, their value for shade, food and carbon sequestration and keeping them healthy.

This week I bring you trees to place in your urban garden that offer those things as well as ornamental value in your smaller space.

Serviceberry is a small deciduous clumping  … [Continue reading]

Pumpkins and spice and all things lumpy


Fri. Oct. 21, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Pumpkins and spice and all things lumpy

 Love it or hate, it’s pumpkin (ps, pumpkins are squash) spice everything season. 

 I make pumpkin dessert, pumpkin pie, roast pumpkin seeds.

I don’t carve pumpkins anymore but if you do, get the smooth kind or it can get pretty gnarly with a knife. Speaking of gnarly, the lumpy bumpy curcurbita are my favorite. That’s the genus for all those “fruits”. No, they are technically NOT vegetables. ‘Carnival’ and ‘Turban’ are  … [Continue reading]

Putting the tools away


Thu. Oct. 20, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Putting the tools away

One of the last tasks of the gardening season is tool attention. Every year I swear I’m going to be better at it NOT losing my tools. 2022 isn’t much different, except that my Hori Hori knife I guard with my life! Have I told you I LOVE that tool?

My bench under the eve of my garage gets filled with tools, which is better than leaving them around the yard!

Do YOU clean  … [Continue reading]

Keep on watering and mulch!


Wed. Oct. 19, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Keep on watering and mulch!

In my area we have experienced a persistent drought that has really affected our plant life. My red maple finally turned but it looked rough. While rain has been predicted it’s been sprinkles. As mentioned on Monday’s Garden Bite, I believe my Hackberry has sent out even more surface roots in search of water, which affected my raised garden bed. This found in Treehugger: Trees in a forest develop roots that  … [Continue reading]

When a nut’s not a nut and a berry’s not a berry


Tue. Oct. 18, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: When a nut’s not a nut and a berry’s not a berry

I subscribe to a newsletter from my friend and favorite arborist, Faith Appelquist of Treequality. She never disappoints and this month I asked if I could share it with you all!

 

When is a nut not a nut and a berry not really a berry? She writes: Many of the edible plant products which we call nuts are, in botanical terms, fruit. Fruits  … [Continue reading]

Planting garlic – 2022


Mon. Oct. 17, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Planting garlic – 2022

This is the week to plant garlic if you live in zone 3 to 5. Generally you plant 1 to 2 weeks AFTER a killing frost. Homegrown garlic is better than store bought just as every other vegetable/fruit is better! Last year I planted Elephant Ear, Duganski and Deerfield Purple. My favorite was the Elephant Ear.

THIS year, 2022, I planted ‘Music’, a robust variety, it’s flavor is described as rich, garlicky, strong,  … [Continue reading]

Tips for pollinator planting


Fri. Oct. 14, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Tips for pollinator planting

The National Garden Bureau, of which I’m a member, offered up some fabulous tips for pollinator plantings that I want to share with you today.

While the point is to attract pollinators, the plants need to be nurtured. With their futures so intertwined, if we help one, we need to help both.

Tip number one… be kind to soil. Something like one tablespoon of soil holds more living forms than people currently populating  … [Continue reading]

Tips to protecting and feeding birds as winter approaches


Thu. Oct. 13, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Tips to protecting and feeding birds as winter approaches

Last week I talked about bird feeders and squirrels. Today it’s about WHAT to feed those birds as winter comes roaring in… at some point.

To offset the white of winter, or the bleak brown, it’s the BIRDS that help us through. And this is OUR time to help THEM through with plenty of nutrition!

Contrary to what I’ve heard some people say, feeding the birds in winter  … [Continue reading]

The finale for the Winged Wahoo


Wed. Oct. 12, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. radio show/podcast: The finale for the Winged Wahoo

This is the last year you can purchase a Winged Wahoo in my state, Minnesota. I had never heard that name for the shrub more commonly know as Burning Bush. However, it is FUN to say “winged wahoo”. Maybe since ‘Wahoo’ is a favorite word of mine!

In 2020, the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture named the Euonymus alatus (Burning Bush) their October Weed of the Month.

Here’s a very quick video from the  … [Continue reading]

Winter protection for outdoor containers


Tue. Oct. 11, 2022

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Winter protection for outdoor containers

We all know it’s coming, the s-word. And I ain’t talkin’ stew and sweatshirts! As I noted yesterday, it can happen early! HA! 

It’s time to start thinking about winter prep/storage of those ceramic/glazed containers that held your lovely plant arrangements all season.

I do leave out my large, heavy ceramic container to plant for the Christmas season.

I also have two other glazed pots, which handle the least amount of wet conditions  … [Continue reading]