with Teri Knight
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Tomato and pepper seed start time 2023
The last official frost date for Zone 4 is May 15th while zone 3 is looking at about May 25th. That date is completely subject to the current weather!
I’m in zone 4b and we have yet to reach our first 50 degree day. (It was predicted but didn’t quite get there). The average first 50 degree day in my area is March 9th. At this point, let’s … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Climate zones plus!
I’ve seen the buzz lately in trade magazines and websites discussing the fact that our climate zones are NOT absolute. This isn’t really NEW news but it IS news that backyard weed warriors or weekend gardeners don’t really think about.
First a little info on how climate zones are determined; Data is collected for a 30-year period from nearly 8,000 temperature stations around the country to create the hardiness zone map. The data is reviewed … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Understory native plants
Looking for plants that do well in those shaded areas under your trees aka understory plants? I’m sharing some fabulous native perennials today from Prairie Moon Nursery.
Wild geraniums are a favorite of mine. They are hardy to zone 3, grow to about a foot tall and fill … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Maple Syruping 2023
I’ve spotted tapped trees!
It’s not too late to get some golden goodness out of your trees. Although it’s not really gold flowing, it looks more like water!
This cycle of above-freezing days and below-freezing nights needs to continue for several days, although nature occasionally has been … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: For the Birds
There are some awesome native plants to attract birds to your landscape.
I’m sharing some from my friends at Prairie Moon Nursery. Of course, since the birds love them for insects it’s only natural that the pollinators dig them too!
An early blooming tree would be the Downy Serviceberry … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Bailey Nurseries 2023 plant introductions
In 2013 I had a local television show called DigIn Minnesota. I had SO much fun doing that show. I hosted and co-produced it. During one of the episodes I had the opportunity to visit Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota. I met with Alec Charais and produced a segment on their Easy Elegance Rose series.
Today I want to talk about their new 2023 introductions which include a wonderful new hydrangea from the … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Peat-free options
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the depletion of peat bogs and a growing movement to stop using so much of a resource that is not instantly renewable.
It is the fiber between the husk and outer shell of a coconut and a waste product of the coconut industry.
Coco coir can hold up to 10 … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Tiptoe into 2023 spring garden cleanup
Normally we’re tiptoeing into spring garden cleanup and I remind my listeners to be gentle in their gardens. While Monday was the “official first day so spring”, THIS year, 2023, has most of the listening area with still abundant snow/rain/slush and temps that are not conducive to gardening.
Soggy, muddy soil compacts much easier. A situation none of us wants. Frost depths vary widely. Check out NOAA where you can put … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Crop rotation in the vegetable garden
We’re SLOWLY creeping into planting season and I wanted to get you thinking about crop rotation as we consider our vegetable garden. While there are many more disease resistant vegetable cultivars, crop rotation is still something to think about for a couple of reasons.
It’s really the single easiest thing we can do to keep soil nutrients working FOR us and to help prevent disease. But what crops do you rotate with? … [Continue reading]
Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show/podcast: Gardening in a changing climate
As mentioned yesterday I was at a Horticulture Day and was really looking forward to the main speaker, Meg McAndrews Cowden. She, sadly, had laryngitis and wasn’t able to give her talk on Gardening in a New Climate.
Her notes were in our material and I am sharing some of them with you today along with my own information over the years I’ve been doing Garden Bite. Meg has a book, “Plant, Grow, … [Continue reading]