The BEE declared the most important living being on the Planet!


Fri. Oct. 18, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: The BEE declared the most important living being on the Planet!

In case you hadn’t heard, the bee has been declared the most important living being on the planet. The Earthwatch Institute concluded in the last debate of the Royal Geographical Society of London, that bees are the most important living being on the planet. 

However, scientists have also made an announcement: Bees have already entered into extinction risk. A bunch of smart people whose names I can’t  … [Continue reading]

Tenacious bulb eaters


Thu. Oct. 17, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tenacious bulb eaters

Those little #*%&@ are always at it!

They are tenacious if nothing else! People have discussed ideas about what to do for as long as we’ve planted bulbs.  The best method so far is to place chicken wire over your bulb bed, secure it with stakes or heavy rocks and then mulch it with woodchips, shredded bark or leaves. The plants will grow up through the wire or hardware cloth.

You could sink the wire  … [Continue reading]

Plenty of precip in the Upper Midwest – what’s the long term effect?


Wed. Oct. 16, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Plenty of precip in the Upper Midwest – what’s the long term effect?

Record rainfalls have thwarted many a gardener this past season. A lot of our plants developed fungal diseases, in particular those tasty tomatoes!

There’s also a long term problem with all that wet weather. Trees are dying with wet feet. It’s been documented in Nerstrand Big Woods where I live and in other places around the Upper Midwest.

According to a recent article through the  … [Continue reading]

A hard frost and diggin’ up Dahlias


Tue. Oct. 15, 2019

Click below to listen to my  2 min. Garden Bite radio show: A hard frost and diggin’ up Dahlias

It’s not Winter yet, technically, but some of us have already experienced some snowflakes (snowfall!!) Hello Moorehead! And my cousin’s place on Lake Maud…

And some temperatures dipping into the 30’s and 20’s! We’ve covered tomatoes or just given up! We’ve traded out the summer annuals for mums, brought the tropicals inside or bid them adieu into the compost pile and tried to get spring bulbs in the ground before our  … [Continue reading]

More prep for what’s coming… or is here!


Mon. Oct. 14, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: More prep for what’s coming… or is here!

We all know it’s coming, some have even started to experience what it brings… the s-word! While I could be talking about stew and sweatshirts, there are some who have seen snow!

That means we still have some things to do to prepare for Winter. It may seem early but I want to put this one out there. One of those items is cleaning out the annuals in our pots. … [Continue reading]

Grab bag of gardening


Fri. Oct. 11, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Grab bag of gardening

Every season I get asked about what to do with sale plants if you can’t get them in the ground before it’s too late… plant them in the your vegetable garden bed, or any other bare space, IN THE POT THEY CAME IN.

Then come spring, after you’ve decided where you want to plant them, dig them up carefully and they should be just fine.

Folks have asked about using landscape fabric versus newspaper  … [Continue reading]

Repellex – a later version


Thu. Oct. 10, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Repellex – a later version

Oh yes, those big brown eyes are beautiful… till that deer moseys over to your gardens to start munching!

As gardeners we’ve used loud noises, Irish Spring soap, pepper spray and a variety of other so-called surefire ways to keep the deer at a distance without consistent results.  

There’s also another critter that creates chaos for young trees in particular, it’s the lowly mouse and it’s cousin the vole.  Mice like to nestle  … [Continue reading]

Planting Spring bulbs


Wed. Oct. 9, 2019

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

 I remember many years planting Spring bulbs with my fingers so dang cold they felt like frostbite! Oh but the delight of spring blooms is worth it… most of the time!  As I was scrolling for some new tulips, I found a 2018 tulip that I shared with you last year, its called ‘Rainbow Parrot’ from a company called Dutch Grown. Last year it was sold out, it’s not right now! YES, I bought 10  … [Continue reading]

EAB – Chaos and Creation?


Tue. Oct. 8, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: EAB – Chaos and Creation?

 It’s an EAB update on GB, Emerald Ash Borer, the bug that will destroy the vast majority of ash trees.  Notice I said, WILL.

The exotic beetle from Asia, was discovered in southeastern Michigan in the summer of 2002.  And now, in 2019, it’s been discovered in 35 states and 3 Canadian provinces. EAB has killed well over 8 billion  Ash trees so far.

White Ash, for now, is faring better than the  … [Continue reading]

Honeysuckle vines – the beautiful and the bad


Mon. Oct. 7, 2019

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Honeysuckle vines – the beautiful and the bad

I have two outstanding honeysuckle vines.  

The one below is covering an iron sculpture… 

They grow like crazy and offer beautiful trumpet like flowers that attract hummingbirds late into the season. 

Then come these lovely berries…

…but as I was looking up information about those berries, I was stunned to find so much differing and confusing information on whether the berries are toxic. They most definitely are for CERTAIN kinds. … [Continue reading]