Garden productivity starts and ends with the soil. Great soil produces the highest quality, best tasting crops. Poor soil is a key factor in crop failure, disease and insect infestations. The good news is that no one is “stuck where they are.” Soil building is a never ending job, and should be considered the primary job,…
The Farmers Market We recently began selling some of our garden produce at our local farmers’ market, with the goal of raising funds for our donation garden. Over and over we have been asked questions like, “where is your farm?” and, “did you grow this yourself?” The answer to the first is “We don’t have one, but…
Squash Bugs & Squash Vine Borers Growing squash in your home vegetable garden can reward you with heavy yields for little work. However, avoiding insect infestation, specifically squash bugs and squash vine borers, is critical to success. We have battled these pesky creatures in our garden over the years. Luckily there are several rather simple…
What’s That Flower Doing In There? The first time I encountered nasturtium was in a gormet salad mix from a local grower when we lived in Minnesota. I thought the flowers were a nice garnish, and they made the salad beautifiul…then I ate one. It bit unexpectedly like a radish! This peppery beauty quickly became…
Two Great Options When discussing marigolds, it’s important to differentiate the two genera, both of the aster family, that share the same common name. Pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis) are native to southern Europe and have been known and used in food and medicine since ancient times. African marigolds, French marigolds, Mexican marigolds and several others (Tagetes species)…