Best Tiller Ever!

Lessons from 2010

Sometimes when we look back at our growing season, we are reminded just how long a growing season we can have. In my gardening journal, entries that include the weather information and planting times can be a good planning tool for next year. Reviewing our different crops success and failures are one of the better [...]

Garlic 2010

Felt like such a failure – my garlic crop was dismal this year! I was just bummed because the root stock was coming four years old, obviously winter hardy and our past harvests have been bountiful. My root stock was healthy when planted. Popped up in spring nicely and months later, in late June the [...]

Cucumbers

Some thoughts about growing cucumbers gathered over the years….. Cucumbers will produce good fruits fairly easy if you follow a couple of basics. First, they are not frost tolerant – must be planted when soil temps are 60+ for best germination. The second is that the soil must also be well fertilized and deeply as [...]

Bug Spray Review

Capsicum Success! I made a batch of the hot pepper spray and have good news for us organic type gardeners.

Pillbugs detest hot pepper spray

The capsicum spray worked wonders for the bluelake bush and garden beans coming up. It also appears to have some effect on hollyhock weevils. It was pretty effortless to [...]

Ants Be Gone

There are lots of organic ways to discourage ants from being in an area you prefer them not to be. The first is a list of suggested deterrents, the second is elimination. To remove the food or other source of attractant is the first step. You can discourage additional visits by destroying their scent trail [...]

Lore #2 – Borage

Lore: Always plant Borage around in your garden…….. vs Science: Borage flowers attract good pollinators

The bright blue, star-shaped flowers (which bloom most of the summer) make borage one of the prettiest herb plants, though the dark green leaves are rather plain. The flavor of the leaves resembles that of cucumber. [...]

Lore #1-Tomato/Marigold

“Grandmother always planted marigolds around her tomatoes“  Evidently Grandmother had it absolutely correct and here’s why:

Although they can be beneficial against a variety of pests, marigolds are best known for their ability to suppress plant-parasitic nematodes. In India, marigolds have been used for this purpose for hundreds of years [...]