Whew, nothing like 12 hours in a minivan to bring out the best in a family.
July 11, 2011 Read more
2011
When it’s scorching hot, we are all less eager to work in the garden. Unless the girls are swimming, I get a list of heat complaints within five minutes of being outside. Despite the heat, it was time to go spud hunting (potato harvesting).
Planning a youth garden camp takes time, creativity and a lot of help! I have led this particular youth camp for several years now and strive to make each one hands-on, educational and fun.
June 21, 2011 Read more
Today we were out weeding…again. I explained to our two-year-old that if it has a flower it is NOT a weed, please do not pull it! I know some weeds, like dandelions, have flowers, but the weeds we were pulling today did not have flowers.
One of my oldest, dearest, childhood friends, Tina, married a farmer and is living the farm life in western Iowa. During our youth, she spent many hours on our farm.
June 7, 2011 Read more
After enjoying an afternoon of swimming, we came home for more water fun – that is watering the garden and flowers. Watering is a chore that cannot be skipped during hot summer days. As I was watering my day lilies I noticed yellow leaves. I turned my attention from watering to diagnosing.
June 1, 2011 Read more
As you may recall in March I started tomato seeds inside. I wanted to prove to myself that I could successfully start plants from seed. I often hear master gardeners talk about their seed starting success; I guess I wanted to be just like them. Ha!! To the fault of my busy schedule the little plants remained little plants and are not nearly as large as the ones I see at the garden centers. Today, I broke down and bought big tomato plants to replace my pathetic little ones I planted two weeks ago. I guess it’s my garden ego needing nurtured. A friend from Texas posted pictures of her freshly harvested tomatoes today. Although she is in zone nine and I am in zone six, I felt my competitive spirit stirring.
May 27, 2011 Read more
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It’s flattering that they seek my advice. My friends assume that since I am a master gardener, write a garden blog, and a have a college degree in agriculture, I should know exactly what is wrong with their plant and have the answer to fix it!
I love digging in the dirt! It’s probably why I buy so many annuals every year- more digging! The one annual that I plant every year is the begonia. It always looks great from the road and provides the color I desire for that part of the landscape.
May 13, 2011 Read more
I like to walk barefoot through the yard; lush green grass feels great on my toes. Since spring has sprung, we have not been able to work in the yard and give it the TLC it deserves.
May 10, 2011 Read more