Thanks to Garden Design Magazine for this amazing tribute to the lowly pumpkin. Actually we'll thank the Dallas Arboretum first, for their creativity. Follow the link here to see more pictures of the Pumpkin Village.
Pumpkins in Texas!
4 Things About Planting Garlic
More About Garlic This is definitely the time to plant garlic. (It's also the time to plant other alliums, not least the ornamental alliums, like my favourite, "Purple Sensation". But on with garlic...) This is my third year planting garlic, so I've harvested twice before. The best of the harvest goes to the planting bed;... Continue Reading →
Photo-Tutorial: Squash
Successful Squash A few years ago I tried to grow squash from seed for the first time. Actually first time for growing it from anything. I'm not a big fan of zucchini and other summer squashes, and just didn't want to bother with an entire growing season of caring for winter squash for the sake of one... Continue Reading →
Day 21 of Your Successful Vegetable Garden
Tomatoes! North America's favourite home-grown vegetable. (Actually, it's said it is "America's" favourite home-grown vegetable, but I'm sure Canadians are as keen on home-grown toms as Americans.) Garden Tribe's final day of Boot Camp focuses on tomatoes, and what a great ending (and how great that it's ending!). And isn't this a brilliant line: Some gardeners are... Continue Reading →
Veggie Tales Day 20
Herb Gardens. Boot Camp is almost done, and growing herbs is definitely the easiest way of getting going with your edible garden. I've written often about herbs, so I won't re-hash everything here. A few quick notes: 1. Most of our popular herbs originate in the Mediterranean, so they like sunny exposures, but most, with the... Continue Reading →
Successful Veg Garden Day 19
I'm getting pretty tired of writing about vegetables--don't think I'll even mention the word until this time next year. You must be getting enough of it as well! Never worry, only three days of Boot Camp left--I guess we know why they used that analogy for these lessons. Today's topic: Growing Greens. Now I admit,... Continue Reading →
Veggie Garden Day 18–Troubleshooting
We're coming down to the wire now, only 4 lessons left in Garden Tribe's veggie gardener Boot Camp. Today's topic is troubleshooting. Garden Tribe recommends you look at your crops every day so that you'll recognize when something is wrong. My problem is that I love to look every day--even more often--at the beginning of... Continue Reading →
Veggie Tales Day 16 and 17
The reason I've grouped Boot Camp Day 16 (Seed-Starting) and Day 17 (Seedling Transplanting) together is because I wrote about seed starting already on Day 14, and besides, they're pretty closely related. So a quick review: if you're sowing outdoors, make sure the seeds stay moist. That's pretty much it. If you're sowing indoors, you need... Continue Reading →
Good-Looking Veggie Starts–Day 15
So you've decided that some of your crop is going to come from starts that you buy or otherwise acquire. How do you know what to look for? This isn't rocket science, (Plant scientists might dispute my dismissal) and Garden Tribe's lesson covers pretty much everything you need to know. Probably the best advice I... Continue Reading →
Veggie Tales Day 14
Two thirds through Garden Tribes' Boot Camp for Veggie gardeners. Today's topic--finally we're getting to the fun stuff--Seeds and Seedlings! Do you need to start your plants from seed, or do you need to buy seedlings, or "starts" from the nursery? For some vegetables the answer is easy, as we read on Day 4. Carrots... Continue Reading →
Real Life Garden Solutions 