Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel If you read just one gardening book this year, I have the perfect book for you. It’s a British gardening book and while growing conditions in merry old England aren’t anything like growing in hot arid Colorado, the advice here transcends climate. It’s about how to get the most flavor […]
Seed Starting by Sandy Swegel We all know it’s a good idea to grow from seed. Every winter I fantasize about the amazing garden I could have if I just got started earlier. And every year I somehow end up buying plants that I know I could have started on my own with a little […]
Heirloom Vegetable Seeds by Sandy Swegel Organic leeks were $3.99 a pound in my grocery store this week. I love leeks because they add a more rich and complex flavor to soups and sauces than onions do. They are more expensive than onions but just as easy to grow. The only challenge for gardeners in […]
Seed Starting by Sandy Swegwel Winter Solstice has come and gone, so it’s safe to start planting outdoors. And the first seeds to plant outside in cold climates are POPPIES! My farmer friend gave me the best advice on how to seed poppies: the night before a big snow go outside and strew the seeds […]
All About Plants by Sandy Swegel One of the awkward parts of the holiday season is ending up at gatherings where you only know the person you came with and everyone else is a stranger. There’s always the option of getting a plate of food and finding a comfortable chair to sit in and people […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel Growing up in the South, we always had a wrapped gift under the tree just in case we needed an extra gift. This was in part a combination of Southern graciousness and straight-out guilt. What if someone brought us a gift and we didn’t get one for them? Or what […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel It’s time to give the last garden award of the year: Latest Bloomer of the Year. Late blooming flowers are important because they are the last nectar and pollen sources of the season for bees and other pollinators. Bees especially show up on sunny Fall days when the warmth prompts […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel First Frost is fast approaching and we’ll be reaching for our green tomatoes recipes when all those green tomatoes are hogging our countertops. No matter how clever, green tomatoes aren’t as wonderful as red tomatoes. So act now to get those green tomatoes to turn red on the vine. Now […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel Ask me Anything About gardening that is. That’s what I tell people when I’m looking for blog ideas or a little fun. So the answer this week in the form of a question was from my friend Jim: “Why do sunflowers follow the sun but then all die facing the […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel One evening near dusk in the garden, a gardening friend’s inquisitive granddaughter asked: “Where do bees sleep?” This obvious question brought on a googling frenzy. We could guess that honey bees might sleep in the hive. But what about the 4000 species of native solitary bees? Hive-dwelling honey bees are […]