Composting in Cold Weather by Sandy Swegel It snowed yesterday. It’s going to snow again today. This makes me so happy because it means I get a vacation from work. My gardening business is a lot like a teacher’s schedule. Work like crazy most of the year then I get a wonderful interlude to catch […]
A cover crop is simply a dense planting of quick-growing plants that protect the soil and can provide many nutrients to the soil. The most common cover crops are grasses/grains such as Winter Rye. The other favorites are legumes such as clover, vetch, and peas that fix nitrogen in the soil. When the green cover […]
Garden Tools by Sandy Swegel Today I’ve been thinking about how the garden tools I use have made me a better gardener. I have spent a lot of money over the years on tools that break or tools that seemed clever but end up unused. I garden at least twenty hours a week for other […]
Garden Clean Up by Sandy Swegel The old adages say cleanliness and hard work are virtues. That may be true in your kitchen, but in the garden, a little sloth can save many lives and make your life a little easier. Mother Nature isn’t just messy when she clutters up the Fall garden with leaves […]
Wildflower Seeds By Sandy Swegel Bulbs are a favorite of mine because their beauty is so intense in the garden. But bulbs can be made even more striking by planting them with beautiful pansies or violas. Tulips and Pansies, I think of them as beauty now and later… with little pansy plants bringing color all Fall […]
Tips for Garden Frustration by Sandy Swegel That’s the kind of questions I’m hearing these days. Why won’t my plant bloom? Why aren’t my tomatoes red? Why does my garden look so bad? Why is my tree dying? Let’s tackle a few of these questions so you can figure out why it seems your garden […]
Straw May Be Killing Your Crops by Sandy Swegel Straw bales are one of my favorite garden tools. They are useful to the gardener in so many ways. All nicely tied up, straw bales are like giant Lego blocks that can be stacked to make so many things. I’m using the term “straw” bale, but […]
Agua Fresca Recipe by Sandy Swegel My basic remedy for hot July days is to bend over and run the hose over my head, but a more attractive and effective way to cool off is to make an Agua Fresca (refreshing water), the great fruit or vegetable drink of Mexico and other southern regions. I’ve been […]
Trellis Tips by Sandy Swegel My tomatoes are only a few inches tall and still indoors, but this is the ideal time to start thinking about how to trellis them. For years I fiddled with the dinky round tomato cages sold everywhere that just fall over when faced with a large indeterminate tomato. One year I […]
The Beauty of Spring by Sandy Swegel Spring Equinox is officially upon us. All the joys of the season abound. Birds singing, Crocuses blooming, Baby lambs gamboling in the fields outside of town. Yet one of the dearest and most fleeting of Spring delights is the annual blooming of the spring ephemeral wildflowers. This is a great […]