Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel I was chatting with a local bird habitat specialist hoping for some tips on what I could plant or build that would attract more birds to my new garden. I was surprised as she struggled to think of flowers that might work. Then she blurted: “The biggest obstacle to birds […]
Seed Starting by Sandy Swegel The next few weeks are crucial for new gardeners. Every year in Spring, first-time gardeners buy some seeds and dig up a garden on the first really warm weekend and sprinkle the seeds out. Then they wait. For some, within the month, weather conditions will be good and they’ll have […]
What to grow for your chickens By Sandy Swegel Reading our Facebook posts lately on how yummy eggs from backyard chickens are got me thinking about what makes homegrown eggs taste so much better than store eggs. A varied diet helps a lot. Commercial chickens pretty much get a straight corn-based diet with vitamins and […]
Heirloom Vegetable Seeds by Sandy Swegel If you don’t already have your tomatoes growing….this is The Day. April 1st is my official day to start my tomatoes indoors. I’m in Zone 5 and last frost is six weeks away. You may start yours earlier if you live in a warmer place or have walls of […]
What We Can Learn from Kids’ Gardens Gardening Tips There are tons of books and articles on how to teach kids about gardening. And it is lots of fun to teach young gardeners and show them how to pull a carrot or find an earthworm. But kids who like to garden do it for the […]
Wildflower Seeds Oh, Welcome Happy Spring! After our snow dump of 15 inches this weekend and now 60 degrees of sunshine today, Spring flowers are erupting everywhere. Cutting a few flowering branches to bring indoors is always a favorite Spring thing to do, but this week I am inspired by UK garden blogger Cathy at […]
Cover Crop Seeds by Sandy Swegel St Patrick’s Day is this week…a traditional day for planting peas. But you know that….so get ready to plant your peas. This year I’m thinking about Ireland and two plants usually associated with Ireland: cabbage and clover (not necessarily the four-leaf variety.) A little internet browsing led to an […]
Gardening Tips By Sandy Swegel We got a great question from a customer this week about controlling aphids. Her frustration resonates with most of us who garden. Q. Aphids are terrible, tiny creatures and I fight them every year. I’ve been looking for the best ways to make sure they don’t screw with my […]
What We Gardeners Have in Common with Thomas Jefferson by Sandy Swegel This Presidents’ Day led me to researching about the gardens of the White House. I expected to write about the many “heirlooms” that Jefferson gathered and preserved for us. He grew 330 varieties of vegetables and 170 varieties of fruit! I found myself […]
Borage Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel Bees love borage Bees absolutely cover the plant when it is in bloom. And bloom lasts a long time and repeats throughout the season. Bees and other pollinators seem to prefer it to other nearby plants. Must be extra tasty or sweet. Borage is super easy to grow My neighbor […]
