How to Grow Watercress Indoors by Sandy Swegel Watercress is another one of those unassuming, almost weedy, plants that is a superfood for humans. In the brassica family of heirloom vegetables, watercress (Nasturtium officianale) is rich in vitamins, minerals (especially calcium) and sulfides. It’s not just for watercress sandwiches and tea. It is a great […]
Certified Organic Seeds by Sandy Swegel Did you have fungus problems in your garden this year? Maybe powdery mildew on the squash? Or fungal blight on the tomatoes? One very natural way to treat your soil (rather than try to kill the fungus once it’s on next years’ leaves) is to plant some mustards. Mustard […]
What Fall Equinox Means for your Garden by Sandy Swegel Fall Equinox is upon us which suddenly spurs me to lament all the gardening I didn’t get done this year. In particular, I don’t have much of a winter garden growing. Am I going to have to start buying store-bought greens? I thought maybe I […]
How to Have Basil in the Winter by Sandy Swegel Two Ways to Have Basil all Winter. August heat is hard on basil. The plants keep producing seed heads and as fast as you try to cut them back, new flowers start with the warm weather. Once the basil goes to seed you can still […]
Gardening Tips by Sandy Swegel It may still be blistering hot, but gardeners, especially in Zone 5, are on the home stretch. Days are getting noticeably shorter. Much of the work of the year culminates in the next month as it’s time to bring the harvest home so here are some end of season gardening […]
Tips for Picking Tomatoes by Sandy Swegel You might think this is a completely obvious question. You pick tomatoes when they are red and falling off the vine ready to eat. But I asked a few gardening friends how they decided when to harvest tomatoes and as always, with gardeners, there are more opinions than […]
Heirloom Vegetable Seeds By Sandy Swegel I was noticing very happy pollinators this week: honey bees and native bees, tiny flies, lacewings. And the air was abuzz with hummingbirds and their look-a-likes sphinx moth. Noticing that pollinators were all around is the first step. Then I looked for where they were gathered….because that meant […]
Why You Need to Restart Your Seeds by Sandy Swegel This time it’s going to be a lot easier. You don’t need lights and cold frames. You don’t even have to use trays and little pots. You can start your seeds again and put the seeds directly into the earth. You don’t need much time. […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel Bearded Iris meet many of my criteria for a flower garden. Their flowers are big and colorful. They are sturdy and withstand hail. Here in Colorado they are virtually disease free. One of the best and the worst things about iris is that they reproduce like crazy. Especially in rainy […]
Beneficial Insects by Sandy Swegel Protect our friends. So many butterflies in our area have laid their eggs and their baby caterpillars are getting big and fat and chewing up plants. Be sure you know who your friends are before you squash any of them! You’ll love having the butterflies. Swallowtail caterpillars I found these […]