Now that the frost has taken the tenders and the potatoes are 80% dug, my energy is turning from the veggie plot to the landscape. The overgrown state of the flower beds is a little depressing, so I’m focusing on trees. The apples we tried to root from cuttings mostly died; the sole survivor (a … Continue reading
Latest Entries
The leap
I quit my job. It was only supposed to be a one year thing anyway, but they asked me to come back. I considered it, and, between my husband and myself, we decided it wasn’t worth it. The income didn’t justify the strain on the family, and I desperately wanted to get back to writing, … Continue reading
Renaissance girl?
I envy my husband sometimes. He’s an artist with tunnel vision, the classic absentminded professor. He jumps head first into things and doesn’t look back, working with feverish abandon on the project of the moment until the next idea strikes, oblivious to the debris field in his wake. The trained eye can look over his … Continue reading
My latest experiment
I limit myself to trying to grow no more than one new vegetable per year. This guideline is in everyone’s best interests, especially the plants’. I have a hard enough time staying on top of the regular stuff, and catering to the unfamiliar needs of multiple new additions is sure to lead to casualties. This … Continue reading
Seed starting notes
Here’s some of the notes and links from the class I taught Thursday night, straight out of Keynote so very point form! Feel free to contact me with any more questions and thanks for a fun discussion. Terms you might see: F1 hybrid: a cross of two strains of the same species; reliable cultivars bred … Continue reading
All the kids in all the gardens
After a (I thought) very successful talk at the Calgary Horticultural Society Garden Show last weekend, two of my girls and I enjoyed the booths at the show, and wouldn’t you know it, found more books. (See below.) Then, after returning home and catching up on my digital correspondence, I found all kinds of pictures … Continue reading
Kid’s books for gardeners
In honour of my talk tomorrow at the Calgary Horticultural Society Garden Show (How to Make Gardening a Family Affair, 11 am at Spruce Meadows!), I thought I’d post some of my favourite garden-themed picture books. They’re perfect for sharing, especially on a sunny day in the hammock. The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown I … Continue reading
Why my garden likes toilet paper and freezers
Despite the snow that has begun to fly again, spring is in full swing at our house. I’ve got two little things to show you that happened this weekend, both ideas for repurposing objects for the garden. I started a bunch of seeds, using plastic salad containers as usual, but I also tried using toilet … Continue reading
Of getting at it and being in it
Three weeks from right this minute, I will be speaking at the Calgary Horticultural Society garden show. My topic this year: How to Make Gardening a Family Affair. And I had scheduled today for getting my notes together and starting in earnest on my presentation. I kind of forgot, however, that it is now officially … Continue reading
Of spring fever and tempting fate
Even for Chinook-prone Southern Alberta, it’s getting a little ridiculous. I hate to complain about warm weather, but plus 18 degrees in February is a little strange. Nighttime temperatures hovering just below, and occasionally just above, freezing is something we are accustomed to seeing in March and April, not January. Snow stays only in the … Continue reading
