It's that time of year when the tomato plants (or seeds) you carefully selected, planted, supported and watered are coming into their FULL bounty - sharing their glorious fruits bowl after bowl day after day! It's amazing that as long as we wait for home-grown ripe tomatoes, they can quickly become an overwhelming force to …
Continue reading Tasty, Ripe, Homegrown Tomatoes… A Force To Be Dealt With?
During our recent visit to the greater Portland, Oregon area we had the opportunity to go blueberry picking. It was in our favor that the Western states experienced a very cool spring and late start to the growing season because typically Northwest blueberries would be on strong in July but this year early/mid August was …
Continue reading A Pickin’ and A Grinin’ Pacific Northwest Style
As I noted earlier in August, it is hard to leave the garden in late summer during the prime harvest season if you are growing food. A type of garden anxiety disorder can be ignited while you are busy running around getting everything to a point where it will be o.k. to leave if for …
It’s summertime, the time of year during which we socialize often. Neighbors and friends gather for barbeques, families travel to visit other family members, and children congregate at each other’s houses in a summer-long “playdate”. It is the time of year when our gardens are at their peak and we’re proud to have others admire …
Continue reading From The Soil In San Francisco – Welcomed Guests or Unwanted Pests?
Taking a 10 day trip in the middle of the summer harvest season can be cause for a little craziness in a gardener. Now, I know it's a privilege to go on vacation so I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the opportunity but as I was out getting the garden vacation-ready I became a …
Continue reading Getting Vacation-Ready May Cause Temporary Gardener Insanity
During the hot summer months here in the Intermountain West there are few plants that can take the hours of high heat and dry air and still look absolutely cool! In my garden I find one of the best summer coolers to be coneflowers (Echinacea). Whether old or new they pump out beautiful daisy-form flowers …
The warm season harvest has begun! Actually, it began last week right at the end of July and now I am so distracted by my crops that every time I go out to the garden to do some maintenance I end up harvesting a 'handful of this and a handful of that'. See what I …
The Owyhee Mountains are located in high altitude Intermountain desert where sagebrush and lava rock are aplenty. It is a rugged area and you can tell this by taking a quick visual scan of the landscape. The fortitude of the region gives a big clue as to rigor of the climate and the lifestyle. You …
Continue reading Friday Favorite: An Inspirational Garden in the Rugged Owyhee Mountains
Ever mistaken a desired flower for a weed? I have a bit of a story to tell regarding Moluccella laevis a.k.a. 'Bells of Ireland'. Just in case you are not familiar with 'Bells of Ireland' it is an annual plant producing beautiful light green flowers, shaped like bells, on strong sturdy stems. 'Bells of Ireland' …
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