Herbs and flowers alike are starting to gain size here in the Mid-Atlantic. In fact, my mint has already outgrown its pot. Before I go about transplanting it to its new home here on our property, I thought this was a good opportunity to talk about drying your own herbs and flowers. In this case we’ll focus on mint for tea, though the same methods … Continue reading Drying Herbs
When my husband and I closed on our new home the first thing we did was walk the property. Briefly, because he broke a tooth eating a bag of chips and needed an emergency root canal…but we walked the property nonetheless. 0.4 acres is a good chunk of land and we were thrilled to see that there are some very mature trees on our lot. … Continue reading Backyard Transformation: Prelude
I’m still here, the dust has settled and I’m ready to get my gardening back on track. I was a bit (a lot) neglectful this spring as we worked to move out of our townhouse and into our new home. After painting this whole house myself I am more than ready for some outdoor projects! And it’s a good thing because my gardens need some … Continue reading Hello Friends!
Happy Easter weekend to all those who celebrate! It has been too long since I’ve written; we’re in the process of closing on a new home and it has been nothing short of a whirlwind experience. That said, we are beyond thrilled to be moving to a more rural area where there will be ample space for, you guessed it, gardening. My ultimate goal is … Continue reading On The Move
Two weeks ago I started a seedling experiment in response to a question posed by a fellow gardener. I had guided her through the seed starting process and the topic of potting up was presented. She had inquired as to whether this step was necessary and I responded that it would help her plants grow bigger and stronger much faster. To test this theory, I … Continue reading Seedling Experiment Conclusions – Tomatoes
Greetings from the snowy Mid-Atlantic! Last weekend I spent my morning helping a friend, who has recently become a gardening enthusiast, start some of her own seeds. While discussing the general process over a mimosa or two, I suggested that she plant several seeds of each variety to ensure she got enough plants. Many of her seeds had come from swaps and while this is … Continue reading Seedling Experiment – Tomatoes
It’s that time of year friends. Seed catalogs are arriving daily and gardeners of all sorts are evaluating their seeds stocks, shopping with reckless abandon and preparing seed starting materials. Yes, Spring is less than two months away and we want to be ready to greet her with the warm embrace that is a collection of robust seedlings, ready for the annual migration to their … Continue reading 5 Simple Tips for Seed Starting Success
Happy New Year! I’d like to start by saying that I hope you and yours enjoyed a safe a happy holiday. 2020 was challenging, to say the least, but rather than dwell on a year that cannot be changed I prefer to focus on the blank canvas in front of us. Let us create a masterpiece, shall we? My 2021 gardening season is forecasted to … Continue reading New Year, New Gardens — Welcome 2021!
While I do appreciate a good bowl of soup at any time of year, I am particularly fond of them throughout the cold months. I don’t know what the weather is like where you’re sitting but here in Maryland, USA the cold months are upon us…and I’m jonesing for a big bowl of warm-me-to-my-bones deliciousness with some good crusty bread. MmmmmmMMM!! A while back I … Continue reading Garden Goodness: Soups, Stews & Chilis
As many of you well know, I am an enthusiastic participant of the citizen science program known as Project FeederWatch. Led by the ornithology department at Cornell University, Project FeederWatch enlists the help of the general public to monitor bird populations across North America. Simply by recording the different species that visit your backyard feeders and the total number in attendance, you can help scientists … Continue reading Project FeederWatch 2020-2021
