by Emily Cates How to enjoy an abundant harvest without wasting it Does this sound familiar? The intentions were innocent, artfully combined, and dutifully cared for: A few rows of fine, well-prepared garden soil, a few wheel barrelfuls of rich compost, a few packets of seeds, and the gentle stream of water from the watering […]
by Emily Cates With all the buzz about unsafe food, who isn’t sick of the risks? Let’s face it, we all have to eat! And no one wants to eat in a bubble. Life without good food is like a sky without birds. So what can we do to make sure what we eat is safe? […]
by Emily Cates Well! I had intended, amongst the hustle and bustle of a busy life and chaos in the garden, to write on the next rainy day… which doesn’t help so much with a lack of rain. Anyways, here we are for a look at one of the most annoying problems – besides ticks […]
by Emily Cates Wake up, wake up! No more excuses for hibernation or procrastination, Springtime is here. Yes, I know I know — it’s still cold and there’s plenty of snow, each flake erasing an equal amount of motivation to be outside in the garden. But let’s look at the possibilities anyways, since eventually the […]
Anyone can do this! Reprint from February 2015 by Emily Cates Really? Now? YES! I’ll admit it’s hard to imagine a lush, productive garden when we’re up to our eyeballs in snow. But if we put our green thumbs to work, it just might be what we need to get us through. Are you wondering […]
by Emily Cates Watch out for that squash! No, I’m not talking about the oversized zucchini endangering anyone who walks under it — or the health hazards of eating undercooked portions of Aunt Maybelle’s Squash Surprise Soup. I mean a real hazard that could lurk in any member of the Curcubit family — toxins known […]
by Emily Cates This time of year is buzzing with possibilities! The last spring frost of the year most likely has passed us by, clearing the way for warm-weather plantings. And although it’s a bit on the late side for trees, shrubs, and peas, we can be sure to plant greens, cole crops, cover crops, […]
by Emily Cates Are you just itching to plant a garden this year? For many, this is the year, no doubt about it! Faced with COVID-19 uncertainty, droves of folks are inundating seed companies with orders, creating backorders and out-of-stocks to the moon and back. So what’s a gardener-in-waiting to do? Well, read on for […]
Read part 1 here: Seeds from your dreams, Part 1 (A-thru-E) Read part 2 here: Seeds of your dreams, Part 2 (G-H) Read part 3 here: Seeds of your dreams: Find joy in a seed catalog, Part 3 (H-N) Read part 4 here: Seeds of your dreams: Digging for garden gems, Part 4 (O-P) Read […]
Advice from a survivor of WWII by Emily Cates Well, folks, I was planning on writing another article in my series about good finds from seed catalogs, but with everything happening with COVID-19, I figured it would be prudent to write about something more relevant. In this new era of uncertainty and social distancing, many […]