Chances are you like to eat. Me too! I'm also assuming you buy garlic from the grocery store. I did too until I got a taste of the real McCoy. I'm not saying what you're buying isn't real garlic. It is, just not the kind of taste bud blowing garlic you'd have if you grew your own. So why limit yourself? Most grocery store garlic bulbs are softneck varieties from California or China. That's a helluva lot of food miles! It's what most Americans know. But once you have a go with homegrown garlic, you'll never go back. I promise you. And if I haven't sold you already, what if I told you it's probably the easiest crop to grow and autumn is prime planting time here in the Midwest! Gather Your Garlic Growing Supplies Here's the deal. You really don't need supplies other than garlic, ...
Search Results for: garden
Taking My Backyard Garden Skills to Navarro Farm
The expression "Go big or go home" resonates these days. I had been looking for a job this last year. Something full-time. Little did I know I'd find myself managing the largest raised bed garden on a farm in Illinois. Twenty years of freelance writing and photography done ten feet away from my bedroom has taken it's toll. I've wanted a little more distance between my work life and my home life. With the girls away at school, there's no need for me to stay here doing something that no longer brings me joy. A quiet house gets lonely, fast. The idea of returning to full-time employment both thrills and scares me. When you're a work-from-home mom, you're the boss. You get used to it. The schedule, the errands, the flow. Transitioning to someone else's schedule is slightly daunting. ...
Tropical Plants for a Cold Climate Garden
I love big, bold foliage. The "extras" of the plant world. You'll find tropical plants woven into every garden bed, not to mention the containers on the patio. I tend to like plants, and some people, one might call "extra." They make life a bit more interesting. Plants that scream look at me have a place in every garden and they make the smaller, softer spoken plants stand out and look even better. Funny how that works. Too much of the big stuff however, just looks like a bunch of big stuff. It's overwhelming. So I find that a tropical plant here and there makes the garden so much more interesting and it satiates my desire for a little something tropical in every bed or container. Cold climate be damned! My love affair with tropical plants began several years ago with Christopher Lloyd ...
Tough Perennials for a Colorful Fall Garden
Place the word "tough" in front of a word and oftentimes you get a negative meaning. Meat. Disposition. Decision. Childhood. No one likes tough meat or a tough childhood for that matter! But put it in front of "plants" and every gardener listens. Tough plant you say? To survive in my garden, you (the plants) gotta be tough. I'm not a plant coddler but instead subscribe to the Joan Crawford school of gardening. So when I was planning my side yard last winter, I focused on tough plants for a fall garden. It's very specific, but being specific keeps me on point and narrows my focus. With so many plants from which to choose, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Here's my criteria: 1. I want flowers until frost. 2. I want to to see them from inside the house. 3. I want to do as little as possible ...
Letting Go of “Tidy” Spring Garden Cleanup
I'm all for a spring garden cleanup that saves me time and money. Toss in the added bonus of increased organic matter and improved soil health and I'm sold. Several years ago while working at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, I was chatting up my friend Scott Stewart who, at the time, was at the helm of Chicago's Lurie garden. It was mid-March and I mentioned that their compost bins must be overflowing with all the debris they were cutting back. What he said changed my approach to spring garden cleanup forever. You know the drill. Cut, rake, bag it, haul it to the curb, repeat. The curb in early spring used to look like a skirmish line of lawn bags waiting for the garbage truck to haul them away. It bothered me to think that all that garden goodness would benefit someone else. I ...
Great Gifts for the Gardener
Great gifts do two things. They show you really put some thought into it and they give the recipient something they may not have bought for themselves. If you can check both boxes, you're golden. But when you're not a gardener and have a gardener on your shopping list, how do you decide what to buy? Well, that's where I come in. I picked a variety of gifts, all of which I have personal experience with in my own garden and feel confident in their quality and craftsmanship. Ok, that's not exactly true. The personal experience part, not the quality and craftsmanship. I'm secretly hoping my husband will read this post and give me a rain chain. More on that later. All kidding aside, I chose things for a variety of budgets and interests, all with a gardening/landscaping vibe to them. I would ...
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