I am chomping at the bit to get in my garden and stick something in the ground. Seeing that first little green shoot erupting from the earth is one of the most amazing sights of all. In preparation for the big day – which is I hope comes this week when the ground dries a bit – I have purchased a pack of Frosty Peas. Not Frosty the Snowman’s peas, but a variety called Early Frosty … [Read more...]

  Lots of backyard gardeners like to get started with their early plantings around the first of March. Some say, “Plant potatoes by March 15 and harvest on the Fourth of July.” Wild onions will soon be peeking through the grass and spring onions can go in the ground as soon as you’re ready. Trouble is: When will the ground be ready? The soil is unbelievably wet. My back yard has the … [Read more...]

This is a time of year I love and hate. I love it because it’s the time to plan the spring garden and buy seeds. I hate it because I have to make tough choices and I almost always buy twice as many seeds as I need and end up with way too many. I probably have more extra packs of seeds in my shed than Burpee has in their Harrisonburg warehouse. I have a small garden, which is probably a blessing … [Read more...]

  I planted some creasy green seeds last spring and they mostly sat in the finely tilled soil and sulked. Nancy had received a big pack of seeds from her cousin, Billy, and I spread the extras at the top end of my garden where not much grows anyway. Not enough sun. I also remember scattering them just about the time we had a little dry spell, so they didn’t do anything. But I didn’t … [Read more...]

  Like the Lorax, I speak for the trees, and this Lorax says don’t waste your Christmas tree – recycle it! Christmas is over. It’s time to un-decorate the tree, drag it out to the curb and let the trash guys do their thing. But not so fast! A Christmas tree has many uses after the holiday season is over. For one, it makes ideal cover for small birds as they face the coming winter. On … [Read more...]

My Daddy always said that it didn’t matter when you planted tomatoes in your garden, they all came in at the same time. Meaning….. for a few short weeks in the summer, you’ll have tomatoes coming out of the wazoo, and then it’s back to eating plastic tomatoes from the grocery store. But I believe I’ve solved the tomato glut problem, This spring, my Nancy started a patio garden at the top of … [Read more...]

I don’t have okra plants. I have okra trees. Several are over 8 feet tall. I have to pull them over and stand on tiptoes to snip off any ripe pods. But I’m not complaining. I have had a bumper crop of okra this summer, and they are still producing! Okra and peppers, I have discovered, are two vegetables that don’t like cool weather. The later you can wait to plant the okra, the better they do. … [Read more...]

We had such a successful garden this spring that we decided to extend our growing season with a few beets. Nancy scattered some in her patio boxes and they sprouted immediately. We are now in the process of thinning. Beets prefer cool weather to brutally hot summers, yet if you plant too early in the spring, they just sit there and sulk. Some years, I have sewn beet seeds with phenomenal luck … [Read more...]

In early spring, I get antsy about growing things. For the past few years, while working and typing articles at my Lights Out office in Ruckersville, I have been starting seeds in small Jiffy pots. I put them in the bathroom window with lots of afternoon sun. Later, I transplant them to my garden in the back yard, sometimes with success, sometimes not. This past spring, I started some yellow … [Read more...]