A year ago today, we were heading to friends’ bonfire. Two years ago today, we were heading to same friends’ bonfire. And today? It is so hot and so dry (again) (no, make that still) that a bonfire is not at all an option. So no s’mores tonight. Instead I made a quick batch of… Continue reading Resting (a bit) on Labor Day
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It’s been August! And still is!
So much for posting the first day of each month this season. I hope week one of August has been good to you. It’s busy times here, and daaaaaang, it’s BEAUTIFUL in this place… Just today, this female Hackberry Emperor butterfly visited the patio. I learned today that adults will feed upon decaying fruit and… Continue reading It’s been August! And still is!
Little Flowers for Little Pollinators
More species means more species, I like to say. The more plant species grown in a space, the more animal species will live and feed in that space. It’s any ecology’s foundation. In the years I have planted and cared for this space I call FUF, it has been easy to see the number of… Continue reading Little Flowers for Little Pollinators
July is Popping!
July is here. And what a show already! A friend and reader of this blog asked me a couple weeks ago: What is your favorite flower? For years the answer has been, Tulips! It’s still true, and yet… Poppies. I declare them my favorite flower for 2023. There’s just something so impressive that from a… Continue reading July is Popping!
Tea Time and Solstice Science (sorta)
Happy Summer Solstice! I love science! I love steeping things! Today’s post includes both. That is a pile of weeds. Typically when I harvest big weeds, I add them to the compost pile. They add nitrogen and micronutrients to the mix. This month, I attempted my first steeping of weed tea. Simply, I gathered a… Continue reading Tea Time and Solstice Science (sorta)
It’s June!
It rained today. !!! It’s been three weeks without. It’s been hot. Remember the ranunculus I had neglected to cover sufficiently in the March cold and feared all was lost? Most survived. They’ve been making buds. Things were looking hopeful! Until this week when a temperature spike left all plants so, so thirsty. It’s been… Continue reading It’s June!
It’s May!
Thank you to the readers who sent feedback about what they’d like to see on the blog this season! “Eye candy” got the most votes, so here’s some 😍Spring color: Siberian Squill; Narcissus “Rip van Winkle”; Muscari (grape hyacinth). Sorry for the blurry resolution. April brought a roller coaster of temperatures and all the types… Continue reading It’s May!
Let’s Talk About My Reach. Plus a contest!
I’ve taken advantage of recent warm-weather days to make a couple new raised beds. Best practice says a raised garden bed should be 4-foot width maximum. This accommodates arm reach of the average human without kneeling in nor stepping into the bed, and that’s important because we don’t want to compress the soil nor all… Continue reading Let’s Talk About My Reach. Plus a contest!
Freezing, Failing, and Figuring It Out (hopefully)
I’ve been feeling imposter syndrome as a flower farmer. Maybe you feel it as a gardener or a composter. Or even as just a person trying to do something right for the Earth or for your very self. We cannot be magically perfect when we try things for the first time. Mistakes must happen because… Continue reading Freezing, Failing, and Figuring It Out (hopefully)
Winter-Spring 2023
Equinox coming soon. Let’s enjoy this hybrid season. Snow has fallen 3 times in the past week here. The week before, we saw green grass. And a few days ago, I saw a neighbor snowblowing his driveway… wearing shorts. I’ve been enjoying this ‘one garden boot in each’ straddling of the seasons. Several people in… Continue reading Winter-Spring 2023
Get Going on Growing
There’s a fresh blanket of snow outside, and I couldn’t be more thrilled because it is great for us to start the 2023 growing season! Coming soon on the calendar, folks, is a football-influenced, American non-holiday that gardeners and growers in U.S. zones 6 and lower (and by “lower” I mean geographically “norther”) are preparing… Continue reading Get Going on Growing
Year of the Rabbit!🐇Year of the Rabbit!
Lunar New Year is observed today, 22 January 2023, beginning a Year of the Rabbit! This only happens every 12 years according to the Chinese zodiac, so this year is pretty darn special. (Newbies to this blog, take a look at these posts and this post to see how much rabbits are honored and adored… Continue reading Year of the Rabbit!🐇Year of the Rabbit!