How to Turn a Filing Cabinet into a Modern Garden Planter I have an enormous kitchen garden: 13 raised beds that evolved over the years to create a loved, but not well-planned space. While it’s my happy place, it boasts an aesthetic (a messy, casual look) that I no longer enjoy. With kids having left for college and a restaurant that I sold years ago, the need for so much produce has also diminished a bit. I decided to relocate the garden to a different portion of the yard and eliminate the old space. Alas, the manufactured metal beds I love range from $300-595 each. And I need 12. Woof. I’ve ..read more

As the growing season creeps closer to us, it’s time to look into the crystal ball to figure out what pests we might expect this season. With El Nino affecting much of the United States and Canada, many of us experienced warmer and drier winters than what is considered normal, if there is such a thing. Now we need to determine our best guess for this year’s pest report. Looking at the Big Picture Based upon an article from University of Minnesota Extension, the author, Dr. Anthony Hanson, Regional Extension Educator, pointed out that even though they had a handful of -25F nights in the mi ..read more

Last spring, a strong thunderstorm knocked down the cottonwood in our front yard. It left a gaping hole in the middle of a flowerbed that I didn’t have the energy to fill. I was so despondent by the destruction that I didn’t do anything with that flowerbed for the rest of the year. A month or so ago, a friend suggested turning it into a small bog or water feature. I liked that idea very much; water features are an easy way to create microclimates and microhabitats to benefit wildlife. A friend (thanks, Deb!) helped me find and install a small pre-formed pond liner. I added a hollow log, blue ..read more

Asparagus is my favorite opening act in the kitchen’s season-long romp with fresh farmers market ingredients. I rarely buy it out of season, as that means it has flown more miles than I have in the last six months. I love how fleeting it is when sourced locally. It’s only around for a little while, so we MUST have some for dinner tonight. My parents grew a small row of asparagus in our garden, but having it at ready access never gave me the same thrill as hunting for it along our farm’s hedgerows. Birds love to eat the little red berries that develop on the plants’ wispy branches. They pluck t ..read more

About a year ago, I created guidance for the Bootheel Arts Garden Shed Garden Bucket Project. This small community in Gideon, Missouri was a farming town that’s now a few generations removed from family farms. We gave away kits to allow about 200 families to create tiny, portable gardens to generate fresh food and gardening knowledge. The kits were a hit and I’m putting the gist of the project in writing as it’s a snap to replicate. See below how to make a bucket container garden! Five Gallon Buckets While you can use most any kind of large container to create a bucket garden, the most simple ..read more

The last time my lazy self posted a blog, it was the dead of winter and I listed my New Year’s resolutions and talked about protecting my precious hostas by using bobcat urine.  The hostas are showing above the ground, although still small.  Yesterday, I strengthened my resolve, and got out the bobcat urine.  Using gloves, I bravely opened the bottle.  Yes, I had to sniff to see how awful it really smelled.  Truth be told, I’ve smelled worse.  It was like a cat litter box which had been neglected far too long.  I dipped wooden popsicle sticks into the bottle ..read more

Spring arrived early here at SunDog House, and my non-native spring ephemerals – crocuses, daffodils, grape hyacinths, and tulips – are blooming. My native ephemerals are emerging, as well. My lawn has spring beauties (likely Claytonia virginica), and my native violets are blooming. Woodland phlox is coming up in its container. The calendar says we’re barely into spring, so it’s still a good time to plant native spring ephemerals. What are Ephemerals? A spring ephemeral is a type of herbaceous plant that typically emerges during the early spring months, quickly flowering and setting seed.&nb ..read more

In the last “Just Veggies” I discussed one way in which climate change is impacting your garden—and that is by extending the growing season with earlier spring emergence and later dieback in fall. In this edition, I want to talk about how warmer temperatures throughout the growing season can impact your vegetable gardens. What Warming Temperatures Can Do in the Garden With warmer temperatures comes a very real threat to the garden. It’s insidious, really, how over the course of several years changes will take place under your nose and with very little fanfare. Some of these changes can be: No ..read more

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