June in Seattle started and ended the same way – with gray rainy skies!  We know where the term “June-uary” comes from I guess!  Here’s to summer kicking into gear in the Northwest like it usually does (on July 5th).   The good news is that the gardens are happy and the gardeners are not tired of watering yet!

Keeping your vegetable garden happy in the summer can be a chore.  The long stretches of hot dry weather are a challenge and it requires constant monitoring of the soil moisture if you want to ensure that all the hard work you …

As challenging times continue across the city and the country, getting outside and digging in the dirt can provide a welcome change.  While planting a few seeds is not going to fix the world’s problems, it can provide some solace and satisfaction on an individual level.   Remember the fairy tale about Jack and the Beanstalk?  Let’s all be like Jack and plant some magic beans!

Beans are a mainstay of the summer vegetable garden and they are great place to start an edible garden because they are easy-to-grow!

The seeds are large and easy to handle for direct planting (great …

By now, I am sure all of you have heard about the revival of the Victory Garden. During WWI and WWII Victory Gardens were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens that were planted at homes and public parks all over the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany during both wars. From coast to coast, even public land was utilized, with gardens installed in both the Boston Commons and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.  People plowed front yards, lawns, back yards, flower gardens and vacant lots to grow their own vegetables.

How much food were they able to grow? 

In 1943 these …

During these crazy times it is great for us to get outside and put our focus into productive projects that provide an opportunity to use our pent up physical and emotional energy.  Edible gardening projects provide a chance to use our bodies and our minds and will offer us some nutritional sustenance in the coming months. 

I was thinking about one of the first plants I successfully grew (given my long time history as a plant killer) and recalled that I had been able to once get a rosemary plant to thrive in a pot on our condo balcony many …

I spent a recent evening at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show and the theme of the week was “Spring Fever”.  They even had vegetables planted in a canoe! Does anyone else feel that spring is in the air? Are you excited to start digging in the dirt?

I was inspired by a talk by Brian Minter who is the Co-owner and president, Minter Country Garden Store, an innovative destination garden center and greenhouse growing operation in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. 

He discussed “The Fascinating Connection Between Plants, People and the Environment” which focused on the relationship and connection between …