The poor farmer grows weeds. The fair farmer grows crops. The good farmer grows soil.

— Sarah Pellkofer; Founder and Chief Soil Scientist of Micraculture and Wallingford Resident

Vegetable gardens are becoming increasingly popular in many city neighborhoods and Wallingford is no exception. Small home gardens provide not only fresh produce but also add beauty and biodiversity to our urban streetscapes. Soil quality in the city can be variable based on the history of excavation and construction for a site and these types of activities impact the native soil. Healthy soil conditions help your plants survive and thrive.

To assess …

The first day of Spring has arrived and with it more daylight.  As of March 20th we are officially getting 12 hours of light with a sunrise of 7:12 and a sunset of 7:22.  It is time to  start planting some seeds outside. Cool season crops are the best bets for this time of year, so don’t even think about your tomatoes yet. Here are a couple of suggestions for some easy plants to get started from seed and require very little maintenance.

Peas: A delicious spring crop that are typically easy to grow.  There are two things to consider …

[Editor’s Note: Ellen is new writer for Wallyhood.  She is planning a series of articles about gardening in the neighborhood.  Welcome Ellen, and use the comments for possible future areas of interest for gardening articles.]

“In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”  Alfred Lord Tennyson

Spring is in the air in Seattle and once the sun starts shining, this young woman’s thoughts are turning to….planting seeds! After years of neglecting every plant gifted upon me, my green thumb emerged when I realized I could EAT the results of that hard work.

As I …