The musings and adventures of an enthusiastic grower
If you have been following this blog and reading my posts, then you know that I am passionate about pollinators. Since learning how vital pollinators are to our planet, I have tried to be more conscientious in my actions to protect them. I started planting more natives in the garden and made plant purchase decisions …
This week, I had the opportunity to judge vegetable and herb entries at the Ulster County Fair. I was excited, as I have fond memories of attending the local fair through the 4-H program when I was a child. Back then (an undisclosed number of years ago), I would often enter several of my craft …
Continue reading "Judging Vegetables at the Ulster County Fair"
Welcome to the newest segment on the blog! Besides Field Trips, Garden Projects, and Plant Spotlights, we now have an additional recurring post topic called ‘What’s Growing on in the Garden?’ In this monthly segment, I will be blogging about what’s happening in my gardens: what’s growing, what’s not, what pests I’m battling, what I’m …
There is something about flowers. For centuries, people have been fascinated with them, gifting them to express our joy, love, sympathy, congratulations, and well-wishes for just about any occasion. They elicit emotion, bring smiles to faces, and beauty to the world. Flowers are one of nature's many miracles. People Have Been Fascinated with Flowers for …
One of my favorite activities in the garden is picking flowers, arranging them, and bringing them indoors to enjoy. Immersed in flowers, gathering the components for my bouquet, I transport into the world of the pollinator. As a result, I can get up close and personal with these amazing creatures as they flit from bloom …
We all go through phases in our life, whether major ones like childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, or minor ones such as not eating vegetables, music preferences, and wearing hot pink nylon shorts (I was a kid, don’t judge me). As a gardener, I also find that I go through phases. For example, I have transitioned …
It’s National Pollinator Week! A time to celebrate earth’s pollinators and address the urgent issue of pollinator population decline. Initiated and managed by Pollinator Partnership, National Pollinator Week became designated by the U.S. Senate in 2007 and has become an international observance. The week-long celebration creates awareness and promotes the services provided by birds, bees, …
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a peony workshop at Bear Creek Farm in Upstate New York. As many of my readers know, I am an avid peony fan. I have written about my peony obsession on several occasions, such as in my posts Confessions of a Hoarderculturist, A Peony for Your Thoughts, and …
The garlic scapes are finally here! So shout it from the rooftops and do your happy dance! It has been eight long months of waiting since I planted my garlic back in late October. I eagerly await this event each growing season, checking the garlic patch frequently, looking for the first signs that the scapes …
When I was a kid, I don’t remember liking vegetables very much. I fit the typical cliché of a kid that had to be coaxed into eating anything good for them by smothering it in cheese. There were a few vegetables I would eat on occasion, but lettuce was not one of them. If we …
THISTLE BE THE DAY 