The musings and adventures of an enthusiastic grower
Many factors must be considered when deciding if a plant will thrive in your garden. One of the criteria I look at first is whether the plant is hardy in my planting zone. A plant hardiness zone-also known as growing zone or gardening zone-helps gardeners determine which plants can survive in their region’s climate. Zones …
November is a month of reflection. It is a time to stop, take a breath, and think about one simple word: gratitude. The concept of gratitude is universal, regardless of geography, religion, race, or gender. We should all strive for it, and it’s something that I hope everyone can find. Because if we can find …
September snuck up on me! As it always seems to do. Summer tends to come and go in a flurry of activity as we try to fit as much in as we possibly can, both in the field and in our personal endeavors. My son will start school next week, and for me, back-to-school always …
Continue reading "What’s Growing on in the Garden: August 2023"
A few weeks ago, we found ourselves in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My son had qualified for and was competing in the CubingUSA Nationals, a speedcubing event. What is speedcubing? Well, it’s a competitive sport involving solving various combination puzzles as quickly as possible. Think Rubik's cubes, and you’ll be on the right track. It’s a whole …
Continue reading "Field Trip: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens"
This summer is going by so quickly! I can’t believe we are already entering August and the tail end of summer. As I prepared this edition of our monthly recap post, I enjoyed looking back at all the photographs from July. The central theme for the month was travel. We were away from the farm …
Continue reading "What’s Growing on in the Garden: July 2023"
It’s been a while since I put a plant in the spotlight, and I thought this week I would highlight one that is currently blooming here on the farm: Baptisia. This beautiful plant is one of my favorite perennials to grow, and if you’re not presently growing it, perhaps after reading this, you’ll want to. …
On May 20th, 2012, we ate our first homegrown lettuce of the season. In 2014, I harvested 44 pounds of tomatoes, 21 pounds of potatoes, and 20 pounds of beans. In April 2016, I planted twelve blueberry bushes in seven varieties. In 2021, we had seven inches of rain in one week at the end …
I’ve noticed a difference for years now; we all have. Snow that comes later and later in the year, stronger and more frequent storms, and what seems to be ever-persistent wind. I remember big storms as a kid, but these have now become normality instead of anomalies. Droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods are …
Spring is just under twenty days away, and I couldn’t be more excited! Are you looking forward to spring and missing flowers as much as I am? It seems like a long wait since the last flower bloomed all those months ago. Although I’ve kept busy during these long winter months planning our bed layouts, …
Continue reading "What’s Growing on in the Garden: February 2023"
How is it possible that it is August already? Time certainly has been flying this summer. Our lives here at Whistling Bee Farm have been hectic this past month as the annuals we are growing are finally hitting their stride. The flowers are at their most abundant, and we are trying to keep up with …
Continue reading "What’s Growing on in the Garden: July 2022"
THISTLE BE THE DAY 