My mom grows the best raspberries in her garden. There is nothing better than going out in her yard and picking a handful of just the most delicious ripe berries or having some of her homemade raspberry jam. So I decided it was time to try and grow some myself. I ordered them earlier this winter … Continue reading My Raspberry and Strawberry Plants are Here!
Author: Stephi
Spring in Virginia
We had the chance to go to Virginia last weekend to make one last visit to two colleges before the May 1 deadline requires my twins to make a decision as to their plans next year. Aside from the great admitted student tours, it was a real treat to leap ahead a couple of weeks into … Continue reading Spring in Virginia
A Cheerful Spring Trip to the Grocery Store
Since winter seems to be dragging on just a little too long, my mom Peggy decided a trip to the Meijer's floral department was in order! This certainly added cheer to my day since nothing is blooming yet in the garden
Time to Sow Seeds Indoors
After my last post where I realized that spring was indeed coming, I figured I'd better open my boxes from Botanical Interests and Burpee that were still sitting by the front door and see what I had bought. I know I'm still ok with timing since I usually don't start anything until after spring break. Oops, forgot … Continue reading Time to Sow Seeds Indoors
Spring Snuck Up On Me
Just when we were feeling like spring would never come, the weather turned and the snow melted. Always interesting to see what's been going on under the snow after all those months. When we see those early signs of life it gives us hope that the garden will once again be bursting forth in beauty in no … Continue reading Spring Snuck Up On Me
Enough of February 2015
February is finally done and it was quite a month for much of the country. It finished here in Chicago as tied with 1875 for the coldest February ever, with an average temperature of 14.6°F, and the third snowiest with just under 27 inches. I hope March will not be anywhere near as record breaking. I … Continue reading Enough of February 2015
Harvesting Fall Beets
As I'm getting ready to plan out this year's vegetables, I know I want to include beets. Again. I thought I had planted beets last spring for the first time ever, but somewhere along the growing season I forgot, or thought they never came up. All summer I thought I had grown 2 plots of swiss chard, … Continue reading Harvesting Fall Beets
Winter Weariness
While we may not be having the horrendous weather some of my friends on the East Coast are having, we in Chicago, Michigan and the rest of the Midwest are having our own winter frustrations. This winter started out not too bad, but January and February have really kicked it up a notch. Record snow, … Continue reading Winter Weariness
Kitchen Lettuce
I saw on Pinterest lots of pins about how you can grow some vegetables from the remains of store-bought or farm-raised vegetables. I thought I'd give it a try with some green leafy lettuce I bought at the grocery store. First, I cut off the end off the head of lettuce. I wrapped the washed lettuce leaves, … Continue reading Kitchen Lettuce
The Blue Jays are Back (and That’s Not a Good Thing)
My mom, Peggy, has had an ongoing issue with blue jays in her yard. As I wrote before in Bullies at the Bird Feeder, they can be a real nuisance at her feeders. They eat an obnoxious amount of bird seed and really act as bullies when other birds try to eat. Now the latest problem is that … Continue reading The Blue Jays are Back (and That’s Not a Good Thing)