Category: Vegetables

Homegrown Spaghetti Squash

I have to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of squash.  I'll grow zucchini and summer squash and eat them all summer, but don't necessarily love them. At the grocery store, I pass the pile of winter squashes and look, but they just confuse me. What would I do with it?   Does it … Continue reading Homegrown Spaghetti Squash

Another Fall Garlic Crop In The Ground

Last year, I successfully planted my first crop of garlic. You can read about it in "Planting Garlic" and "Warding Off The Vampires".  I love reaching in the cupboard and pulling out some home-grown, delicious tasting garlic.  I even have a little terra cotta garlic keeper handy right next to the stove. This past fall … Continue reading Another Fall Garlic Crop In The Ground

Happy New Year 2016

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2016!  I truly appreciate all who have visited my blog this year.  Here's a look back at some of my most popular posts of 2015!   1.   Taming My Tomatoes With A Florida Weave:  My tomatoes were a mess, so I tried something new to try and keep … Continue reading Happy New Year 2016

Warding off the Vampires|Harvesting Garlic

Well not really, but that's what I think of when I see the garlic curing in the screen room. Last fall I planted garlic for the first time (see "Planting Garlic") and I can happily say I probably have enough harvested this summer to carry me through the winter.  I planted 3 different varieties, 2 hardneck (Chesnok Red and Purple Glazer) and … Continue reading Warding off the Vampires|Harvesting Garlic

August, Oops, September Garden Update

A while back I thought I was getting caught up, but then sending twins off to college this fall proved to be quite a time consuming effort!  So the garden has been a bit on auto pilot for a little while now.  Thank goodness it got off to such a good start this spring.  Here's … Continue reading August, Oops, September Garden Update

Summer Sunday Visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of having my husband's cousin visit from Australia.  In trying to decide what to do, we tossed around heading downtown (hmm, Lollapalooza weekend), heading to Brookfield Zoo, Morton Arboretum or maybe even up north to the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  Much to my surprise, it turns out he's quite … Continue reading Summer Sunday Visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden

Not a Great Year For Sweet Peppers

I had a great experience with YOLO Wonder and California Wonder sweet peppers last year after buying them as nice healthy plants at the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale.  The plants produced tons of delicious peppers.  Since I knew I was going to miss the plant sale this year because I was out of town, I … Continue reading Not a Great Year For Sweet Peppers

Oh Those Pesky Rabbits

A few years ago, I had chicken wire installed all around the bottom of the picket fence in the backyard.  That solved the rabbit problem for many years. Over the years, the fence got bent, damaged, removed and generally became "holey".  My first clue that this was going to be bad this year was the very … Continue reading Oh Those Pesky Rabbits

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