I feel pretty lucky that we've squeaked out an extra week or so before the first hard frost has hit the Chicago area. NOAA has issued it's first freeze watch for the area for tonight, almost a week my after the average date for my area. We might even get some flurries! Chicago is a … Continue reading First Frost Warning is Coming Tonight!
Tag: vegetables
The Garden in Fall: The Good
It's the beginning of October and the days are getting shorter, the nights growing colder. These are the last gasps for the garden before it settles into the winter hibernation. In some ways, fall gardens can be very pretty. I'm always surprised at the plants that continue to bloom well in to fall, some even … Continue reading The Garden in Fall: The Good
Whoops-Giant Zucchini
I go on vacation for a week, then got busy and forgot to check the status of the vegetable garden. Not a good idea this time of the year. I have HUGE zucchinis and summer squash. They are the size of kiddie baseball bats and each weigh about 4 lbs. This is not good! When … Continue reading Whoops-Giant Zucchini
Farmer’s Market
We are lucky to have a fabulous Farmers Market to our town every Monday, June-October. The fruit and produce changes every week, so you never know what you might find. But, you are guaranteed that it will be super fresh and in season. It's a great way to supplement the harvest from my own … Continue reading Farmer’s Market
Tomatoes, Mid-Summer
Like the squash and zucchini, the tomatoes are all doing great, just a bit crowded like everything in my garden. I planted 2 Park Seed Co. Sweet Million Cherry tomatoes, 1 Burpee Roma, 1 Burpee Big Boy, 1 Burpee Better Boy. The cherry tomatoes I grew from seed, the others I bought as plants from … Continue reading Tomatoes, Mid-Summer
Zucchini and Squash Mid-summer
My zucchini and squash plants are growing like gangbusters! I was a little worried when I transplanted them as seedlings, because they had grown into tangled messes in the growing pots. I was as gentle as I could be, but a couple almost broke in half because the stems were so fragile. I ended up … Continue reading Zucchini and Squash Mid-summer
Rhubarb: Part 2
My rhubarb has been growing like gangbusters and when I wasn't paying attention shot up giant seed stalks. After a quick investigation into what to do, I realized that you don't want these to grow very big and suck all the energy from the plant. They should be cut as soon as you see them … Continue reading Rhubarb: Part 2
Starting Seeds Indoors
I've almost always bought my plants from a local garden shop, but a couple of years ago decided to start my own seedlings when I couldn't find quite just the right vegetables I wanted to grow. Went pretty well the first year, forgot to get them started last year, so back again this year. First … Continue reading Starting Seeds Indoors