I’ve noticed in my garden that most of the tomatoes seem to have ripened nearly all at once. This is a good thing for canning.

I’m always amazed by how little time it takes for a watermelon to grow from a tiny little fruit to full size-melon. They grow so fast that every morning the melons are visually bigger than the day before. The moment of truth comes at harvest time. I always get a little nervous when deciding when … Continue Reading →

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a familiar looking moth on a tree in the yard. It took me a couple of seconds to realize it was a female gypsy moth. That gypsy moth was in the middle of laying its eggs. I could have destroyed it right there and then but decided against it. I thought  maybe … Continue Reading →

One big advantage to having your own vegetable garden is being able to pick what ever varieties you want to grow. For example, in my garden I always  grow at least one ‘Matt’s Wild Cherry Tomato’ plant.  This plant produces dozens of tiny tomatoes that  are about the size of a blueberry. These little, red pearls  are … Continue Reading →

I’m not the only one busy in the garden. My helpers, wasps and hornets, are out there too. Most people look at wasps and hornets as enemies, but in the garden they can be a real help by killing insect pests. Yesterday I spotted a wasp on a broccoli leaf. It was holding a cabbage worm caterpillar it … Continue Reading →

A popular event  for gardeners is coming up soon. Garden Day 2012 happens August 3 on the campus of Michigan State University. Organizers have planned a full day for plant lovers. You can choose from twelve very different workshops. These range from medicinal herbs to horticulture therapy; from organic gardening to dividing perennials and several … Continue Reading →

Mid to late July is the time to plant rutabaga and parsnip for a fall crop. I spent part of the day sowing a 30 foot row of rutabagas and a 30 foot row of parsnips.  I took care planting them because the seeds of these two crops are very small. They can’t be planted … Continue Reading →

Because of the heat wave and lack of rain, I’ve had to water the garden just to keep the plants alive. To conserve water, I’ve been syringing the plants one at a time with a watering wand.  Syringing — placing water at the base if each individual plant — uses much less water than spraying the entire … Continue Reading →

In an attempt to avoid the heat, I’ve been getting out to work in the garden early in the morning every day this week. A couple days ago, I heard a bird making a noisy racket up in a tree near one end of the garden. I walked over to see what all the fuss was about. Just … Continue Reading →

It has been pretty dry in the garden for the past several days. The plants have begun to show a little drought stess but I’ve been able to keep up with watering. I took advantage of the dry weather by drying some cilantro. I had some that was started early and needed to be harvested. … Continue Reading →