Planting Potatoes in Colorado

While visiting family in Fort Collins, Colorado I watch Grandpa Roy plant some Potatoes. It was interesting and educational. He roto-tilled the ground and then added some fertilizer called Bradfield Lawn and Garden. Then he added some Alfalfa pellets. Alfalfa is about 3-0-3 so provides some Nitrogen and Potassium. It’s also a soil conditioner because […]

Ranunculus

Bought these gorgeous Ranunculus for my sister in law. They are a lovely unusual peach colour and look amazing in this Fiesta water jug.

Salad in Vacuum Jars

While visiting Papa and Grandma Diane I learned a nice little trick for preparing salads ahead of time using a Mason jar and an air extractor. Simply, prepare your salad and build it up layer by layer in the jar. Put the dressing at the bottom so that when you tip it out the dressing […]

Onion Fly

One of my Shallots started to wilt around two weeks ago. The foliage turned an unusual light green colour and started to keel over. Over time it just continued getting worse and worse with no sign of recovery and so I thought it was about time to find out what was wrong. As you can […]

Tying In

I spent some time today tying in some plants that need a bit of extra support. My Broad Beans (Fava Beans) were starting to flop over and so I put in a sturdy support and tied them in making sure to loop the string around in a figure of eight to give the plant some […]

One Garden Bench

Bought from a garden reclamation yard. Spray painted with anti-rust paint. Job done. All I need now is a nice cushion and some lollipop Bay trees in pots on either side and what I have is the perfect place for a mid-morning chai latte.

My Garden Then and Now

Spring is really here in Portland. Today was the last frost day and although temperatures are not soaring it’s a great turning point for a gardener new to the area like me. This is how my kitchen garden is coming along. I planted a row of Box bushes to define the edges (and keep the […]

Starting a New Herb Bed

Since my garden is brand new this season I had no herb garden. In my last garden I had a lovely herb patch that was in constant use so I thought it was about time to start a new one. I’m not super adventurous when it comes to using herbs. I like the standard ones […]

My Tiny Seedlings

The number of seedlings in my greenhouse is increasing a pace. There are still two weeks to go here until the risk of frost is gone and so I’m keeping most of them indoors until then. I have started sowing the more delicate crops like Cucumber, Squash and Melon and these already need potting on. […]

Root Weevil Larvae

I found some of these lovely little grubs in a potted plant that I bought at the nursery. I looked them up in my insect field guide, since I didn’t want to squash them if they were beneficial insects. They’re not. They’re the larvae of the Vine Weevil (from the largerRoot Weevil family) they feed […]