Gardening ABCs: B is for Brassicaceae Part 2
The Brassicas are “cool season” vegetables. Like lettuce, they grow best and taste best before or after the hottest part of our summer. Wait until after the first light frost…
Gardening ABCs: B is for Brassicaceae Part 1
Introducing the Brassicas This family has many names: Brassicaceae, Cruciferae, cabbage or cole family. I was intrigued to learn that the name Cruciferae is used because flowers of these plants…
Gardening ABCs: “A” is for Asteraceae
Did you know that the Asteraceae (a.k.a. the Aster or Daisy) family includes one of our most popular vegetables, lettuce? And this is the perfect time of year to start…
Seed-Saving in February?
Recently I attended a local Seedy Saturday event. The venue was set up with several long tables laden with packets of seeds donated by attendees for the seed-sharing part of…
You Say Marigold, I Say Calendula Officinalis
“Latin is a dead language That is plain to see. It killed off the Romans And now it’s killing me.” Someone wrote these words in my autograph book when I…
All In This Together?
“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on one another.” Pope Francis¹ From the day…
Working with Personal Limitations as a Gardener
“A 6-pack of those tomatoes is the same price as two of them – that’s a much better deal” my inner voice pleaded. “But I’ve started most of our tomatoes…
Tiny Miracles Part II
In my last post, I wrote about the basic needs for germination of most seeds we gardeners grow. However, as my high school French teacher used to say, “there are…
Tiny Miracles Part I
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it…
Do Plants Multi-task?
It’s February – the time that I, and many gardeners in Canada, are making plans for this year’s growing season. My own saved seeds, stored in envelopes, are inviting me…