Just when I was at my lowest and had become fixed on the idea that we’d entered a terrible new Ice Age, spring finally made its move. Over this past weekend, the warmest parts of my zone 5b(ish) yard here in Toronto began to thaw and by Monday at least half of the garden was …
Questions about seed-starting and potting soil brands are some of the most popular that I receive. They’re tricky to answer because I’ve found that many of the best quality potting soils or soil-less mixes tend to be produced by smaller companies with short distance distribution. In terms of quality and ingredients, soil mixes vary widely …
Two weeks ago I posted a series of desert wildflower images that I took in and around Joshua Tree, California with the promise of more. When I started working on this second set, I realized I have enough for three posts, so I am limiting this one to a specific spot in the Mojave rather …
I have two criteria when choosing beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) to grow: they must be delicious at the tender, green bean (aka snap bean) stage and they must have something about them that is aesthetically pleasing. Over the years I have experimented with a lot of bean varieties and by these criteria ‘Trionfo Violetto’ and ‘Royal …
Grow Write Guild Prompt #24: Write about the most inspiring garden you have visited. Further Notes and Questions: Was it a public or private garden? What about it appealed to you? How did you feel there? Describe the parts that you liked best. Did you discover a new plant there? Did you learn something else …
In a typical winter there comes a time when I find myself dreaming of the coming growing season and the changes I will make. This year, the disconnect that I feel from the garden and the seemingly impossible return of spring has made it so that my dreams and schemes have been locked on pause.
Today marks one year since I started the Grow Write Guild. Thanks so much to those of you who have followed along, commented, posted, or promoted this endeavour over the last year. It’s been a lot of fun dreaming up the prompts and following along with your responses. Special thanks to Davin Risk who drew/designed …
Chiltepin (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) aka (Capsicum annum var. aviculare) or bird pepper is a small, pea-sized chile that grows wild on 3-4 ft-tall shrubs in parts of Texas and Northern Mexico. Coming in at 50,000-100,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), this pepper is ferociously hot and pungently flavoured. The heat comes on violently, yet diminishes …
I recently had the good fortune to visit the Mojave desert just after the area received a few days of much-needed springtime rain. The rain was followed by warm, springtime temperatures and sun, and you know what that means… FLOWERS!
Houseplants are often where many of us nurture a love of cultivating plants, and through winter, they can be an important way to stay connected to the gardener part of ourselves. Grow Write Guild Prompt #23: Write about a houseplant.
They look like a cactus, but aren’t. When we were here in June (the height of summer), they looked like little more than dry, thorny whips standing on end in the hot desert landscape. This time, because of the rain, they had come to life, with new green leaves and big clusters of bright red, …
Last June, Davin and I drove 1000 miles through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. One of the highlights of that trip was a few days in the Joshua Tree area. We found ourselves captivated by the otherworldly landscape and vowed that one day we would go back in the winter or springtime and spend more …