Author: Gracie Wood

Don’t just weed and compost—weed and feed, as in feed yourself ! Why not make good use of those weedy plants which are so chock-full of vitamins? You can prepare, serve and dine on many varieties of weeds! The plants I’ll discuss have found their way to my table on a regular basis, and offer many nutritional gifts to those willing to forage. Easter dinner was the perfect time for me to include a side dish of wild stinging nettle which I had harvested for the occasion. My guests were enchanted by the flavor–somewhere between spinach and cucumber–and came...

Being an animal lover, I think deer are adorable. But when they decide that your garden is their next 5-course meal, they become much less cute.  Here are some ecological practices you can use to help keep deer out of your garden. #1 Choose Deer Resistant Plants The reality is that plants can only be deer resistant, not deer proof.  If deer are hungry, and after a long difficult winter, possibly very hungry,  there is little knowing what they may eat.  Regardless, you should still try to plant as many deer resistant plants as possible.   In general, deer tend...

This weekend I planted a very special part of my garden: the pots of succulents that grace my front steps and the kitchen pot garden that I keep on my back deck.  Why? Container gardening gives you options that you might not otherwise have in gardening: Plants that can be moved with the sun Plants where you want them, whether there is dirt or not Plants to experiment with Plants even when you have very little space. Plants replaceable for seasonal color. How to Get Started: Start with your Pot.  Think where you’ll be putting your container.  If it’s...

When our first gardening year was ending and winter had set in, I looked through the numerous seeds left over and realized something. I had succumbed to societal pressure when I decided what to grow. ‘Well, everyone plants xxx, so of course I should plant xxx.’  As a result, I spent a lot of time planting, nurturing, and devoting valuable resources to things we don’t really eat.  And I didn’t plant things we eat a lot. Herbs are a great example.  For instance, I planted a whole lot of marjoram and oregano.  Love it, and it’s pretty easy to grow.  But...

I could be the poster child for Seeders Anonymous. I have a black thumb when it comes to starting seeds indoors. Every few years I get ambitious about using plants started from seed, drool over seed catalogues, spend entirely too much money and order more seed than I could possibly have room to start indoors. Once the seed arrives, I procrastinate, struggle with making a decision on how to start the seeds, and then ultimately forget to water at a crucial time in the seedling’s development. My first steps in overcoming my problem is to admit I am powerless...