Some of us have vast, open expanses to play with in our gardens. These expanses are sunny, and the soil is good for vegetables. Others? Well, if you’re like me and you live in the Pacific Northwest, rain is more common than sunshine, and forests dominate the landscape. This is lovely for walking, but it can be much more challenging if you like to grow the traditional sun-loving vegetable crops. What’s a gardener to do? Whether you have one big tree in your garden or you live in the middle of a forest, you can grow food. Forests are naturally … Continue reading →

Plants have been filtering water for a long time. Before people invented drains to move water, plants caught that water and returned it slowly to the soil. Restore some of the natural balance of plants and water flow with a rain garden. What is a rain garden? A rain garden is a water or wetland garden that features carefully-chosen plants that have one common feature: they help water soak into the ground. By allowing stormwater runoff to soak into the ground, a rain garden reduces the need for storm drains. Storm drains move water very quickly from the ground into … Continue reading →

It is summer here and it has hit with a vengeance. We haven’t had rain in weeks, and any wet places in our garden have long since dried up. However, I know that come September, the rain will begin again and the garden will be oh-so-muddy in places. We have a small garden, but the contours of the land still influence it, and sometimes some parts of the garden become a mud hole. If you have similar damp places in your garden, how can you recreate them into a beautiful part of your garden? If you really dislike the damp … Continue reading →

I have an ongoing war with the cats in our townhouse complex. This is a quiet and relatively peaceful war. It mostly involves cat pee, with the occasional #2 added in there for good effect. Yes, there are cats in my vegetable garden, and I want them out. Only one of the cats is my cat. In our complex, we have a high cat-to-garden-space ratio, with nine cats in a space half the size of a standard garden. No wonder there are marking wars, and no wonder they occur in my garden. What’s a gardener to do? I’ve tried the … Continue reading →

Spring is just around the corner up here in the northern climes. Oh yes, I know that there is snow up to your chest and that shiver with dread as you think about going outside into the deep cold. However, it’s at this time of year that I start to think about spring. It’s best to plan ahead. We’ll start with a garden survey. You can begin the survey indoors, and as the snow begins to melt you can head outdoors to complete it. Visualize your garden. If you have a vegetable garden already, use a piece of paper and … Continue reading →