Archive for ‘Veggie Garden’

February 21, 2013

It’s Planning Time! Need Help?

My pulse is quickening, heart rate buzzing, and like Santa, I have a twinkle in my eye. No, it’s not Christmas, it’s time to plan those gardens!

Are you ready? Do you have a plan? Did you include a crop rotation? Do you know what you’re going to plant? Are you starting seeds indoors? Buying transplants? Have no idea? Have you purchased your seeds yet? Have you started planting your seedlings? Do you know when to plant your seedlings? Do these words make you panic? If so, let me know, I can help!

Yes, this is my first post as a shameless plug of how I can help you plan your garden to get you prepared for a successful gardening season.

Spring officially starts March 20th. Most seeds need to be started 4 – 8 weeks in advance of the last frost, with 6 weeks being the average. In central Minnesota, the average last frost date is May 15th, so what that means is that you need to have a plan in place and start seeds soon!

If you are interested in planning or planting a garden but are stuck on the planning part, I would love to sit down with you, either in person or in a virtual setting and help you learn how to do this.

We can map out your planting beds, a crop rotation, and a planting and harvest schedule so you know which plants you need to start growing and when.

This could be a one-on-one session, a small group or larger scale.

Need help? Let me know!

Kate

February 13, 2013

Don’t Get Mad, Get Eatin’!

If you know me, you know that I’m very passionate about one thing… food. Good food. Great food. Great tasting food. Great tasting, healthy food. Great tasting, healthy food that I can grow!

And… if you know me, you probably know I’m pretty pissed at the world about the “food” that is in our grocery stores. I’m mad that the stores are jammed to the gills with processed crap that feeds the majority of the world. I’m mad that the “good stuff” is on the perimeter of the store and that the “good stuff” really isn’t all that good because it’s picked too early and selected not for its taste but for its ability to last on the store shelves for as long as possible. I’m mad that we’ve become dependent on convenience to feed our bodies rather than really good food to nourish them and keep them healthy. I’m mad that when I want to “go out” to eat there are only a handful of restaurants that serve “real” food. I’m mad that most people don’t realize exactly how bad the food is. I’m mad that most families are choosing cost over nutrition to feed their families. I’m mad that people have to choose cost over nutrition. I’m mad that the food in our stores is killing us, causing Obesity, Heart Disease, Cancer and Diabetes. I’m mad that people aren’t mad about that! I’m mad that it’s often uncomfortable for me to talk to people about food because they get defensive and think that I’m “one of those people” or that I’m cramping their style or somehow judging them when instead I’m just mad that we are even in this position to begin with.

I’ll tell you what though, being mad doesn’t do any good. But being the change does. So I decided that I’m not going to be mad any more. I’m going to do something about it. What am I going to do? I’m gonna eat. That’s right, eat.

I’m going to eat and I’m going to grow. Okay, realistically I’m done growing in the physical sense, but I am going to grow food. I already have a garden, but I’m adding on this year. I’m making another section of lawn go away and I’m going to grow as much food as I can, right out in front of my house. And then I’m going to have as many people as possible eat my food. I want them to eat it and taste how great it is and love it. And then, hopefully, they’ll want to grow great food too and share that food with everyone they know. And before you know it, we’ll all be eating food not because it’s “cheap” or because it’s quick or because it’s convenient, but because we want to eat something that tastes wonderful and that nourishes us.

And I want to share recipes for that perfect tomato we grew in our garden. And I want to learn to can my own food not from You Tube, but from my friends and neighbors. And I want to trade some of my eggs for a great loaf of bread or a jar of homemade jam. And swap my tomatoes for greens or strawberries.

I want food to be food. I want it to nourish us, all of us. I want us to be healthy as a neighborhood, as a community, as a country, as the world. Yes, that’s right, I plan on saving the world by eating… one delicious bite at a time. Starting now.

Kate

February 8, 2013

Bare

It’s Friday. Five Minute Friday. Today’s word is “bare”.

Bare. Fully exposed. Vulnerable. Out there.

Winter. Lifeless. Or is it?

When I look out the window or wander through my yard this time of year, at first glance it’s easy to think everything is bare. But it doesn’t take long for my imagination to start running. Soon I see leaves budding on trees, crocus poking up out of the ground. Then, much like the animated movies it all starts happening faster and faster, lawns green up flowers bloom and the next thing you know, the bare yard is lush.

This year I will be converting a part of my yard, which some may currently see as lawn, but what I see as bare, into a productive edible yard. That open space will bring flowers for pollinators, the fruits of berries, and veggies of every color. There will be beauty and structure. Something to look at next winter so it doesn’t look so bare.

Soon, the snow will melt and my dream will become a reality.

Kate

Five Minute Friday

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September 22, 2012

Cover Up!

Veggies, tender annuals and herbs, take cover!  Fall is here in full force in the Twin Cities and freeze warnings are in effect for tonight.

Protect any plants you want to keep by covering them with sheets or light blankets because next week is supposed to be beautiful, sunny and warm.

Don’t forget to remove the covers tomorrow morning once the chill has left the air so your plants get sun exposure and ventilation.

Keep those gardens going. Our season isn’t over yet!

Kate