Getting into gear for gardening

I had an awesome surprise when I went shopping at Aldi today: packages of summer and perennial bulbs and rhizomes for just $1.69, $4.30 less than what had been advertised in the weekly circular. At that price, I couldn’t afford not to buy a few! (Now, I realize that’s often used as an excuse to spend money that one otherwise … Read more

Growing wheat grass for your cat: an illustrated tutorial

My cat Lilo has a bad habit of eating fabric. One of the things I’ve done to help dissuade her from this habit – besides making sure that every bit of fabric not upholstered to something or currently being worn by a human is out of her reach – is to grow wheat grass for her. She enjoys eating it … Read more

Protecting tulip bulbs from squirrels

We had a break in the cold weather this weekend, so I took the opportunity to plant the last of my bulbs. I planted 21 bulbs of two different species tulips, two hyacinth bulbs, and six double narcissus (daffodil) bulbs. I’m not a big fan of daffodils, but the double ones have an intriguing look and they come up earlier than … Read more

Final tomato harvest

I planted a few tomato seedlings this spring, and harvested most of them green last week when frost threatened. A bunch of them have achieved ripeness at exactly the same time, so I decided to make mozzarella salad today. tomatoes, chopped in bite-sized pieces fresh mozzarella, chopped in bite-sized pieces* salt freshly ground pepper extra virgin olive oil *conveniently, Aldi … Read more

Houseplants on the cheap

I brought in my houseplants for winter last night. This jade is one I’ve had for several years; I started it from a cutting way back when, which is how I get most of my houseplants. What can I say? I like free stuff. But if you’ve been reading this blog, you’ve figured that out already. This year, I’ve decided … Read more

The Destructive Alien Pests Are Here, Part MCMXLIV

Wisconsin has received it’s long-awaited bad news: the emerald ash borer is here. We knew it would happen. We knew it had probably already happened. It was just a matter of time, and a confirmed siting. But all will be well. Steven Spielberg has a new action movie coming out in which Tom Cruise rids North America of emerald ash … Read more