This past Thursday night, a hail storm passed over the Northside of Chicago. Luckily, it’s early in the season and the most damage was to lettuce leaves. But oh how it can make you worry when you hear it falling. I remember last year, we got a hail storm after most people had planted their [...]
Last year at this time, I was traveling on the East Coast. In North Carolina, the roses were in full bloom. Funny enough with this spring we’re having, my roses are just about ready to open! Clematis is open and climbing, and the tulips are near done. This year has caught the stores by surprise. [...]
Ask yourself if you will tend a garden plot. Will I have time to water and weed? Start small. It’s best to start out with a few pots or maybe one bed. Starting with these vegetables from seed can be very rewarding: carrots, lettuce, kale, cucumbers, beans, squash. Take a long look at the light [...]
Tulips have a somewhat famous history. Originally from the mountains of the Middle East, they grow wild in about 150 different types. Once they were brought to the Netherlands, Tulip mania ensued. Used as currency, a bed or even a single bulb, was enough to buy house. The bubble of this economic boom was very [...]
This past Easter Sunday, I hiked the trails of the Japanese Garden and bird sanctuary at Jackson Park. The Japanese Garden is a reconstruction on the original site of the Japanese Garden from the Chicago World’s Fair 1893. In the background you can see the Museum of Science and Industry, which is the only building [...]
Believe it or not, there are vegetables that like the soil temperature to be a little cool, around 50 degrees. So when you get in the gardening mood this early, these little guys are ready to join in. Beets Broccoli Carrots Collards Kale Lettuce Peas Spinach Swiss Chard Turnips Follow the seed sowing depths and [...]
Spring, and there is always something to do in the garden. This past weekend, I added compost to my pots, in which some still had flowering pansies from last fall! With about 4 weeks til our supposed frost free date, I decided to plant some cold crop seeds: carnival carrots ( in very loose and [...]
This past week, I was in Florida and the Bahamas. I can’t wait to share the Edison house garden and lab with you. Edison spent a majority of his time in Fort Myers, Florida, finding an American source for rubber, with Goldenrod becoming the best solution. He became quite a lover of the tropics, [...]
It looks like Spring is here! Here’s a list of tasks that won’t be in jeopardy if we do get a little cold snap. Pick up trash. Clean up lawn furniture. Realign rock, brick that may have moved during the winter. Add stepping stone so as not to compact the soil when you cross through [...]
As the weather warms, I dream of being outside all the time. With a full sun yard, it’s a struggle to make a comfortable shaded seating area. This trellis and bench project from The Family Handyman offers hope. With a cost range $500 or below and “simple” rating, it looks like something I can tackle.