On a Hiatus

I am currently taking a break from the blog.

Make your day a good one.

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald ash borer made all the headlines this past May when it was discovered in Saint Paul. Since then, not a lot has been said in the media. It has been estimated by some accounts that there are 10 million ash trees in the State of Minnesota and that it is possible that all of those trees except those that are treated could be gone in ten years or less. It’s important to keep in mind that ash trees were a very popular replacement for elm trees that died from Dutch elm disease.

There are several different treatments that a homeowner can apply to their ash trees to prevent emerald ash borer. Any treatment must include the ingredient imidacloprid. The treatment must be done once a year, every year for the rest of the life of that ash tree. Right now and early spring are the best times of year to treat ash trees.

There is a lot more to know about this, read more about Emerald Ash Borer treatment.

Make your day a good one.

Tomato Ripening

I grow tomatoes for one thing- bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches that must have vine-ripened tomatoes. Yum!

The warmer temps have finally started to speed up the ripening of tomatoes in my yard. To help tomatoes that are slow to ripen now or later in the season, it helps to “shock” the plant. Shocking can be any number of things such as holding back water which means watering less, pinching back the top growth by four inches or so or taking a shovel and pushing it into the soil about two feet away from the plant to cut some roots.

I have used this technique in mid-September for years to help those last tomatoes ripen. If yours are not ripening, give it a try.

Make your day a good one.

Fall is for Planting

The months of September and October are a perfect time to do yard and garden planting. Warm soil temperatures and cool night temperatures make it an excellent time to establish plants. Plus, most plants are on sale at the garden centers so you can save some money too. Here are some planting guidelines.

Evergreens – plant until about mid-September so they have time to take root and establish themselves before the winter sets it.

Perennials – can be planted until late September or early October.
Trees and shrubs – can be planted until about November 1.

The key to success is keeping them all watered. This means at least an inch or so of water every week until the ground freezes.

Make your day a good one.

Home Canning

I’m one to always try something new and while I avoid most trends, the trend of home canning is one I decided to give a try. I grew up with a mother and two grandmothers who did lots of home canning. I can remember the pots of boiling water and the smell of vinegar permeating the entire house. The reaction from most of my friends and family when I told them I was going to try this was “are you kidding, just buy it”.

So, three weeks ago with all my supplies purchased which was no small investment even though I had the jars on hand, I set out to give it a try. Of course it was a hot humid Saturday and turning on the air conditioning would have been no help. I got up early in the morning and headed to the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market for a supply of cucumbers. My goal for the day was bread and butter pickles and spicy dill pickles. After six steamy hours in the kitchen my mission was accomplished and I looked at my kitchen table with admiration with all the jars lined up like soldiers. 72 jars of pickles to be exact – not a bad days work. Since that day, I have also done 38 jars of a personal favorite- spicy green beans.


If my new hobby is any indication of what the winter will be like, prepare for the worst! I’m canning like I will be snowed in all winter – living off pickles and green beans. I still want to give tomatoes a try and at least one more type of pickles. For now that will have to wait until after the State Fair.

Before I stared this adventure I did lots of reading on the subject. That included buying a couple of canning cookbooks and doing some online reading from reputable canning sources. Because you are dealing with food, it’s very important to read and follow all directions. Especially those on cleaning and proper processing of jars to get a seal. In the 100 plus jars that I have done every single jar has sealed – in my opinion a pretty good average.

I found home canning not to be very difficult, it’s just very time consuming. I would recommend having someone help with the process. It would be a great thing to do with a friend or relative. What about saving money doing home canning? I’m not convinced I did. If you have all the necessary supplies on hand and grew everything yourself then you probably would. Since I had to buy everything but the jars, it did add up quickly. Will I continue this for years to come? Most likely I will since I found it to be a great way to spend a Saturday and a few evenings.


For information on canning here is a great site from Ball (the maker of jars and lids).


The University of Minnesota also has a great site that I found to be very helpful.


Make your day a good one.

Iris and Daylilies

It is that time of year to dig up, divide and replant iris and daylilies. In my own yard in the few sunny areas I do have some daylilies. The main reason to divide them is that after a few years of growing they need to be split up so they perform better and so that you get some more blooms. If you have seen a big clump of daylilies or iris and they don’t seem to be blooming much in season, it’s often because they have not been divided. As an added bonus dividing and splitting gives you more plants for your yard or better yet, share with a friend or neighbor.

As for those daylilies in my own yard it’s been a few years and time to split those on the back hill.

For more information on iris click here

For more information on daylilies click here.

For more information on dividing all types of perennials click here

Make your day a good one.

Eat Local

We are now at the time of year that I make a visit at least once a week to a local roadside stand or one of the major farmer’s markets. There is nothing like locally grown produce.
The sweet corn is excellent this year, the green beans and other vegetables are abundant. These farmers work hard to grow all of this great stuff. So, take the time to support them and eat local.

For information on Farmer’s Markets all over Minnesota click here.


For the Saint Paul Farmers Market click here.


For the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market click here.

Make your day a good one.