According to Folk Magazine ~ 10 Must Have Plants for your Garden

When planning a gardening, particularly a first-time garden, deciding what to plant is overwhelming! Seed catalogs scream "Buy Me -- Buy All of Me!!!" Gardening books, garden stores, garden centers,  have us whipping her heads this way and that -- how do we choose? What do we plant? 

FOLK Magazine shares some sage adviceL http://americanfolklife.blogspot.com/2012/03/10-must-have-plants-for-your-garden.html?spref=fb 


My advice -- keep a gardening notebook -- write things down...

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Are you getting excited for spring -- are you planning to really use your yard this year to grow food for your family? Beyond that gate, out in that yard are so many possibilities...

But where to begin... Isn't it best to start INSIDE our comfort zone... why grow bok choy when you don't even know what it is or what to do with it? What do you really, in your heart of hearts, love to eat? Vegetables? Fruits? Herbs? Every single day do you reach for an apple? Do you cringe at the high price of wilted herbs in their little bubbled packages? Do you love the food value of blueberries but revolt at grocery store mark-ups? 

If you are a complete beginner or at most a novice gardener it makes sense to pick 5 Go-To-Foods to grow your first time out of the gate. Five foods are manageable -- it's a small enough number to research, a small enough number to manage in your yard. And they don't have to be all one type of food -- say veggies or herbs. Pick your passion. Grow a peach tree, a row of spinach and carrots, your favorite herb, and a nice patch of strawberries... 

A happy garden is a manageable garden... what's growing beyond your garden gate?               

May 12 & 13, 2012

Mother's Day Weekend

Mason, Ohio

                 An Artful Family Event like no other!
                                              
                                                    Are Ya Ready for some Summer!???


Are you already planning your garden? I am eager to see if my raspberries made it. The peach tree took an unexpected beating from the deer -- they've never been here before. It is like they came up my street and into my yard specifically to ravage my wee peach tree. Here it is in the dead of winter and I'm thinking peaches and raspberries baked into a cobbler sounds really good.  

So what are you planning for your garden? Heritage tomatoes, a foray into squash... or maybe this is the year to get cucumbers to grow up a trellis... despite a really mild winter hear in south western, I am ready for some summer!  

If you've ever grown your own tomato, or wondered what to do with a rutabaga, THE BACKYARD FARM FEST is the event for you. This fun and informative venue will feature gardening and cooking demonstrations -- when to plant peas, how to make a cucumber trellis,  grow your own pizza garden. There will be gardening games for the kids and garden art for everyone. Learn to use and enjoy your yard, grow food you know is safe for your family.