The Starting Point-2018 Growing Season

The Starting Point-2018 Growing Season

Posted on by Alice

Spring time in Montana can be a bit maddening.  We don’t have four distinct seasons.  Rather they tend to blur into each other.  And before you fully realize that you’re in summer, it’s already started to fade into fall.  It means I’m going to have to develop a much keener sense of the seasons when thinking about outdoor planting for new growing seasons. As winter fades into spring, we’ve been hit with what I believe is an unprecedented amount of winter storms over the past couple months.  But there was a decent enough break in between them that I was Read More

When Plans Change...

When Plans Change…

Posted on by Alice

There are a lot of reasons for one wanting to improve their outdoor living space.  For me, one of the big reasons was wanting to give my dog, Zelda, a fun place to romp around.  We spent plenty of our lives together living in condos, town homes, and basement apartments.  So when I finally had the chance to give her a yard befitting of a playful corgi, I jumped on it immediately. I don’t have children, so Zelda was my baby.  She was my partner in crime.  She was this goofy little fluff ball full of personality, as is typical Read More

Planning Time!

Posted on by Alice

I don’t know what it’s like in the warmer parts of the world, but up here in the frozen north, this is the time of year we all start to go a little bonkers.  I am currently experiencing the worst cabin fever I’ve ever had in my entire life!  Montana is on pace to break all sorts of snow related records.  There have been very few warm days to give us breaks from the blistering cold.  An avid skier friend even told me they were getting tired of skiing.  That’s, like, sacrilegious around these parts! As the days start to Read More

How I Defeated the Fungus Gnats

How I Defeated the Fungus Gnats

Posted on by Alice

If you read my December diary, you may remember that I was dealing with a pretty intense fungus gnat infestation.  It’s a super common , incredibly frustrating problem for those of us who keep plants indoors.  I wanted to expand my indoor vegetable garden, but before I could, I needed to get the gnats under control or I’d end up living in a very buggy house.   I’m happy to report that I am victorious in my fight against these fungus gnats.  But before I talk about how I did it, let’s get to know the enemy… (Not So) Fun Read More

Everything you Need to Know About Growing Zones

Everything you Need to Know About Growing Zones

Posted on by Alice

This past summer, I spent a lot of time wandering through my local, big box chain garden center dreaming about which plants I wanted to get for my yard (I wanted all of them!!!).  It’s fun imagining.  Then I decided I was going to put in plants around the lamp post in my front yard, and suddenly the pressure was on.  Choosing plants as a beginner gets overwhelming very quickly.  Back at the garden center,  I started where every good gardener starts-the plant tags.  Immediately, I was overwhelmed with information, but one line in particular (usually towards the top of Read More

Newb Diary: Adventures in Indoor Growing

Newb Diary: Adventures in Indoor Growing

Posted on by Alice

I think it’s safe to say we’ve entered winter where I live.  In Montana, the snow can stick around until May, and it can start getting frosty in September.  And while it’s not a shock to me that our summers are short (I’ve lived here a while), it takes on a whole new level of shortness when looking at it through garden-tinted glasses.  There really isn’t much time to do everything I would hope to accomplish in a given season, namely vegetable gardening.  At least, not without a little planning.  This year has been especially frustrating for me because just Read More

Get Started Creating "Black Gold" aka Compost-Part 2

Get Started Creating “Black Gold” aka Compost-Part 2

Posted on by Alice

So now that you’ve read all about “black gold”, you’re ready to take on assembling your own compost pile.  First thing you should know is that there are so many different ways to compost which is both awesome and overwhelming.  Awesome because it means you have choices.  And overwhelming because, well, which method should you go with?  Heck, I was getting a bit overwhelmed just trying to write this post.  I even found two new composting methods I’d never heard of as I was researching for this (which I won’t talk about here)! So for simplicity’s sake, let me put Read More

All About “Black Gold” aka Compost-Part 1

Posted on by Alice

One of the big reasons for me having to deviate from my initial gardening goals was due to the health of my soil.  As I began my lawn re-sodding project (more on that soon), I discovered I have nutrient-deprived, clay soil that would prevent the growing successes I’m looking for.  Truly terrible soil!  So, growing this year just didn’t make sense.  Rather I’ve concentrated my time on projects that will improve the health of my soil and set me up for success next year.   Composting is one of those projects.  Presenting the topic of compost so early on my Read More

Let’s Start At The Very Beginning

Posted on by Alice

A very good place to start indeed!  It’s seems fitting that the inaugural post on my new blog be about one of the first questions I (and probably every other newb gardener) had about gardening. How do I even get started? This question was much harder to answer than I ever anticipated.  While having the desire to garden in the first place is wonderful, it’s also problematic because without any sense of direction, you’ll want to dive into everything!!!  You’ll envision an end result for yourself straight out of Martha Stewart Living (#notsponsored).  But without some basic knowledge and tools, Read More