Every summer, without fail, I plant basil at the end of the raised beds. These are the beds filled with Roma tomatoes, the ones we harvest by the bushel to make our salt-free organic tomato sauce. My tomatoes thrive. “Did you know that basil repels aphids?” an organic gardener friend mentioned to me casually one…
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Companion Planting with Herbs: Your Secret Weapon for a Healthier, Happier Garden
The Folk Art Weather House
I’ve loved this little folk art weather house all my life. It still makes me smile. What gardener doesn’t need to know the weather? I grew up with many German relatives. Thank-you notes were written to “Oncle Ludwig” and “Tante Marie.” During visits to their homes, I was fascinated by the little folk art German…
Growing vs. Wild Foraging Medicinal Herbs: My Perspective
Growing vs. wild foraging medicinal herbs is a real concern among newbie herbalists. The other day, I shared pictures of my herb seedlings (mallow, parsley, and savory) on Facebook. A nervous nellie immediately wrote, “I would be so AFRAID to do that! How can you know they are safe?” Well, first of all, parsley and…
Sunfinity Sunflowers: A Long-Lasting Burst of Summer Color
I love sunflowers, so when the National Gardening Bureau reached out with the news of Sunfinity® Sunflowers, I had to check them out. This new sunflower variety keeps blooming long after traditional sunflowers call it quits. While many common varieties offer only a few weeks of color and stop producing flowers once cut, this series…