vegetable garden

The Making of Mrs. Know It All

The Making of Mrs. Know It All

I am what you call a city girl growing up just 10 minutes from Downtown Pittsburgh in a borough called Swissvale. My Grandma Kaschauer had lived there since 1906 and  …
5 Vegetables to Plant in October

5 Vegetables to Plant in October

A few years ago, I was in line at the farmer’s market talking to a farmer about how great he must be feeling because it’s the “end of the season.”  …
Breaking Dormancy

Breaking Dormancy

My dad grew a vegetable garden in our backyard—a tiny one in a rocky, almost hidden corner behind the garage. He spent a lot of hours alone down there, digging,  …
Gardening for Mom

Gardening for Mom

My mother is a Master Gardener: she received her certification from Michigan’s Wayne State University when I was a young girl. I remember the garden being her retreat from a  …
Gardening Humor for “Real” Gardeners

Gardening Humor for “Real” Gardeners

Do you remember when you were a young budding gardener, and you thought, "one day I'll be like those other gardeners, with their perfectly pruned tomatoes, their pollinator gardens, and  …
Finding Family In a Garden

Finding Family In a Garden

It's Spring as I write this and we've already harvested some early greens and a few root vegetables like radishes. Daffodils, tulips, and hellebore brought some much-needed color to the  …
The Lady Bird’s Blessings

The Lady Bird’s Blessings

Again, an intrusion of aphids has found its way to the bridal wreath bush in my Maryland garden. The assailants have slowly drained the graceful shrub of its vitality. Year  …
The Enthusiastic Gardener

The Enthusiastic Gardener

I grew up in southwest Ohio, the second of seven children. Our family’s vegetable garden covered over an acre. In early March my dad would purchase Kennebec seed potatoes.  …