Asters are hands-down my favorite fall-blooming plants. These colorful, pest-resistant, and late-flowering perennials are perfect for gardens in areas where winter temperatures dip as low as -30 degrees F. There are about ninety species of aster native to North America, many with dozens of named cultivars, varieties, and subspecies. They range from one to four feet in height and vary in color from pink and purple, to red, white, lavender, and blue. The choices are dizzying!
READ MORE » about Asters: Perennials with a late-season punch
Growing Celeriac
With a show of hands, how many of you have ever grown celeriac, also known as celery root? Hmm, I don’t see a lot of hands. Why not? Celeriac, often described as knobby or (gasp!) ugly, seems to be a rather under-appreciated root vegetable, but it truly is a superstar in my winter garden. However, growing celeriac is a long term commitment as it takes around four months to go from seed to harvest. But, trust me, it’s worth it. Celeriac lasts all winter long, offering its rounded roots until we finally run out sometime in late March.
READ MORE » about Growing Celeriac
Make salsa verde with your bumper crop of tomatillos
Several years ago, I discovered how easy it is to grow tomatillos. It’s almost too easy (as long as you have more than one plant)! That first growing season, I had such an abundance of the husk-covered fruits, I couldn’t keep up with the harvest. I happened to discover a timely salsa verde recipe in a magazine and I’ve been making it ever since. I’ve adapted the recipe over the years to tweak the flavor. If I want it to be tangier, I leave the honey out. For extra spice, I’ll play with the amount of hot peppers I add. This recipe is so easy to make, there is barely any prep involved.
Any extra salsa that can’t be eaten right away is frozen. It’s exciting to pull it out to thaw over the winter months. Salsa verde is delicious on tacos, burrito bowls, and enchiladas, or spooned over chicken and fish.
READ MORE » about Make salsa verde with your bumper crop of tomatillos
Rudbeckias: Powerhouse plants!
Rudbeckias are some of the most robust and attractive plants around. They are no-fuss plants that require little more than average soil and full sun. The pollen and nectar of these plants support many different pollinators and beneficial insects (yay!!). North America hosts many native species of Rudbeckia and I seem to love them all. In my own garden, I grow no less than six different types of Rudbeckias. Here are five of my favorites:
READ MORE » about Rudbeckias: Powerhouse plants!
5 Mini melons for small gardens and containers
Melons do not mind their manners – at least as far as their growth habits are concerned. A single rambling vine a of standard melon variety can cover up to 100 square feet of garden space, and many gardeners don’t have that kind of room to spare. It’s sad to think that delicious and nutritious homegrown melons are taken off the menus of many gardeners because of space restrictions. This is specially true knowing that it doesn’t have to be this way. Bush-type mini melons for small gardens are the perfect choice, taking up little room yet producing much like their full-sized brethren.
READ MORE » about 5 Mini melons for small gardens and containers
Grafted tomatoes
For the past few years, I’ve been hearing more and more about grafted tomatoes. Last year was the first time they were offered at garden centres in my region, but I took a pass. It seemed like there was a lot of hype surrounding them, and my penny-pinching self didn’t want to pay $12.99 for a single tomato seedling. This year, grafted tomatoes are back, with even more glitzy advertising, and so I threw in the trowel and added an ‘Indigo Rose’ grafted tomato to my garden.
READ MORE » about Grafted tomatoes
