Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. š± This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribersāhere's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
how to keep your plants from bolting too early
This time of year, when the days are long and warm, many gardeners start to feel some frustration. Because while it's generally a good period for warm-weather crops like tomatoes and squash, it also means the end of cool-weather crops like kale and cilantro. ... Or does it? I typically have entire beds full of bolted (flowering) vegetable crops right about now, but I also have beds where my kale, lettuce, bok choy, and other leafy greens are thriving (often straight through the middle of...
if you hate earwigs as much as I do, here's how to deal with them
Of all the garden pests you're likely to encounter outside, the one that probably elicits the most disgusted reactions is the one that's the least harmful to humans, even though it looks like it'll tunnel into your brain. You know what I'm talking about: earwigs. No, these guys don't crawl into your ears at night. Small but mighty-looking, earwigs have a pair of formidable pincers at the end of their abdomens that look like they can do some damage. And they canāto other pests like aphids and...
what to know before preordering garlic for fall planting
Last week I wrote about curing your garlic harvest so it can last several months in storage. (I've personally had garlic bulbs stay fresh for up to 11 months in my garage!) But not all garlic has this long of a storage life, nor is all garlic suitable for every climate. It's starting to be that time of year when seed suppliers are offering preorders for seed garlic, and from what I've experienced, most of the more reputable sites sell out quickly. If you need seed garlic for planting in...
new garden deals I just added to my cart (they're so good!)
Amazon Prime Day ends at midnight June 26 (that's tomorrow!), so I wanted to quickly share 5 deals I just found that I think might be useful for you too (if you like to spend as much time outdoors as I do). Here's what I'm adding to my cart: 1) Wells Lamont work/gardening gloves - These are my favorite brand of leather gloves and the 2-pack is a CRAZY good deal at only $13.43! They're water-resistant, durable, and super comfortable too. (16% off) 2) Grip Clean natural scrubby soap - I've used...
the gardening items I love
Maybe you've heard: Amazon Prime Day is happening this week and it's 4 full days of deals across all categoriesāJune 23 through June 26. I know people have varying opinions about buying on Amazon, but if you still have a Prime membership (or want to start a free trial just to take advantage of the deals this week), Prime Day is the best time to look for deals as hundreds of thousands of items go on sale for a very limited time. (And you won't see them again until Black Friday.) So in an...
so many great deals happening today ā”ļø
Maybe you've heard: Amazon Prime Day is happening this week and it's 4 full days of deals across all categoriesāJune 23 through June 26. I know people have varying opinions about buying on Amazon, but if you still have a Prime membership (or want to start a free trial just to take advantage of the deals this week), Prime Day is the best time to look for deals as hundreds of thousands of items go on sale for a very limited time. (And you won't see them again until Black Friday.) So in an...
my favorite walkable ground covers
Last year, I sowed miniclover seeds in my vegetable garden paths to fill in some bare dirt and attempt to outcompete (or at least live in harmony with) the grass currently growing there. Seeding miniclover in my garden paths Happy to report that the miniclover is thriving with very little water so far this year! Miniclover growing among the grass (I got my miniclover seeds from here.) Five things I love about having miniclover in my walking paths: It's relatively drought-tolerant, stays green...
I was VERY surprised by this powerhouse vegetable
I came across a study that determined what the most nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables were. These so-called "powerhouse fruits and vegetables" were ranked in order of nutrient density, and the highest-ranked plant caught me by surprise! "Powerhouse" kind of sounds like one of those new-school buzzwords (like "superfood") that aren't based on any scientific standards, but I just found out it's a legitimate classification (per the CDC) for foods that have high levels of essential nutrients...
how to cure garlic š§ so it lasts all winter
Can you believe I just finished up the last of the garlic that I grew LAST summer?! And it was still perfectly good, firm, and flavorful like the day I harvested it. That's nearly 11 months in storage in my garage, piled into mesh bags and placed on a wire shelf. What's even better is that I'm only about three weeks away from my next garlic harvest, so I'm pretty dang pleased that I only have to buy a couple heads of garlic before that happens. š If you planted garlic last fall, chances are...
the mistakes most people make with ladybugs š
When there's an aphid infestation, the first thing I usually see recommended (for people who want a natural method of pest control) is to buy ladybugs. Live ladybugs at my local nursery And while I'm all for biological pest control (I wrote about green lacewings in yesterday's email), releasing store-bought ladybugs into your garden is rarely effective. Research has shown that 95% of released ladybugs fly away within 48 hours, and the rest are gone within 4 to 5 days. That's a whole lot of...
For people who want to grow more food with less work. š± This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribersāhere's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."