Mid-September is a weather transition in this region, with high temperatures bouncing from 70 – 80 degrees F. with cool evenings and a few windy or hot days. Tree leaves mostly haven’t begun to turn yet. Movable container plants for color have been versatile and easy to maintain in this drought. Cardinal vine on the … Continue reading
Filed under Vegetables and Fruits …
A Pollinator Question
On this mild 81-degree F. day in early September, the significant needs of viable plants in our yards and gardens are being met. Let’s consider a topic that may impact harvest. Vines of cucumbers and squash in the home garden have had many flowers this season and unusually few vegetables. Are there enough pollinators? Mosquitos … Continue reading
Garden Notes
The impact of several ninety-degree days and the earlier dark of the evening are hard to miss as you walk through the garden. Pollinators are busy early and late, resting in the heat of the day. Joe Pye Weed, a four-foot back-of-the-garden perennial, draws a variety of pollinators. Few Monarch pollinators are around so far … Continue reading
First Harvest and Shade Plants
Welcome to Plant Exchange Blog on the Northern Plains. While hot and dry summer days challenge farmers and gardeners, we’re ready to celebrate a few garden first harvests. We’ll also consider a few ornamental shade plants that grow well here. Sunflowers are among personal favorites that grow tended and wild and free in this region. … Continue reading
Gardening in the Moment
In the rush of spring planting, there’s so much available to see now that quickly changes. Maybe the elusive quality of peony flowers makes them even more beautiful as you admire them now and the wind plucks their petals. Moisture is a premium this spring at Plant Exchange and throughout South Dakota this spring. Thankfully, … Continue reading
Surprises in Spring Gardening
Spring gardening is fast-paced and a bit erratic at Plant Exchange blog. There are lots of surprises. Most are fun. What a surprise! Out the computer window, a favorite peony is in bloom. It dances in the breeze this mild spring day. Long-lived perennial peonies are bursts of color in spring. Below is a versatile … Continue reading
Where Do Tomatoes Originate?
Welcome to a couple of “Dibbles and Bits” at Plant Exchange blog. The first is about the origin of tomatoes, followed by what influences the Ginkgo tree to live so long. The quest for the tastiest and then largest tomato is part of the garden season lore. Finding the “roots” of tomatoes may help in … Continue reading
Would You Like to Try a Garden Cover?
Spring is here! The first naturalized daffodil to bloom! The weather beckons to start the garden season on the Northern Plains. Likely ahead, at least a month, is unsettled weather with gusty winds, roller coaster temperatures, and grab-a-book-and read-outside days. Maybe you’d like to consider a garden cover for some root vegetables in early spring. Garden … Continue reading
Caring for Starter Plants
Spring is here Plant Exchange! Children and the rest of us may soon enjoy sweet summer cherry tomatoes on the patio. Flowerbeds always have room for more Black-eyed Susans. These can be yet be grown from seed in this region in time to transplant into the garden. The recent post “Time to Start Transplant Seeds” … Continue reading
Time to Start Transplant Seeds
Spring is here, according to migrating birds, budding and flowering trees. If you’re thinking about starting seeds for the flower or vegetable garden, the garden catalogs, back of seed packets, and sites you “Google” have information. Seeds from catalogs offer a wider variety of choices than garden centers. Maybe you’re looking for a bloom color … Continue reading
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