Tagged with vegetables

Dibbles and Bits

Butterflies and bees are nowhere in sight on this snowy day in March. Still, the flowers and vegetables that we consider for spring depend on pollinators. Today’s features include thinking bees, Monarchs, and native plants that draw pollinators. Thinking Bee:  From the first bees we see on fruit trees, to summer zinnias, to cucumbers in the … Continue reading

Before the Spring “Last Frost” Date

Even with snow cover, the pre-spring gardening tempo is beginning to accelerate. An hour longer daylight in the evening makes it harder to ignore the past holiday plants, seed catalogs, and winter is over soon stack of books. These are some gardening thoughts here at Plant Exchange Blog.  1.   This local region’s average last-killing frost is … Continue reading

Gardening in Our Changeable Weather

Gardening with some flowers and produce return and an eye on sustainable practices keeps most of us ready to try next season, even in challenging weather conditions. Rudbeckia was last year’s blooming standout perennial. Drought bested some returning rudbeckia, and deer widened their taste palate for them this season, but some survived to bloom again. … Continue reading

Fresh Lettuce in Space and Back Home

If you enjoy eating fresh, homegrown lettuce instead of purchased lettuce that has part of its fresh quality time in transport, it’s also a consideration at the International Space Station. Fresh lettuce is a premium in space. Growing conditions at the space station that differ with Earth include reduced gravity, more radiation, added food safety … Continue reading