Get Busy Gardening!

Companion Planting

2013-05-22T18:37:00.002-05:00

Have you ever heard of companion planting? It means grouping plants together that will enhance or benefit each other in different ways. Companion plants can help enhance growth and flavor, or can help to deter pests that feed on other plants. It's a fascinating topic. Here's a great list of companion plants on Wikipedia. Peas and spinach Not only are there good companion plantings, but there

Cheap and Easy Plantable Garden Steps

2013-05-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

I have an area off the side of the deck where I keep my winter sowing containers and my rain barrel. Our deck is low to the ground, so instead of walking down the stairs and around the deck, I've gotten into the habit of jumping off the side of the deck. Ready, set, jump! Last summer I wanted to redo this area, and during my planning I was torn with what to do with the open spot where I jump

A Video Preview of Get Busy Gardening!

2013-05-02T19:01:00.000-05:00

Last month, I shared my new "about me" video with you. Today I have another video to share. I'm excited about this one too. It's funky and has some good music to it, so turn up the volume. It's a short (only 35 seconds long) preview of what Get Busy Gardening! is all about. Hope you like it... I'm just getting started with YouTube, and have plans for more videos in the near future. If you

My Gardens Right Now

2013-04-29T20:27:00.001-05:00

Here in Minnesota, the changes that occur in my gardens over a few short months are staggering - nothing short of amazing. I often look at my gardens in the early spring, just after the snow melts and think about how different they will become over the next several days and weeks. Today, I will pause for a moment to take it all in. I want to remember how this looks and feels, and how it smells.

Greenhouse Update

2013-04-28T19:37:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last greenhouse update. The weather has changed drastically since then too. We went from a winter wonderland to 70Fs and sunny in a less than a week, crazy Minnesota weather. Greenhouse after April snowstorm I planted the last of my cold weather seedlings last week during the snowstorm. Can't say that I've ever planted anything outside during a

Hardening Off Seedlings

2013-04-27T09:31:00.001-05:00

Growing plants from seed is fun and allows us to get our hands dirty weeks earlier than we can start digging in the garden. It's exciting to see the seedlings popping out of the dirt, and then watch them grow into plants. Okra seeds sprouting Soon the weather will warm up, and we'll be able to start planting those seedlings into the garden. But you can't simply take them from their cozy

Collecting and Sowing Spider Plant Seeds

2013-04-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

Spider plant I have three large spider plants that I put outside every summer. This winter, I found that all of them were dropping seeds. I have noticed seeds around my spiders during the winter before, but never thought much of it. This year, I decided to collect them and sow them to see if they were actually viable. In order for a spider plant to produce seeds, the flowers must be

The Art of The Desert Botanical Garden

2013-04-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

Last month, I wrote a post about my visit to the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona with the Troy-Bilt Saturday6. I loved the gardens so much that I decided to write two posts. The first post was about some of the plants I saw at the garden. Not only were the plants spectacular, but the art was pretty amazing too. I love that they incorporated so much art into these gardens. Two of my favorite

2013 Vegetable Garden Planning

2013-04-17T17:12:00.000-05:00

Each year I take the time to plan my vegetable garden. I will pull out the plans from previous years, and draw out a sketch of where everything will go this year. Now it's become a tradition for me to share my vegetable garden plan with you. 2012 vegetable garden at it's peak In previous years, I just made simple sketches of my plan. But every year my plan gets a little fancier. Last year I

Spring Gardening Checklist

2013-04-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

It's still too cold and snowy here in Minneapolis to start digging in the gardens. I don't know about you, but I have plenty of things on my to do list to keep me busy regardless. This is stuff I usually do as spring progresses, or after I get the cold weather seedlings planted in the garden. This year, hopefully I'll get it all done before I get busy planting . Setting up the rain barrels

Greenhouse Update

2013-04-15T19:08:00.002-05:00

This spring, my greenhouse has been my savior, and my sanctuary. Despite the cold weather we've been having this spring, the sun is intense. It didn't take long for the snow in the greenhouse to melt, and the ground to thaw. A lot has happened since I last updated you on the greenhouse. Snow in greenhouse March 22nd Snow almost melted March 26th Snow gone and ground thawed April 4th

Winner - Free Seeds Giveaway #5

2013-04-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

It's been another amazing winter sowing season, and I am thrilled by the number of people who have singed up for the seed giveaways this year! Thank you again to all of you who participated in this round of the free seeds giveaway! I can't believe all the newbies out there, it's very exciting! The grand total of containers sown by YOU this season is 754. WOW, that's fantastic! Free Seeds

My Dream Garden

2013-04-12T16:47:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we got hit by a major snow storm in Minneapolis. I was going to write a post to whine about how gross it is outside, and how I just want to cry because I am going crazy waiting for spring to arrive.... But instead of glaring out the window and feeling sorry for myself, I decided to make a cup of tea, draw the curtains, close my eyes and take a stroll through my dream garden. (deep

Winter Sowing FAQ - Spring

2013-04-09T18:46:00.000-05:00

This is the fourth in a series I'm doing to address some frequently asked questions (FAQ) about winter sowing. By now, you've probably been seeing sprouts in your containers, and you might be wondering what to do. How do I water the containers? Some of my containers have started sprouting, but others have not, should I be worried? Some of my containers have sprouted. What should I do with

Finally Signs of Life in the Gardens

2013-04-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

It's been a long winter here in Minnesota this year, totally opposite from last year. I guess Mother Nature is punishing us for our mild winter last year. Now that the snow and ice are almost all melted, and it's starting to feel like spring might finally arrive... the weather forecast says we're gonna get a few more inches of snow this week. We're currently under a winter storm watch. Ugh!

Free Seeds Giveaway #5 - CLOSED

2013-04-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

It's time for the next (and last) round of the FREE seeds giveaway! In case you haven't seen my seed giveaways before, I do this every year as a way to spread the word about winter sowing. I love to see how many others are winter sowing, and track the number of containers sown. Winter sown seed containers in the snow So far this year, the number of containers sown by YOU so far is 642

Overwintering Dormant Pepper Plants

2013-04-04T19:29:00.000-05:00

Every year I start all of our peppers from seed. Our growing season is short, and it seems to take forever for the tiny seedlings to grow into mature plants. Just when they're looking amazing and producing tons of peppers, frost kills them off. Banana peppers in a pot Last summer, we grew a ton of peppers in pots, and had outstanding harvests. The plants were so lush and healthy. So, last

Winner - Free Seeds Giveaway #4

2013-04-03T18:43:00.000-05:00

It's time to announce the winner the free seeds giveaway #4! Thank you to all of you who participated in this round. I'm excited to see so many winter sowers out there, especially all the newbies. (I'm also very excited to see all of my fellow Minnesotans who are newbies to winter sowing) The total number of containers sown by YOU so far is 642 That's fantastic! You guys are great!

An Experiment in Hydroponics

2013-04-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of hydroponics? It's a way to grow plants without soil. Instead, you grow the plants in water that contains all the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. I first heard of hydroponics during one of our long winters a few years ago. Now, as you may know, I have a lot of houseplants. Well, I was having a particularly bad infestation of soil gnats that year. Soil gnats live

A Quick Video About Me

2013-04-01T19:19:00.001-05:00

I'm excited to share with you my new video! I hope you like it. It's a quick little intro to Get Busy Gardening! and me, the author behind the blog. You get to see some nice shots of my gardens too. Take a look... Let me know what you think. ----

Desert Botanical Garden

2013-03-31T19:13:00.001-05:00

On my trip to Arizona with the Troy-Bilt Saturday6, we got to go to the Desert Botanical Garden. It was so much fun to tour this garden with people that are just as passionate about plants as I am. Colorful fruit on top of a barrel cactus This botanical garden combined two of my favorite things - plants and art! I found so many things in this garden that I love and wanted to share, that I

Macy's Flower Show - The Painted Garden

2013-03-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

The Macy's spring flower show has been going on for almost a week now at the downtown Minneapolis Macy's store. The theme this year is The Painted Garden. I finally had a chance to go over there and check it out the other day. Once again, the flowers by Bachman's are spectacular, and it smells wonderful! I have spring fever bad, and going to the show helped make me feel better. You should go

My First Plant

2013-03-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

I grew up in Minneapolis, and I remember going to nursery school in a little church that was right across the street from our house. I have fond memories of eating dirt at snack time (aka crushed up Oreo cookies and pudding), taking naps on little plastic mats, and on special occasion, getting to drink chocolate milk instead of white milk. It was in this little classroom where I grew my first

Free Seeds Giveaway #4 - CLOSED

2013-03-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

It's time for the next round of the FREE seeds giveaway! In case you haven't seen my seed giveaways before, I do this every year as a way to spread the word about winter sowing. I love to see how many others are winter sowing, and track the number of containers sown. Winter sown seed containers in the snow So far this year, the number of containers sown by YOU is 502 You don't have to be

Troy-Bilt Saturday6

2013-03-25T20:43:00.001-05:00

I recently got to go to Arizona with a group of fantastic people, and I am excited to tell you all about my experience. You've probably been seeing me post a lot lately about the Troy-Bilt Saturday6, and you might be wondering what that's all about. A few months ago, Troy-Bilt contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being a member of the Saturday6 team this year. I followed along