Winter Composting Made Easy (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1285)
Now that we’re well into winter, have you ever wondered how to compost during the winter, even if you don’t have compost bins or
Gardening
Gardening, Insights
Garden your way out of a bad mood! (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1284)
Last week’s assault on our nation’s Capitol by an angry mob left me feeling shocked, ashamed, and sad. For a time I, like many people, was glued to their TV sets, radios, or devices. But before long
Gardening
How snow delivers nitrogen to your garden (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1283)
Snow does more than brighten the landscape and encourage us to prepare for spring gardening. Snow can yield some great benefits to your soil. How’s that?
Gardening
5 Garden Trends You Need to Know for 2021 (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1282)
Across the nation, gardening grew by leaps and bounds in 2020. And it’s not slowing down. In fact, more than 20 million new growers picked up the trowel and pitchfork in response to the pandemic. The good news is
Gardening, Insights
From hobby to mandate: The role of gardening in 2021 (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1281)
At the beginning of 2020, gardening was well, gardening. But these days, it’s been embraced as part of the “new normal”. I’d go so far as to say that gardening has actually become a new mandate for
Insights
All is Calm, All is Bright (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1280)
I’m teaching myself how to play a 26-string harp. It’s a challenge and it’s not always pretty: My fingers aren’t as young and nimble as they used to be and I’m learning how to read music at the same time. But as the 2020 Christmas season grew near, I asked myself, what song would have
Insights
How to Beat the Holiday Blues (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1279)
For today’s column, I dipped into my archives, mostly out of curiosity to see what I was writing about back in 2000. “Holidays are a time of joy,” I wrote, “but they can are also a time of stress.” Well, duh.
Gardening
The Night Before Christmas–for Gardeners (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1278)
Greetings from Kodiak, Alaska. I’d like you to meet my friend Lucile. She would have been 105 years old this November. Local gardeners knew her as “Luc.” She didn’t just grow and nurture flowers, she
Cooking, Gardening
John Lennon, cranberry jelly, and oyster (yech) casserole (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1277)
When I think of holiday dinners of my youth, two things come to mind: Oyster casserole (topped with crushed Saltines) and a jiggling red tower of cranberry sauce. I followed the example set by the grownups and loaded my fork with what looked like an oyster and, with extreme
Gardening
Geranium cuttings and a vegan recipe: “Pumpkin Pie for the Soul” (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1276)
As we enter the holidays in this world of COVID, I’d like to focus on ways we can lighten up. So for today, I want to cover a few indoor and outdoor projects, as well as my favorite vegan pumpkin pie recipe called
Gardening
Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1274)
Now that the elections are behind us, the topic of “what’s next?” is on the front burner of many tongues. I’ll let those-who-polish-crystal balls get to work. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at what’s next in
Gardening
Potato scab, spider mites, and Clint Eastwood (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1275)
Can you think of a silver lining spawned by COVID-19? It’s a challenge, isn’t it, what with many countries setting records for
Gardening
Your Q&As: How to compost shredded paper (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1273)
In Alaska, when temperatures tumble and daylight dwindles, we’re ushered like cattle into winter’s corral. And as predicted, I’m inundated with questions from you, dear readers. So let’s go over a few of these questions, starting with flowering
Cooking
Be of gourd cheer with 7 pumpkin recipes (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1272)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising against the door-to-door candy quest during the pandemic. Are you surprised? But Americans are a crafty lot. Even with the CDC’s latest advice, folks are still rallying
Gardening
Thinking like a plant (Organic Gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1264)
As we lean into September, I can’t help but think, “Where did the time go?” [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Autumn is springtime in reverse. — Terri Guillemets[/perfectpullquote] When it comes to daylength, Terri is spot on: We have about 14 hours of
Gardening
If I can make compost, so can YOU! (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1271)
Love it or hate it, ‘pivot’ is the buzzword of the pandemic. Pivot refers to a significant change or survival tactic in a business, a household, a relationship, or eating habits. In 1985, I made a pivotal decision to quit going to sea for a living, having worked on tugboats and
Gardening, Insights
Can compost save the world? (Organic gardening in Kodiak, Alaska #1270)
A certain man had a fine horse that was his pride and his wealth. One morning he got up early to go out to the stable and he found it empty. The horse had been stolen! He stayed awake many nights after that,