To shoot this video, I scouted a spot in the garden, near a patch of Iceland poppies. I hit the record button and started talking to my iPhone. Suddenly a giant, buff-tailed bumblebee exploded out of a yellow poppy, spun around like a helicopter, and buzzed out of the frame. I thought, “Should I re-shoot […]
For many gardeners, the end of the gardening season is bittersweet. It’s hard to say goodbye to all your carefully-tended plant friends. On the other hand, there is plenty of good about this seasonal transition. In Kodiak, it means vibrant colors, the start of northern lights viewing, and silver salmon fishing. One more thing… Autumn
If you compost, you might find this question interesting. If you don’t compost, I’ll be upfront: You and your garden are missing out. Big time. Anyway, here’s the
I built my first compost pile around 1986. Over the years (decades, yikes!) I consider myself to be on intimate terms with dozens of materials, from toilet paper rolls to pineapple rinds (not recommended
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
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
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,
If you’re like me, you need a goal—even a tiny one—or you might end up like a lost duck, waddling along the lake shore, but never getting into the water. Today I’m sharing a dozen resolutions, mostly slanted for gardeners. But if you’ve never used a trowel,
My humblest inspirations seem to occur in the autumn when I’m putting the garden to bed. It’s fall and the garden says, “I am growing old.” The potato vines are limp and the tubers huddle underground in their rough, weather-proof skins, waiting to be dug. Is there any greater treasure hunt than digging for
Don’t you just love wriggling your toes in soft, green grass? Me, too. Until the day I went to a park and watched kids playing frisbee. They leaped high to snatch the frisbee and then touched down on the grass. Barefoot. I cringed because I knew the lawn had been treated with chemicals.