I used to plant everything in the garden the second week in May. Trying to get everything done in May was impossible. So, lately, I have started to plant much earlier. Last weekend I planted radish and spinach seeds. These…
Season Extenders
Category: Gardening & Landscape
Any type of Container will make a Flowerpot
Any type of container will make a flowerpot. The bigger the better because the soil will not dry out as fast. The trend is to use old farm containers like buckets and wringer washing machines and plant flowers into them.…
Get the Lawn Looking Nice
What do I do to get the lawn looking nice this spring? If you have thatch (a layer of dead material beneath the grass on the ground over ½ thick), rake the dead material up and remove it. You can…
Pruning Shrubs
Let us talk about pruning shrubs (multiple stemmed woody plants). There are two types of shrubs: ones that bloom on old wood (lilacs) and ones that bloom on new wood. For the ones that bloom on old wood (usually early…
Several Types of Peas
Soon we will be planting cold season crops like peas. Peas originated in southeast Asia went to China and was brought back to Europe thru trade. It was not until 1940 that peas become a staple in North America. But…
Remove Dead Branch of a Tree
How is the proper way to remove a dead, dying, or diseased branch or limb of a tree? It will take three cuts. The first one is to go around 2 feet from the trunk and cut ½ through the…
Organic Garden Seeds
You will find organic garden seeds available this spring at a higher price. Are organic seeds better than regular seeds? My answer is no. The plants producing the seed, say lettuce, use nitrogen after the soil microorganisms break the chemical…
Newer Different Vegetables
There are some newer different vegetables that are notable for this year. If they have not made it into your seed selection yet, you may want to add them. Many have planted spinach to be disappointed when its bolts (sending…
Light System to Raise the Plants
If you want to start a few garden vegetables or flowers indoors this year, you will need some form of light system to raise the plants until you are ready to set them outdoors. If you start plants in March,…
Fruit Trees for Zone 4
You can grow certain varieties of plums, cherries, and pears in South Dakota as fruit trees for zone 4 on the hardiness map. With cherries, there are two types: sweet and sour. The sweet varieties are not reliable in this…
Apple Varieties in Zone 4 Climate
What apple varieties will grow in our cold Zone 4 climate? The worst thing is to wait several years and never have a crop because the fruit blossoms are not hardy. Some good varieties to grow in South Dakota are:…
Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape
Over the last few years, interest in ornamental grasses in the landscape have surged in popularity. They require little care, not very much water, and depending on variety very winter hardy. Grasses vary in height, color, and seed head texture.…
Growing Carnivorous Plants
If you want a challenge, try growing carnivorous plants. They are attention grabbers and eat insects to boot! If you use a sterile, sandy soil mix which you can buy from a specialty store. Keep the soil moist but have…
Planting Flower or Garden Seeds
It is getting time to start thinking about planting flower or garden seeds indoors. Certainly, time to clean and get the area ready and order the seeds and stuff you will need for germinating seedlings. Everyone has a little area…
The Other Fruit We Can Grow
We all know fruit like apples and pears and bush fruit like raspberries, but there is other fruit we can grow in South Dakota besides these. Like dewberries which look like blackberries, however, their canes have a habit of growing…