Author: Bob Bauer

I picked two, gallon size zip lock bags, stuffed full of Swiss chard from only ten plants. Not bad for the second day of spring. The plants are under my mini greenhouses, protected from the birds, and the heat makes them grow very fast. I have had to open the tops a little to let the hot air out. The […]

Spider webs are showing up all over the place, so the return of flying insects is underway. I mainly see little fruit fly sized gnats. The flowers that have bloomed are the tiniest of blue, pink and white. The insects and flowers are compatible in size. The temperature is rising and weeds are going gang busters. I had forgotten how […]

I lifted a piece of plywood covering a pile of sticks that I was going to burn in the garden, and the cutest little bunny hopped out. It sat there blinking it’s eyes in the morning sun as if it had been asleep. I checked under the branches and found a circle of dried grass scrunched down like a bowl. […]

The peas that I waited so long to come up are now disappearing. Birds keep finding ways under the netting. Poking little sticks in the ground to hold the netting down doesn’t work because one of my garden cats keeps running into it. I’ve put rocks along the bottom now so it shouldn’t form new openings. Cats seem to have […]

The birds have started eating my artichoke plants. They have also eaten all the leaves off the beets, so it looks like a row of purple eggs laying on the ground. They are eating the Kohlrabi too but that’s ok because there are root maggots eating them also. Overwintering plants adds interest to an otherwise dismal time of year. Perennials […]

The tiny plant root hairs interaction with soil microbes is an intimate relationship. They communicate by the exchange of fluids. The plant hairs secrete chemicals that request a response from the microbes and get a nutrient answer. The plant depends on the microbes for it’s sustenance and the microbes seem to get something positive from the plant. I wonder if […]

For all you younger gardeners raising a family and requiring a good return on investment to justify your time, take advantage of the Fab Four of veggie production. Tomatoes, zucchini, pole beans and cucumbers all get planted one time in the spring, and you keep harvesting them all summer long. In fact the more you pick the more you get. […]