Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Yard Dirt

If you happen to be near City Hall in Peabody, Mass. this week, stop in and pick out some spring bulbs to plant for next year.

Julie Rydzewski in the Department of Community Development and Planning is taking orders for tulips, irises, daffodils, crocuses, allium and hyacinths.

The sale is a fundraiser for Haven from Hunger, a food pantry in Peabody.

Better yet, stop by Haven from Hunger and make a donation or volunteer. Just chatting with … continued »

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I almost forgot to link to my Yard Dirt column this week, “Nurturing takes on new meaning for mother-to-be.”

It’s about my big news: I’m having my first baby, due Dec. 20. Spare me the “Sharing Seeds” jokes and the gardening metaphors (hee, hee, hee). We’ve already had our fun with this around the office.

If you have any experience juggling a baby and a lawn, though, please send me advice. Both can be so demanding.

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If you’re a lawn geek like me, I highly recommend attending at least one program like this one by the Living Lawn Project in Marblehead, Mass.

Even if you don’t plan to go 100 percent organic with your lawn, you learn a lot of basic information about making grass grow. You also get ideas for how to lower your use of chemicals, should you choose to.
SIMPLE STEPS TOWARDS ORGANIC LAWN CARE
A class for homeowners

Saturday, Sept. … continued »

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I was picking tomatoes and hot peppers yesterday when I noticed a few green beans dangling from their bushes. I had to big harvests of green beans this summer, and I assumed the plants were done.

I decided to pick these few green beans so they wouldn’t go to waste. Once I started pushing leaves aside, I realized I was going to need a bigger container than my pockets. I took off my sweatshirt and used … continued »

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The rain last weekend is perking up my lawn — the crabgrass part, anyway.

This week in my Yard Dirt column, “The bright side of a parched lawn,” I talked about how nearly a month without rain bleached all the color from my yard.

Here’s what it looked like in the heat of the dry spell:

Now the weeds are returning, but I fear the worst for the regular grass.
Fortunately … continued »

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I learned my lesson when it comes to hot peppers — don’t touch!

I’m happy to report that I spent about three hours in the kitchen yesterday working with hot peppers from the garden and had no mishaps whatsoever. The secret? Rubber gloves.

I made hot pepper sauce. Between the two recipes I tried, I had to chop the peppers raw and remove the seeds (the process that caused me so much pain last time) and also … continued »

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This week’s Yard Dirt column, “A lesson learned the hot and spicy way,” is about my adventures with hot peppers from the garden.

Mishaps aside, it’s been a great week for the garden. The tomatoes are so red and they taste so real.

The red peppers are changing color rapidly, too.

What a great way to end … continued »

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Here’s a question from a blog reader named Amy. I’ll try to track down an answer, but in the meantime does anybody have any suggestions?
I have a question about my passion flower. I came back from vacation to find my plant covered in caterpillars. All the leaves now have holes in them and the plant looks very weak and I haven’t had any more blooms. Any ideas on how I can bring my plant back … continued »

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I’m not the only one who’s been startled by a giant wasp nest this summer. Here’s an e-mail I got from a reader named Scott in Newburyport, Mass.
Hi - I think it’s a good year for these guys. Last weekend I was sitting on a rock down by the ocean near Halibut Point State Park in Gloucester. After hours on my towel, I got ready to leave, and saw a huge wasps’ nest about … continued »

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