Eagle-Tribune Blogs: Yard Dirt

Spring must be here. My crocuses are blooming!

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If you want to invest some time and money in your gardening skills, check out these upcoming workshops at the Topsfield Fairgrounds.

Saturday, March 29: “Painting with Plants, the Art of Designing a Flower Garden”

Nancy Garrabrants, director of UMass Extension, will discuss the subtleties of combining flower and leaf textures, plant silhouettes, and plant weight. Design concepts of rhythm, proportion, and visual balance will be explored. She will help you learn to manipulate color to … continued »

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I woke up this morning to this:

Blah! More snow? Who needs it?

Fortunately, the arrival of this package brightened my day:

It’s my seeds!

This year I was selective about what I’m starting from seed. Most of these seeds are for planting directly in the garden: shell peas, green beans, two kinds of lettuce and my orange and yellow cosmos flowers. Super easy.

I’m … continued »

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If you’ve lost parts of your lawn this fall to white grubs, you’re not alone.

The University of Massachusetts released an update Friday saying this was “a banner year” for white grubs.

You can read the full advisory at: http://www.umassturf.org/mangement_updates/management_updates.html

They think it has to do with the dry weather in August and September.

Unfortunately if you’re just noticing the damage now, there’s not much you can do to kill the grubs short of serious chemicals, and even … continued »

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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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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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I realize this is not from my garden — it’s cheating — but my Yard Dirt column this week, “Road to perfect salsa leads to Border, and back,” is about my husband’s finely tuned recipe for homemade salsa.

Check out the companion Associated Press story, “Harvesting Heat,” for ideas on making your own salsa at home.

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We just got back from a long weekend out of town, and the zucchini was out of control. I picked a bunch right before we left, hoping to avoid the mega-huge zukes but it didn’t matter. Here are the three biggest (yes, they are as long as my forearm).

Overall the garden is growing well. Thin green beans are now dangling from bushy plants. The hot pepper plants are … continued »

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OK, folks, here’s a test for any green thumbs out there.

This is from an e-mail that arrived today from a Gloucester Daily Times reader named Marian Pallazola:
Do you know anything about Passion Flowers? I bought a plant when I was visiting my daughter out in Western Mass. I planted it in the yard and it seems the flowers only bloom for one day and then they close up forever. The flower is … continued »

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This blog comment got me wondering about my own daylilies and how to deal what to do when the bloom is gone:
What do I do with all my day lilies now that the blooms are spent and there is nothing left but leggy stems? Do I cut them off, or tie them down like daffodils? Do you have any suggestions? They look rather ugly as they are. Thanks, Peggy Knopp, Wentzville, Missouri (close to St. … continued »

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