The growing season is in full swing and the garden is now in production mode. These are the days you really appreciate as a gardener, where you can wander and graze in your garden, in the early morning, and come back to your kitchen with a bowl full of garden goodness.

This is the time of summer crops like green beans, basil, zucchini, yellow squash, the occasional ripe tomato and one of my personal favorites, fava beans. I'm partial to fava beans, not only because they are delicious but because I think the plant itself, with its black and white flowers, is beautiful. Plus, this particular vegetable offers so many other benefits that I cover in my video. 

So check out my video below to understand why growing this multifunctional crop is good for you and your garden!

Next to dealing with late frosts in June, there's nothing more frustrating as a gardener than having your plants munched on by critters. After the effort of babying those seedlings throughout the spring and meticulously planting them in nicely amended soil, it's disheartening to wake up one day to flea beetles boring small holes in your potato leaves, green juicy cabbage loopers taking chunks out of your broccoli leaves, or aphids attacking your pepper plants. 

But as an organic gardener, you know that the last thing I'd recommend is grabbing a bottle of pesticide. Pesticides not only kill beneficial insects and soil microorganisms, they only treat the symptom and not the cause of the pest. So what options do we have instead?

In my video today, I talk about some general pest and weed management strategies that you can adopt in your garden. Rather than going to war with the pests, this approach encourages you to add life to your garden. Click on the video below to learn more!

What pest and weed management strategies do you use? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below! 

As more and more people move to urban areas, it's become increasingly important to learn how to garden in small spaces. Though we're fortunate in Montana to still have a lot of land and open spaces, our cities are expanding, especially Bozeman! The more savvy we can get with urban garden designs, the more possibilities we provide ourselves for growing a resilient city which is more food secure.

Though I have ample space to grow on our 3/4 acre lot, many of my client's have much smaller urban yards. It's interesting to contrast the approach that I take to each space. What I like about small spaces, is the ability to be more innovative in your approach. Space limitations often allow for more creative solutions.

In my short video today, I give you a tour of a client's property where, in under 200 square feet, we've managed to pack in quite an array of both annual and perennial food. From elderberries to gooseberries to raspberries to Brussels sprouts, corn, leeks and cauliflower, it just goes to show that you don't need a huge space to grow a lot of food.

In fact, even if we used just one of her raised beds, with season extension techniques and trellises, the bed could be producing a lot of food from early April to at least mid-October.

So if you have a small space, don't let it stop you from growing. Check out the video below to get some inspiration and ideas!

The veggie garden is planted, my food forest is chugging away and now it's time to sit back, relax (kind of!) and let my garden ecosystem do the work. Of course, one of the most important elements to our success as gardeners are pollinators. Without them, a vegetable garden and a perennial food forest are not possible. In fact, nearly 75% of the flowering plants on Earth rely on pollinators to set seed or fruit. It’s no wonder that attracting them to your garden is such an important task. 

Not only that, but attracting pollinators can be a fun and creative process, bringing beauty, art and productivity to your garden. So click on the video below to learn more. 

Want even more information and detailed species lists of what to plant in our climate? Click here to download my 3 Steps to Attracting Pollinators Guide!

If you participated in any of my workshops this year, then you know that in April, Alpine Greenhouses installed one of their greenhouses on our property. I’ve been pretty excited about it as it’s going to allow me to extend the growing season into November, with minimal inputs of electricity. I’ll also be able to start growing as early as February next year.

In permaculture, one of the twelve principles is, ‘Obtain a Yield’. In other words, we aim to design our properties in such a way that we obtain a yield of something, whether that’s fruits, veggies, medicinal plants, pollinators, fertility etc. With this new greenhouse, I’ll not only be able to obtain a yield but I’m now able to extend that yield in time and in space.
 
What do I mean by that? Especially in a cold climate, we are looking for ways to have more of a harvest over a longer period of time. In addition, we want to maximize the growing space that we have and take full advantage of it. 
 
In this short video, I give you a mini tour of what I have growing in my greenhouse and how I’ve maximized the growing space. So click on the video below to check it out! If you have any questions about greenhouse growing or experiences that you have had, I'd love it if you shared it in the comments below!

When I've asked workshop participants why they want a garden, a frequent answer that I receive is they want to give their children the experience of growing food. Indeed, producing food is one of the best ways to engage children outdoors.

Whether it's growing broccoli, carrots or tomatoes, or owning a small flock of chickens, giving children tangible ways in which to engage their senses while learning about the natural world is the best classroom there is. Kids love tasting, touching and smelling what's growing in the garden so it's always great to look for opportunities to make it their garden as much as yours.

One of the most compelling elements in my garden for kids is the herb spiral. Picture a 15-foot rectangular garden bed that is twisted up into a three-dimensional spiral form so that its total diameter is no more than five or six feet across. Bordered by rocks or bricks, this bed’s design creates microclimates because solar orientation and drainage change as the bed spirals upwards. The rock edging creates a heat sink, emanating heat at night, keeping the growing bed warmer than the traditional raised garden bed.

The bed’s microclimates allow you to plant your herbs according to their preferred growing conditions. Herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme, which thrive in drier, sunnier conditions, will be located near the top of the spiral; others like chives or parsley will be located towards the bottom where the bed holds more moisture. Herbs which have a tendency to bolt in the hot summer sun, like cilantro, can be located on the east side of the spiral where the afternoon sun will have less of an impact on the plants.

This is a beautiful, functional and space-saving garden bed but can be even more compelling if you plant it with herbs and edible flowers that kids love to touch, smell and/or eat. Here are some possible herbs and plants to add to your spiral that will be sure to tempt kids' taste buds or tickle their noses:

• chocolate peppermint*
• stevia (a natural sweetener)
• lemon, lime, or cinnamon basil
• French, orange or lemon thyme
• rosemary
• lavender
• fennel
• lemon balm*
• chives
• sage or pineapple sage
• mint ginger*
• spearmint*
  
• nasturtium (edible flowers)
  
• calendula (edible flowers)
  
• borage (edible flowers)
  
• Johnny jump-ups (edible flowers)
  

* As many of you probably know, it's best to be cautious with the mint family as it has a tendency to spread. You may want to plant these in pots close by, rather than in the actual herb spiral.

Spiral beds can also be planted with lettuce, peppers, and other veggies provided they have enough growing space. There are endless combinations and designs. Needless to say, you can be taken down a Pinterest rabbit hole if you google 'herb spiral'. You can make the herb spiral even more interactive by adding a pond at the bottom of the bed. Adding plants such as arrowhead (edible), horsetail and lilies create additional habitat for birds, insects and other pond life.

Your kids can be part of building, planting and harvesting plants from the herb spiral. This is a great addition to any garden, adding vertical height and curve to your space while at the same time making something engaging and fun for your kids!

Do you have other ideas for gardening with kids? I would love it if you shared them in the comments below!

Happy Spring! With the mild weather we’ve been having, I’m sure many of you have already been out in your garden, getting things ready for planting season. By now, you likely have at least a vague idea of what you want to grow. Now, a good question to ask yourself, if you haven’t already, is how much you should plant.
 
Having a garden usually means an abundance of vegetables (zucchini anyone?). And while it’s true that nothing in natural systems really goes to waste i.e. the veggies that you don’t harvest go to flower, attract beneficial insects, and ultimately get recycled back into the soil, a little bit of attention paid to how much you grow, might minimize any wasted time, effort, and water.
 
The question of how much you should plant, however, is a difficult one to answer. Like so many things in gardening, the answer is, “It depends.” It depends on what your family likes to eat, whether you just want summer vegetables or want enough for the entire year, how much space you have, how good your soil is and how much of a yield you can expect. In other words, there is no easy answer. However, here are some recommendations of where to get started.

If you have a smaller garden, I would recommend growing more of the higher value crops. For example, tomatoes, lettuce mix, spinach, peppers, garlic, basil and other herbs. To buy these, organic, at a grocery store, can be quite expensive. In addition, many of these items spoil quickly so having these fresh from your garden is a better idea.

In contrast, vegetables like carrots, parsnips, onions, winter squash, and potatoes are fairly inexpensive to buy from local growers. Here in Montana, for example, we can actually get local organic storage crops for our farmers, well into the winter. In addition, these crops typically take up a lot of space. If you have a limited growing area, I would plant less of these and more of the higher value veggies that I mentioned.

Also, it goes without saying that you should grow more of what you like to eat. In my family, we love fresh tomatoes and also use them in salsas and sauces. I love preserving tomatoes for the fall and winter too, a tasty reminder of the garden when there are 10 inches of snow on the ground. Because of this, we plant between 40 and 60 tomato plants. We also eat a lot of broccoli and greens so these take up a lot of real estate in the garden too. Think about what you shop for on a weekly basis and multiply that by 52 weeks to see how much you might need.

If you have any recommendations to share, I would love it if you posted them in the comments below!

Spring is just around the corner which means that garden planning is underway! For those of you who are planning a new garden or expanding an existing space, my video today might be for you.

I get this question a lot from clients and workshop participants, "What do you think of raised beds versus in-ground beds? What would you recommend?"

There are advantages and disadvantages to consider for both options.  Click on the video below to learn what might be the right choice for you.

Be sure to share any questions you might have in the comments below. Also, if you have other pros and cons that you've encountered, please share them!

Happy planning,

Kareen

At the end of the growing season last year, one of my volunteers remarked, "I think you have given us hundreds of dollars worth of vegetables this fall." Indeed, growing your own garden often means that you are saving money on produce that would normally cost a lot of money in the grocery store, especially if it's organic.

However, with the money you invest in compost, seeds, and plants each season, not to mention the time, sometimes the vegetables or fruit that you're harvesting from your garden seem like they are worth their weight in gold. Granted, there are so many intangible benefits to having a garden and I would never give up gardening because the 'numbers don't pencil.' But, it is also possible to grow delicious and healthy food without breaking the bank. 

In my video today, I go over my Top Ten Tips for Gardening on a Budget. These are recommendations that I practice myself that not only allow you to save money but have the added benefit of building soil, conserving water, cutting down on pests, and creating a more ecological garden.

Click below to learn more!

Do you have any practices that help keep your gardening budget lean? I would love it if you shared them in the comments below.  

Thanks so much for watching and if you found this video helpful, please share it with your friends!

Best regards, 
​Kareen

That inevitable day came for me several years ago when I tentatively bought some tomato and broccoli seeds at the nursery. Borrowing the fluorescent light fixtures from the garage and buying a few sunshine bulbs for them, I rigged up a seed starting system in the living room of our small two bedroom rental. I punctured some holes in recycled salsa containers, filled them with seed starting mix and, probably for the tenth time, reviewed my notes, read the seed packets, carefully planted those seeds in soil, and sprayed them with water. 

​I diligently cared for them every day, absolutely certain of my imminent failure.

To my surprise, most of the seeds germinated and then, after further review of my notes, I transferred them to bigger pots. Lo and behold, they grew into seedlings like the ones that I would see in the nurseries. Did that success infuse me with confidence so that I fearlessly planted my entire garden and basked in the glory of my yields?

Of course not.

At every turning point during that first growing season, I was wrought with uncertainty and self-doubt, second-guessing my decisions, my planting scheme, and the vegetables that I had chosen to grow. I would be lying if some of those same feelings don’t come up for me still, when I’m trying new seed varieties or new techniques. The feelings are just more muted by the years of experience that have convinced me of a couple truths:

First, seeds want to sprout, plants want to grow, and life wants to prevail despite our belief that we will perpetually fail, and second,

we will fail, and that’s completely normal, if not expected.

So, for the daunted gardeners out there, here is some advice to get you started. I’m not going to share the nuts and bolts of gardening with you. For that sort of information, you can take one of my workshops, go to my previous videos, or download My 5 Gardening Tips here.  Rather, this is the advice to break through the mental blocks that keep you from beginning in the first place.  

Intentionally carve out space in your life for gardening. Like anything meaningful in life, gardening takes commitment and dedication. I am not going to be the person that tells you that vegetable gardening can be done in 15 minutes/week. Nor am I saying that it is going to take you two hours/day. Instead, if it’s important enough, I’m going to ask you to shift something in your life to allow yourself the time to garden. The payback, I feel, far outweighs any sort of sacrifice you think you are making. Remember that your schedule will never magically open up. If you don’t plan for it, it will likely not happen.

Garden failures happen all the time. Whether it’s limited germination of carrots, winter squash devoured by voles, or limited fruiting because of shade or lack of fertility, I have finally learned to take these failures in stride, note them for next year, and look forward to trying again.  

At every step throughout the growing season, recognize your successes. We are so quick to point out what is going wrong in our gardens (and in our lives) rather than being grateful for what is working. I may not have had a good carrot crop this past season but I had a great tomato harvest. It meant that I traded some of my tomatoes for a friend of mine's carrots. Problem solved, connection made, and delicious vegetables shared.

With yourself and with your garden. Allow yourself at least three seasons (or more!) to feel like you know what you are doing. We have a challenging growing climate. If it’s not the short growing season then it’s the hail, or the late frost, or poor soil, or the cold nighttime temperatures. Giving yourself only one year to ‘figure it all out’ is not realistic. Think about it, if you’ve been gardening for 20 years, it means you’ve only grown tomatoes 20 times. If someone is perfecting a song on the guitar, they’ve likely played it hundreds of times. As gardeners, we are limited by the natural cycles and the seasons. That is the beauty and the challenge of gardening.

Whether it’s a couple pots with tomatoes or a 4’ x 8’ raised garden bed, just planting some seeds or seedlings in the ground and seeing them grow will take the mystery out of the process. As your skills grow, so can your garden.