Have you ever wondered where chemical fertilizers came from?

One evening, while working at my computer I heard gunfire and mortar shells exploding in the living room. I poked my head around the corner. Black and white images of men and machines were blasting across the TV screen. My husband looked up from his chair. "It's that documentary by Ken Burns about World War II."

As soldiers stormed the beaches, I had a feeling there was one battle the 7-part series would not be covering. It's a battle that continues to this day and one I'm sure we could bring ...   more »

What is more valuable, a plastic ring from a Cracker Jacks box or a gold wedding band?

An REI tent or a 3-bedroom house?

A sweater from the Salvation Army or from Nordstroms?

An heirloom rose or a fern?

Gold is not valuable in itself. It is valuable because there is so little of it. If sand were found only in small quantities, people would treasure it in their safe-deposit boxes; they would buy sand certificates, on important occasions they would exchange a little sand, and they would have the expression "as good as sand."
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With fall around the corner, I noticed the leaves are starting to turn. So I started wondering...

Like leaves on a maple tree, we come into this life, are here for a few days, and then are gone. Nobody remembers us, and nobody misses us, except maybe the gardener that rakes a few leaves into the compost pile.

[Oh, say can you hear? Would you rather listen to this article? Subscribe to my podcast feed so you can open the attachment below or simply Download/listen here to the mp3. Or, for that matter, keep on reading...]

We can learn ...   more »

In Richard II, Shakespeare uses a garden metaphor to explain the political problems of the day: England is wasting away as a result of the royal family's greediness. In one scene, the gardener instructs his helpers about weeding and pruning. The garden is England and the plant that needs weeding and pruning is the royal family.

By the same token, many plants and shrubs become thin and straggly, even choked out of existence, if left to grow without weeding from time to time. Weeds rob valuable nutrients from the soil and compete with your hard-earned herbs, flowers, shrubs and vegetables. Plus, they are often hosts to harmful insects and diseases, so it's important to eliminate weeds.

The job of weeding however, is not often embraced with joy and enthusiasm. Yet weeding, as I'll explain later can be one of your best teachers.   more »

While growing up, we weren't allowed to watch much TV. Mom said it dampened a child's creativity and made kids lazy--mentally and physically. That was back in the 1950s. Since then, thousands of studies have looked at how TV affects kids' grades, sleep, behavior, and health.

TV has become a public health issue. First of all, kids get lots of information about health from TV, much of it from ads. And children tend to believe what the ads say, even though they might be untrue or unbalanced. If you don't believe it (HAH!), the next time you get tired of hearing your children beg for junk food, think about all those TV commercials.

[To listen to this article, a 3-minute audio file, subscribe to to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or to listen to the mp3 file now, simply click here]. Otherwise, heck, keep on reading...    more »

Back in the days of Thomas Jefferson, it was believed that plant roots actually ate soil particles. Therefore, the more you pulverized soil, the easier it was for roots to eat it. Thus it seemed logical to till the earth. Centuries later, scientists now say tilling--specifically rototilling--doesn't improve the soil, it destroys it. Now what do we do?

[To listen to this article, a 3-minute audio file, subscribe to to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply listen to it the mp3 file now by clicking here]

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The number of organic gardeners is predicted to increase about 10 percent a year. What about you? If you choose to switch from chemical fertilizers to organic ones, keep in mind that the process is compared to giving up smoking...   more »

I confess. I hold a special place in my heart for seaweed. Once when I running on the beach I sliced my foot on a shell. "Wrap it in seaweed," my Mom said. The wound healed quickly. Then, after moving to Alaska I discovered the magic of using seaweed in the garden...   more »

During Captain Cook's first voyage in 1768, a mighty storm came up, injuring many sailors. To save the men from gangrene, the ship's doctor made a poultice of mashed cabbage and applied it to their wounds...

Learn more about Cook's cabbage, why cabbage was named Plant of the Year by the National Gardening Association and how it inspired one of the most notorious weapons of World War I...   more »

Rachel Biccum, a fifth-grader in Chico, California, was sick and tired of school lunches, so she decided to take action. She handed out fliers to her classmates, promoting a boycott. "No more bad lunches!" the flier stated. Rachel also encouraged fellow students to boycott the cafeteria and bring their lunches from home. They told school officials, "get rid of the processed junk, we want more fresh foods."

For Rachel and friends to ask for more fresh foods is encouraging news, since childhood obesity rates are skyrocketing. But you know, there's another way to provide fresh food at school, and that's to GROW it. School gardens are sprouting up all over the country. A growing success story, if you will...   more »

What if I told you that by mowing the lawn during certain phases of the moon meant you didn't have to mow as often? What if I told you the same system applied to cutting your hair?

HAH! Before you think I’m crazy, let's turn to the National Geographic, which says more gardeners today are turning to the moon for advice on the best time to do yard chores. The practice, called gardening by the moon, centers on the moon's gravitational effect on moisture flowing in soil and plants. The moon also controls the ocean tides and acts upon the groundwater beneath your feet.   more »

Did you know Hawaii is at war? Not with people, with coqui frogs. Here's a lesson on what to do when a tiny brown frog keeps you, and everyone else, awake at night. Wouldn't you get a little grumpy?

My husband Marty just spent two weeks in Hawaii. A good place for Alaskans to thaw out. We stayed with friends on the Big Island, near Hilo. All was bliss, until nightfall. As soon as I put my head on the pillow, I heard a strange chorus outside...   more »

I'm amazed at the power of small things that make a big difference. Maybe that explains why I'm so jazzed about starting plants from seeds. You know, small seeds that grow into big plants. Every chance I get--in my columns, podcasts, workshops, website, blog, newsletter--I spread the good word about growing your own. Here's the latest headline I used [don't laugh]: SAVE MONEY, LOSE WEIGHT by growing your own seedlings! Okay, sounds a stretch, yet it's not far from the truth...   more »

Maybe you've decided for this year, to treat yourself better. Or maybe you've come to the conclusion that your family ought to eat together more regularly, and that fast food several times a week is simply bad for both wallet and waistline.

Sound too lofty? Too hard to implement with your busy schedule? Nahhhh. Let's start with fast food and go from there...

[FUN STUFF! Listen to my audio article, a 3-minute, mp3 file which includes an on-scene interview at Seattle's Pike Place Market, by clicking here or subscribe to my podcast feed so you can open the attachment below]

Otherwise, keep reading. You'll eventually come to a cool recipe at the end...   more »

What is it about making New Year's resolutions? We decide to exercise more, eat better and weed the garden more often--knowing full well that these decisions will come and go like the weather.

So why do so many New Year's resolutions fizzle? Experts say change is possible, but to succeed, our desire for change must come from within, not from peer pressure. I'm sharing four simple steps to help you make--and keep--your New Year's resolutions. Even better, I've come up with a short list of 12 little resolutions that are not only do-able, they're lovely...   more »

Seattle's Pike Place Market is an open-air, farmers market buzzing with activity. You can find Alaska salmon and dried flowers; T-shirts and olive oil. Vendors do whatever it takes to get your attention. It worked for me. I spotted a sign that read, "Brussels Sprouts: Little Green Balls of Death."

I decided to ask the guy standing behind the vegetable display. Mike Osborn's his name...

"So Mike, what's with the sign next to your Brussels sprouts?"   more »

Charles Kuralt wrote about a special outdoor tree that came more alive during the holidays. "Trees just don’t grow up here on the high plateaus of the Colorado Rockies--everybody knows that. Trees need good soil and good weather and up here there's no soil and terrible weather. That's why the tree is a kind of miracle..."

Plus, are you considering a live Christmas tree this year? From a tree's point of view, it's sheer torture...   more »

Once upon a time in 1837, after returning from his 5-year trip aboard the Beagle, Charles Darwin took some time off. One day, while roaming the countryside with his uncle, they stopped to watch an earthworm s-l-o-w-l-y pull a leaf into its burrow. Fascinated, Darwin fell in love with worms. How could such a lowly creature capture the attention of a distinguished scientist like Darwin?   more »

The recent spinach scare, where E. coli-tainted spinach killed one person and hospitalized hundreds more, brought to the table the importance of food, that is, where it comes from and why we should care...

Most of the food we buy travels great distances to reach our plate. A head of lettuce for example, travels about 2,000 miles from farm to market. These distances, measured in “food miles,” reveals how most of us are overly dependent on outside sources for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[Note: Hey, now you can LISTEN to this article (just 3 minutes long) by subscribing to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or you can listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here]. Otherwise, keep reading the article. You'll be glad you did!]   more »

When iced tea was introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, Americans fell in love with it. In fact, iced tea became a status symbol. A perfectly brewed pitcher of tea was the mark of a successful hostess. Women’s magazines provided tips on how to brew tea correctly, and offered recipes for “Tea Punch” a sweet beverage for summer tennis and golf gatherings.

Learn how iced tea drinkers battled it out with beer drinkers, and won! Listen to this article in the form of a fun, 2-minute audio article, subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here.   more »

You know how the smallest experience can stop you in your tracks?
Recently, my life was changed by a watermelon seed. Actually, it was William Jennings Bryan's take on the watermelon seed. Bryan served as Secretary of State under President Wilson. What's a guy like this doing talking about a little black seed?

Listen to this 2-minute podcast. I promise that not only will you nod your head in wonderment, you'll never look at a watermelon seed the same way again.

To listen to the podcast, you have 2 choices: Subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply Download/listen here to the mp3.

Or, heck, you can just read article by continuing on (you'll still feel chills down your spine).   more »

The use of toilet paper dates back to sixth century China, though in most parts of the world, paper was a rare commodity until the 17th or 18th centuries. Before this, people used a variety of devices for the purpose. In ancient Rome, public toilets were equipped with a sponge on a stick, which sat in a bucket of brine...

SPECIAL NOTE: You can listen to the 2-minute audio-article by subscribing to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or just  download/listen here to the mp3. Or, you can just keep on reading...   more »

When you think you're having a bad day, think of Jill Weiss. She not only gardens from a wheelchair, she donates her vegetables to people with AIDS...

First, let's go back to the Torino Olympic Winter Games Closing Ceremony, where Canada invited the world to ‘come play with us’ at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. One of the special moments in the closing ceremony occurred when Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan accepted the Olympic Flag, using a specially modified wheelchair.

Vancouver resident and gardener Jill Weiss, knows what it’s like to get around in a wheelchair. Thirty-five years ago, a car accident left her disabled. But she didn’t let that stop her from digging in the dirt. In one of Vancouver’s many community gardens, I caught up with Jill as she maneuvered her wheelchair to pick lettuce.  Listen to her story. I promise you'll be inspired by her Olympic spirit.

To hear my 2-minute interview with Jill, subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply download/listen here to the mp3.

Across the country, grandparents are stepping in to care for children of parents that are drug addicts, in prison, working as a single parent, or simply need help caring for their kids.

Operating out of a van, a special program in Hawaii called Tutu and Me Traveling Preschool visits community centers, schools and churches, bringing grandparents, caregivers and kids together for two hours of science, reading, history, Hawaiian traditions and even gardening. ("Tutu" means grandparent in Hawaiian.) Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the program has received high praises as a model solution to a growing problem.

Listen and learn as Carrie Kowolski describes how the Tutu and Me organizers pack a van full of garden supplies to teach the how-to's and importance of gardening, Hawaii style. To listen to this inspirational interview (only 2-minutes long), subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply download/listen here to the mp3. Who do you know who might benefit from a program like this?

Hungry, you grab an apple from the fruit bowl. You look for the little sticker and then scrape it off with your fingernail. Then it hits you: "What do the numbers on the sticker mean?"
 
As much as we don’t like them, the stickers attached to fruit do more than speed up the checkout process. The PLU code, or price lookup numbers tell you how the fruit was grown. By deciphering the numbers you can tell if the produce was grown with chemical fertilizers, is genetically modified, or organically grown.

[To listen to the audio version of this article, which is only 2 minutes long, subscribe to my podcast feed so you can open the attachment below,  or simply listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here]

Otherwise, just keep on reading...   more »

What national resource are we wasting away at an alarming rate? Oil, you might say. Perhaps. Try manure.

[Listen to the 2-minute audio article by subscribing to my podcast feed -- so you can open the attachment below -- or simply listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here]. Otherwise, heck, just keep on reading...

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Women are the fastest-growing group of people going to prison. Some say the system is broken. In a Michigan state prison, women get a taste of freedom through working with plants...

According to Christina Rathbone, author of A World Apart: Women, Prison, and Life Behind Bars, "The U.S. incarcerates more people each year than any place in the world other than China. The fastest-growing group within those incarcerated is women. Women who are mothers, primary care givers between the ages of 15 to 25, all there due to a non-violent offense, usually drug use."   more »

“'Scuse me while I kiss the sky.”

If you play professional football, you’d like to win the Super Bowl; if you’re an actress, an Academy award would be nice. But if you’re a vegetable, flower or herb, the title of “All America Selection” winner says you’re the best of the best, garden-wise. This year’s winners include a very unusual carrot called "Purple Haze," named after the song by Rock 'n Roll legend Jimi Hendrix.

[Please Note: I produced a fun, 2-minute audio piece from this article. To listen, you can subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) OR simply listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here]

Otherwise, enjoy yourself and keep reading...   more »

We can live four weeks without food, four days without water, four minutes without air. For sure, air tops the list as the most essential requirement to our physical health. Yet air can be rather unhealthy this time of the year. With doors and windows closed, indoor air pollution levels can rise to dangerous levels. While air fresheners cover up the smell of stale air, this does little to improve the indoor air quality. However, there is an effective solution to this problem, plants.

[Special: If you'd like to listen to this article (a 2-minute audion clip) subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply click here to listen to the mp3 file]. Otherwise, just keep reading...   more »

Thanks to the Web, there’s a new way to find old seeds.

It's 15 degrees outside. I'm checking my garlic, which is covered with plastic and frozen in the soil. The sun hits my cheek, but there’s little warmth in its kiss.

To me, nothing provides more comfort on a winter day than sipping coffee and cruising through seed catalogs. In those pages rest the promise of spring and childhood memories of my Grammie's beans, hot and seasoned with bacon, salt and pepper.

Today, it's easier to sprout past memories in real life, because old is new in seeds. Heirloom varieties, considered new and improved in their day, are now old and reliable. That's because "heirloom," means varieties introduced at least 50 years ago that are open-pollinated, not the result of hybrids. People are re-discovering the diversity in color, texture and taste that heirlooms provide.

[Lend me your ear! To LISTEN to this article, which is only 2 minutes long, subscribe to my podcast feed (which let's you open the attachment below) or simply listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here]

Then again, you can keep on reading...
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Calculating your retirement benefits is just one piece of the Big Decision. Experts say you should ask yourself, "What makes you happy?" and, "What do you want to do with your time?" Listen to these golden gems of advice from Mary Lou McNabb, a master gardener in Huntsville, Alabama...

Lend me your ear! To listen to the 2-minute interview you have two choices: Subscribe to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply download/listen here to the mp3.

Resources mentioned in the interview:
The Social Security Administration website: www.ssa.org

Are you jazzed when you get a bouquet of flowers only to feel a little sad as they fade? While you can't bring cut flowers back to life, you can prolong their freshness...

This year, the average consumer will spend about $100 on Valentine’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation. Topping chocolate, more cut flowers are sold for Valentine’s Day than any other holiday.

Okay, let’s say you receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Now what? We all know those blossoms will eventually shrivel. So let’s try to s-l-o-w the clock down by learning how to keep flowers looking their best.

[PSST! You can listen to this article, which is only 2 minutes long, by subscribing to my podcast feed (so you can open the attachment below) or simply listen to the mp3 file now by clicking here]

Otherwise, keep reading...   more »