Here's a great start to the weekend: the first raspberry harvest of the season! Got out into the garden for a quick this morning and the raspberries are absolutely booming. I managed to pick almost 6 oz worth today! Seriously, every time I peel back the branches, I&
Friday night, a snap hail storm absolutely walloped my garden on St. Paul’s East Side. The cucumber vines are practically shot, so I planted some extra seeds as an insurance policy. On the bright side, the greens are pushing through, the zucchini is recovering, and the raspberries are almost
Fresh basil is absolutely thriving in my 'little' garden on St. Paul's East Side, which means it’s time for some homemade pesto! I LOVE making homemade pesto with fresh grown basil... Forget the store-bought stuff—this is 5-ingredient simplicity at its finest. All
Some DECENT sized hail rained down on us around 5:30-6:00 PM tonight. Absolutely destroyed my cucumber. Check the video below for the flash report.
Found a bunch of striped caterpillars completely taking over the dill today. Turns out they’re black swallowtails. On one hand, cool, butterflies! On the other hand, they are hungry hungry caterpillars... And going to town on the dill! Since it's not really a symbiotic relationship, but I
I posted all sorts of YouTube Shorts yesterday on the official Phalen Plot channel... I was so busy that I didn't have time to put them up on the site until this morning. All five videos are below... Enjoy!
This morning, I took a few minutes in the garden to manage the leafy greens. About half the row of cabbage was starting to bolt and flower, so I went ahead and pulled it up along with a bit of the arugula. One key to having a successful harvest all
A few days ago, I shared how I gave the potted tomato plants their first nutrient boost of the season. They've been in their containers for about a month now, and it was definitely time to keep that growth momentum going. This morning, while making the rounds in
It’s another gorgeous afternoon on the East Side of St. Paul, and the grdening operation is making serious progress! It has been a few weeks since these tomato plants were first transplanted into their pots, and while they received some initial nutrients at the start, they are due for
Good morning from a slightly cloudy East Side of St. Paul! It's my first year growing kale and cabbage, and the results are mixed but exciting. The kale is thriving—I just harvested a fresh batch for tonight’s dinner salad. On the other hand, the cabbage is
Summers in Minnesota are, well, inconsistent. I lived in South Florida (West Palm Beach area) from 2018-2021, and one thing you could depend on was consistent weather - 90°ish F daily, humid & rainy in the afternoons. But in the 'bold north' we can go from a
Raspberry season is upon us! I've been blessed with ultimate lazy gardener’s dream: a massive, native raspberry bush. I didn't plant it, I don't fertilize it, and I barely maintain it—unless you count hacking it back so it doesn't swallow
It's Taco Tuesday, and y'all know what that means: we need some cilantro! Here's the secret to keeping your supply steady all season: try to avoid trimming from the top. The trick to sustaining steady growth with cilantro is to harvest from the outside
While inspecting my garden this morning, I noticed some of the snap peas were getting pretty tall, but hadn't attached themselves to the fencing yet. If you don't properly steak your peas, they'll get floppy and won't grow big and tall! All
Morning y'all! Realized I haven't posted anything in over a week. Life's been busier than a spring bee for me! Here's a quick little update on the potatoes. Tl;dr we just kick back and watch em' grow at this point!
When spring seedlings look more like a dense green carpet than a neat row, that means it’s time to space things out a bit. My latest garden check-in found the kale & cabbage desperately needed some breathing room. The biggest thing to avoid: ripping those extras out by
Happy Friday, y'all! I hilled my russet potatoes today. They've been in their bags since April 12. Hilling potatoes is a necessity when using grow bags. Hilling really boils down to two things: protection and production. First, you’re shielding the potatoes from the sun. If
The first signs of life emerged Wednesday evening in my little garden on St. Paul's East Side! Well, I don't know if they emerged on Wednesday night, but that's when I first observed them... Regardless, always a good start to the season. I'
One of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked is whether the “investment” in my “little” garden actually pays off. Set aside the fact that I genuinely enjoy gardening and the zen feeling it gives me; the reality involves a balance sheet to assess the cost/benefit of the
Check out this timelapse I made last Thursday!
Don't let this week's daytime sun fool you! Looking at the forecast for St. Paul, and we;re trapped in a pattern of overnight lows dipping below 50° degrees fahrenheit for the next few days. If you're planting your garden or veggies this weekend
Everything is set! Seeds in the ground & every row marked, containers filled with all the transplants and seeds. Now, we just wait and watch it grow. The Main Bed (Direct Sown): • Lettuce & Arugula • Carrots • Broccoli • Snap Peas • Cucumbers • Zucchini • Kale & Cabbage Containers and Grow Bags: • 10 lbs
Planting day is finally here! I picked up all the remaining herbs and veggies last night, planning to move them outdoors to their permanent homes now that the Minnesota weather is finally cooperating. I've got a massive collection of seeds to plant in the ground as well. Take
I made this 60-second timelapse of me prepping the garden bed ahead of planting the veggies. First I used a garden weasel to break up the existing soil a bit. I had already weeded the garden bed a day earlier so the base was good and clear. I then