3-Minute Timelapse: Planting My Garden on St. Paul's East Side!

Check out this timelapse I made last Thursday!

Minnesota Gardeners: How to Protect Your Container Veggies from the Overnight Chill

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

2026 Garden Kickoff: The Main Bed & Containers Are All OFFICIALLY Ready!

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

Garden Update: Planting Day on St. Paul’s East Side!

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

Pure Garden Zen: A 60-Second St. Paul Spring Soil & Compost Reset

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 added

The Blueberry Plant Moved to it's Forever Home: A Large (Plastic) Whiskey Barrel

Sunday was a gorgeous afternoon to move the Chippewa blueberry into its forever home. I transplanted it to a 22-inch plastic whiskey barrel. The soil base is a mix of homemade and yard-waste compost, finished with a small layer of Miracle-Gro potting soil on top. My understanding is Blueberries thrive

Squirrels, Rabbits & Neighborhood Cats! How to Protect Your Veggie Garden From Outdoor Wildlife

Veggie gardening on the East Side can have its occasional "fluffy" challenges. Two summers ago, some of the local rabbit population began treating my snap peas like a private buffet, so I had to upgrade the security around the garden bed. Ahead of the 2025 growing season, I

St. Paul Gardening DIY: Drilling Plastic Whiskey Barrels for Better Drainage

Still a bit cold over on St. Paul's East Side, but it's almost time to move the new blueberry plant into it's new home. I’ve got two new plastic whiskey barrels this season, one for the blueberry plant and the other for strawberries.

Potatoes are Showing Sprouts – But When Should They Be Hilled?

They survived last weekend's cold snap! The first sprouts have officially emerged, which is a great sign that the tubers are happy, healthy, and finding their footing in the bags. Since moving the potatoes to their outdoor grow bags, I’ve been using a tarp regularly to cover

BONUS CONTENT: Bleeding Heart is Blooming Late April in Minnesota!

While the primary focus of phalenplot.com is my vegetable garden, spring perennials provide a much-needed burst of color this time of year. Tucked away next to the garage, this Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) has begun its late-April show. In my experience, it'll bloom for a few days

I Bought a Blueberry Plant! The First New Addition of the Minnesota Gardening Season

I told y'all I'd be growing something new this year! Although it won't be fruiting until late summer 2027 at the earliest, I bought this Chippewa Blueberry plant from the Bachmann's up off Highway 36 & White Bear Ave. Built for the

FLASHBACK: I Once Grew a Zucchini That Weighed Almost 7 LBS!

Quick flashback from the archives - to the time I grew a zucchini that weighed over SIX LBS! The pictures say it all! This bad boy was the size of our elder Morkie, Zooey, born way back in 2013. My wife thought it would be hilarious to stage a photo

Growing Chives in Pots: Tips & Maintenance 101

Spring on St. Paul's East Side can be a rollercoaster, but a few hearty herbs and veggies can withstand the weather. Chives are definitely one of them. Here's the 101: * 2-inch rule: Leave at least two inches of green above the soil to ensure the plant

The Lazy Gardener’s Trick to Early Spring Chives in Minnesota

Last summer, I had three small pots with chives growing. As fall came around, I left them in their containers, and now they're growing again! No human intervention required. That's my type of crop - easy growth with minimal maintenance! Since chives are perennials, they survive

3-Week Microgarden Update: The Good, The Bad, and The Stunted Basil

Three weeks in, and the microgarden is proving that some herbs simply have more grit than others. While almost everything is thriving, the basil is currently staging a quiet, stubborn protest. Here is the latest status report on what’s winning and what’s stalled: * Arugula looks perfect! No complaints.

Did the Potatoes Survive the Weekend Cold on St. Paul's East Side?!?

The verdict: too soon to tell! We'll have to wait & see. I did use some of the potato fertilizer I bought on 4 of the bags. It'll be interesting to see if that makes a difference in the yield! RELATED: Shielding Potatoes from the Weekend

Plant Food, Fertilizer & More: A Phalen Plot Primer

Here's a quick breakdown of the plant food and fertilizers I'll be using on my garden herbs and veggies this summer. The Feed Lineup * Miracle-Gro All Purpose: The 'Swiss Army knife' of the shelf, provides a basic, fast-acting nutrient boost for general plant health.

SNOW on St. Paul's East Side Sunday Morning! Will My Potatoes Survive?

Quick post this morning, after waking up to snow on St. Paul's East Side! It was just a little dusting, but it's still a good thing that I covered up the potatoes with the tarp on Friday night.

Shielding Potatoes from the Weekend Cold in St. Paul!

When the temps get too low, you wanna make sure you're covering up your crops! And yes, this even goes for a cold-weather vegetable like potatoes. As hearty and strong as potatoes can be, even they can die off if it gets too cold out. The temperature Friday

Challenge Accepted: Proving the Value of My 'Little' East Side Garden Plot

So way back in the day, probably circa 2015, 2016, I had a colleague who remarked to me that I was probably spending more on my garden than the veggies I was growing were worth... I thought, challenge accepted. I’ve had a vegetable garden almost every summer since I

Microgarden Check-in Pt. Deux: Consolidating the Herbs

Quick update on the microgarden - I consolidated all the herbs into one unit this morning. It's been 11 days since I started these pods, as originally shared in this post. I plan to dismantle the other microgarden and clean it up for next winter. RELATED: Checking In

Gardening Life Hack: Use Empty Soda Cans to Save on Soil for Your Container Plants!

Here's another life hack I learned years and years ago–you can use empty soda cans at the bottom of containers to save on dirt! I prepped my containers for the season a few days ago. Now, how I personally go about growing herbs, tomatoes, and zucchini in

I Picked FRESH Carrots from the Garden in St. Paul - in April!

Last fall, I left about a half-row worth of carrots behind in the garden - after reading that they would be fine in the spring. Fast forward to yesterday, when I was out doing some other yardwork, I figured it was time to pick the carrots. Got a pretty good

Planting Potatoes in Grow Bags: An Earlier Start for Year Two

Planted all the potatoes that were chitting indoors since February into their bags today. I'm going to do a little experiment and compare the two batches. I used four bags for the potatoes I bought from Amazon, and six for the organic potatoes from Target. I've