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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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 shoot