If you live in St. Paul, there’s a yard waste site on the East Side that I visit every year around April. It’s tucked away off Phalen Blvd. & Earl St, the Frank and Sims Yard Waste Collection Site (1150 Sims Ave, St. Paul, MN 55106) offers FREE
I set up my microgardens today. I’ve got two units that can each accommodate 12 pods. I didn’t count the pods ahead of time, though! So that limited me to 17 total; I ended up using 4 each of basil and dill, and the remaining 9 for oregano,
I usually buy more seeds than I need for the season. I'd rather have too many than run out when I need to replant some rows of lettuce or sow the second round of carrots for the summer. Around October of every year, I'll take all
The 2026 season is currently in a "wait and watch" mode. I began chitting russet potatoes in late February to jumpstart growth, but today's April 2nd snow on St. Paul’s East Side has pushed our planting goal back at least two weeks. Currently, I’m
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Welcome to PhalenPlot.com! This site was created to share tips and tricks from several years of experience, as well as the seasonal progress of my vegetable garden on St. Paul’s East Side in Minnesota. More to come real soon!