Our customers are amazing. Thank you to the entire Ridgeway family for their creativity, thoughtfulness, and love of gardening… and for their love of the #DBbucket. My husband drilled several drainage holes in the bottom of each bucket, then we had an assembly line with our three grandkids and daughter. One was in charge of […]
For the best (mild) homemade garlic salt, harvest your scapes and break out the dehydrator! As an advanced Master Gardener with the University of Idaho, I have grown certified garlic for many years. Garlic is a protected crop in Idaho. Therefore, you must plant only certified bulbs in Idaho. (Friends don’t let friends plant Elephant […]
Beekeepers this time of year are excited to dive in for a first inspection of the spring. It’s common to find that some hives in your apiary didn’t survive the winter. Don’t be too discouraged by this because it’s statistically normal to lose some hives, even with the best of beekeeping practices. But, it’s helpful […]
Spring has sprung! We got lucky here in Boise, Idaho this past week with a few sunny days in the 60s – perfect for the first inspection of the spring. I was happy to find that two of my three hives are alive and well! Those odds are pretty good. 1. The first one I […]
Autumn is here! This signals a drastic change for beekeepers, as we are less able to effectively inspect our hives. Cooler temperatures are the culprit of this and I am often asked “what temperature is too cold to inspect a hive?” The short answer is – somewhere around 60 degrees or warmer. But there’s a […]
Honey bees are known to be quite hygienic. They take care to ensure that their hive is clean. Nearly all hives are experts at removing foreign substances from their home – debris, non-welcomed insects, etc. Some hives even go as far as to remove problematic substances that could cause disease to take hold of their […]
New beekeepers are often eager (or terrified) to dive into their beehives during their first year. It’s so exciting to open the lid and see what’s going on in that complex society now living in your backyard. I frequently get asked questions such as: how often should I inspect my hive? Is checking weekly too […]
Never mind that it’s February and 32-degrees outside. The sun is shining! Just the blue sky and the winter garden bathed in direct sunlight can make any of us long for Spring and the start of the growing season. For now though, many of us can get our “fix” by preparing for the coming season. […]
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is – “Is beekeeping easy?” The short answer is NO. Sorry to crush some dreams here. But stay tuned, because it gets better! The long answer involves much more than one word. When I have time to answer this question more thoroughly I will explain to […]
No matter what time of the tomato season it is, gardeners always have green tomatoes. With that in mind, this tomato preservation procedure can be used as long as you have fresh-from-the-vine, green tomatoes. Do not use tomatoes that have endured even one night of frost. It’s too late for them… and for you, my […]
Help, tomatoes are dropping their blossoms! This problem can be frustrating and difficult to manage as the problem usually is caused by high heat and low humidity. That’s a hard problem to deal with in southwest Idaho. Some blossom drop is normal because plants generally produce more flowers than the amount of fruit the plant […]
In this episode, Matt describes what it’s like to deal with pocket gophers, a very frustrating varmint. Matt goes over some do-it-yourself methods for eliminating pocket gophers and speaks with gopher experts Jim Martell, who is the director of Canyon County Idaho’s Weed and Pest Control Commission, and John Turpin the owner of Idaho Gopher […]
