Gardening season is about to wind down, now that cooler fall weather has arrived. And while some of you may have had a great garden this year, others of us might have had a few challenges. But either way, it’s fun to share what you did and what you learned with other fellow gardeners.
Today on “You Can Grow It,” garden master Jim Duthie is doing just that, sharing what other Idaho gardeners have been doing in their gardens this year. And it just goes to show, that no matter what your gardening skills might be, you can grow it.
One of the really fun things about gardening is getting to share ideas with other gardeners. Throughout the year, I hear from many of you with garden questions, or to just show me a picture of your garden project. So today on “You Can Grow It,” I want to share a few of those pictures and comments with you, that some of your fellow gardeners have shared with me.
Tracy Barksdale in Twin Falls sent me this picture last fall that her daughter took of the pretty sunflowers in their garden, proving that a garden can be small and simple, and still be beautiful.
Often, the joy of gardening comes with observing the little things. Theresa Mclay of Ontario captured this great shot of a busy honeybee in her garden. Earlier in the spring she enjoyed a salad of fresh lettuce she grew herself.
Charlotte Zaugg’s garden in Caldwell produced quite a harvest of heirloom tomatoes last fall. Hopefully she had the same success this year.
And here’s a picture from a master gardener. Bill Braham’s square foot garden produces a lot of food in a small space. Square foot gardening may be just the thing for you if you have a small yard.
Glenda Nelson likes to start her own plants from seed in her greenhouse in the spring. And as you can see, she gets a little help from Toby the cat.
Sometimes small space gardening can be a challenge, but with a little imagination and creativity, Jean Roberts came up with a beautiful green bean fence trellis that she designed and built herself. It’s made with cedar boards and hog wire. Even though she says she’s never built anything before, she turned her idea into reality with a little work. Nice job, Jean!
And take a look at these beauties! Constance McCamant grows these orchids in her Sun Valley home at an elevation of 6,500 feet. Proof that gardens can be beautiful both indoors and out. She also grows some beautiful roses in the mountain climate.
One of the most popular things I’ve featured on “You Can Grow It” are these garden huckleberries, and many of you have started growing them yourselves. Unlike the wild mountain huckleberries native to Idaho, these garden huckleberries are annuals, and have to be replanted each spring. But you can see that they produce a nice crop of berries on just a few plants, and they make delicious jams, jellies and syrups.
Rosemarie Reese grew garden huckleberries last year, and so she started plants from seed again this past spring. This is her second harvest of berries so far this season.
Coleen Bohney and Carolyne Logan heard about the garden huckleberries last year on “You Can Grow It,” so they bought some seeds and grew their own plants this year in containers. They look like they’re doing very well.
And Keri Taylor grew a couple of dozen garden huckleberry plants in her garden in Eagle. And judging from the looks of things, Keri’s going to be making a lot of huckleberry jam this year.
Finally, you’re never too young or too old to experience the joy of gardening, and to use your garden to bring a little joy to other people. Ray Munsey of Garden City is one of those kinds of gardeners. Take a look.
Ray Munsey has a real green thumb. Here he is showing off some of his huge dinner plate dahlias. When I met Ray a few years ago, he told me that his garden grew so well because he played country music to it. Ray still plays country music to his garden, and it must work. Ray keeps the ladies in his neighborhood and his family supplied with bouquets of beautiful flowers.
Just take a look at his zinnias. They normally grow to be about 18 inches high, but Ray’s zinnias soar to over five-feet tall.
And then there are his blackberries, sweet as candy and as big as your thumb on huge grape-like clusters. He usually gets up to 50 gallons of berries every season.
Ray turned 80 years young this year, and while he might be slowing down a little bit, his garden is still as productive as ever.
In the fall, Ray turns his cornfield into a fun scarecrow patch for the neighbors to enjoy. Just another example of how one man’s joy of gardening reaches out to bring joy to a lot of other people. Thanks Ray!
This year’s garden season is about to come to an end, but there are still a lot of things you can do through the winter to get ready for next year. After all, spring is only a few months away. And whether you’re an expert gardener or a beginner, you can grow it.
Sadly, Ray Munsey’s wife of nearly 60 years passed away on Tuesday. Our hearts go out to him and his family. But I have a feeling that Ray will continue to grow those beautiful giant dahlias again next year just for her.
By the way, if you’d like to try growing your own garden huckleberries, you can find the seeds at Seed Savers Exchange.