It may still be drizzling outside but there’s no doubt the lawn needs attention. If you’re getting ready to get out your lawn mower, trimmer, leaf blower, chain saw, pruner or other piece of outdoor power equipment, here are some tips from the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute on making sure you’re staying safe while doing […]
gardening
Posted inGarden
Go from Garden to Glass with a Beverage Garden
Where does alcohol come from? If you answer from brewers and distillers, you are correct — yet before the intermediary, the ingredients originated from a garden. Growing plants for adult beverages is all about freshness and flavors, since freshness equals flavor. Consumers choose the best homegrown edibles for better flavor. Supermarkets sell mostly tough, tasteless […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
Terracing a Vegetable Garden
The first time we saw our property, we were not smitten. Most of the land sloped significantly and faced north. The house did not make us jump with excitement either, at first. As our choices were pretty limited, we took a second look, and the magic started to reveal itself. The sloping property afforded a […]
Posted inAround West Sound
Friends of Manchester Library’s Plant Sale Helps Library Have a Home
Manchester Village is a hidden gem in Kitsap, on the waterfront of Puget Sound, and at its heart is the Manchester Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library. The relationship of this library to the community is unique. While the branch is staffed and the books and programming are provided by KRL, it is the Friends […]
Posted inGarden
The Daffodil Spring
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils; Beside the lake beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. ~ William Wordsworth In the last throes of winter, a sight of sunshine-yellow flowers is sometimes enough to […]
Posted inGarden
Bainbridge Bounty
On a quiet street in the middle of Bainbridge Island, Darren and Kari Murphy have sprouted a garden filled with fruit trees, grapes and vegetables of all sorts. While not a rare sight, theirs exudes an underlying passion for heirloom and unusual varieties and community service. Many of the plant varieties they grow are rare […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
From the Garden to the Party
Make every meal a special event by bringing the garden to the table. Serve your favorite dishes made from homegrown ingredients. Then allow guests to add their own herbal seasonings right from the garden or container. Start by growing the ingredients for your favorite recipes and beverages. Consider those, like tomatoes, that taste best fresh […]
Posted inGarden
Ambergardens Provides Food for Body and Soul
Life’s journeys are unpredictable. People’s interests and talents steer them down a path that may seem pretty clear, but life will always offer up some crossroads and detours to spice things up. Laura Ambers Pittman-Hewitt started out on an artistic path, studying music and visual arts in college. The economic realities of the early ’80s […]
Posted inGardeners Corner
What West Sound Landowners Need to Know About Noxious Weeds
As a gardener and homeowner, I consider myself a steward of the environment, and with that comes the responsibility of choosing plants for my home landscape that are not invasive or noxious. Noxious weeds are non-native plants that were introduced in the State of Washington by individuals who planted them as ornamentals, and they now […]