Author Archives: Jennifer Smith

How to Make Sure End-of-Season Plants You Buy Are Worth It

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end-of-season plants

The end-of-season plants are on sale at your favorite nursery and at the big box stores. But how can you make sure that those bargain plants really are a good deal? (Translated: How to make sure the plants will live and not be a waste of your money?) Here are tips from our Adventures of Landless Gardener blogger, Jennifer Smith.

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How to Combat Poor Soil Conditions for a Better Garden

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poor soil conditions

It’s easy to blame poor soil conditions for our garden troubles; I do it myself. In northern Wisconsin it was too sandy. Here, in Cincinnati, there’s too much clay. Some soil blocks nutrients from plants. Some soil simply lacks enough nutrients for the plants we want to grow. And that is part of the problem—we need to choose the right plants for the soil, or find a different place to grow the plants we want.

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Why It Helps to Have a Plan B in the Garden

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Plan B

Despite our best-laid plans, each season’s garden seems to have a mind of its own, so it’s good to have a Plan B. Even given our best efforts, the weather plays a part, and the insects—both good and bad. This season has been a series of subtle, and some not-so-subtle, reminders that I’m not the boss of the Bettman Gardens; the gardens are the boss. 

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How to Create a 21st-Century Garden Club

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garden club

I have often heard other gardeners my age lament the fact that garden clubs that fit into their busy work and family schedules are hard to come by. But I have found that garden clubs of a different nature can be found. I’ve been meeting with and sharing dinners with my fellow adopt-a-plot gardeners for years now. We may not be a traditional garden club, but we are a group of like-minded garden enthusiasts, which is pretty much a club, yes?

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The Beauty of the Ice Storm in a Gardener’s Eye

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ice storm

One thing gardening in Cincinnati has taught me is patience; at least it’s doing its best to teach me that fine lesson. Last weekend, I was cutting back Epimedium, admiring daffodil shoots just starting to poke up from the soft bed of pine fines and tweaking my plant list for the winter bird garden. Today, it’s garden books, plant catalogs and fuzzy slippers.

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Tips for Summer Tomato Care that Work

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Jung Seed Summer Tomato

Summer tomato care requires us to shift our gardening practices. Once temperatures climb above 85˚F – 90˚F in the day and 75˚F in the evening, the tomatoes’ flowers often encounter problems. For example, the fruit might not set due to …

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