Beat the heatwave with some serious garden upgrades! From automated Govee tech in the greenhouse to a targeted pest control strategy against cabbage moths and slugs, here is how the raised beds are…

Tackling the final hard labor of the season! From hilling up Magic Molly potatoes and refereeing a comfrey vs. shallot turf war, to running permanent electrical power to the greenhouse—the backyard garden is officially upgraded.

See how to protect blueberries from birds using election sign frames and disco balls, plus a full update on the garden layout, and another round of gutters on the greenhouse adds MAJOR liquid impact!

From blue Magic Molly potatoes to DIY deer-proofing with election signs, see how the yarden is evolving this spring. Plus, a "glow up" for the herb bags and the potato lane!

From fixing hydrophobic soil to building a Zone 6b Blueberry Row: lessons learned in water management and picking varieties for a season-long harvest.

I'm doing square foot gardening in my raised beds and starting seeds in the Costco Greenhouse at the Not So Seekrit Lair Get the full Wave 1 planting breakdown here!

Stop wasting money on bagged dirt that settles in a season! See how I upgraded my garden with 4 yards of Veggie Delight from Kalamazoo Landscape Supplies, avoided “soil osteoporosis,” a…

Join The Moose Soir’EH! May 9 at Old Dog Tavern in Kalamazoo for live Canadiana music, poutine, craft drinks, and an all-ages fundraiser.

Adding rainwater harvesting to my Costco greenhouse seemed like an excellent idea because I want to reduce my dependence on the garden hose. Friday I installed DIY greenhouse gutters, and today I finished linking four rain barrels into a simple catchment system. In a perfect world, this would have been done yesterday but technology steered me all the way wrong on my parts list.

The Costco greenhouse is made by Yardistry, and while it’s a great structure, it doesn’t come with gutters. So in my ongoing effort to make the Farm at the Not So Seekrit Lair a little more sustainable, today I installed gutters on my Costco greenhouse. Originally I planned to add gutters on both sides, but the way it would have needed to route into the rain barrel array looked a little janky (in my aesthetic opinion).

It pains me to say it, but I didn't enjoy the latest James Lee Burke book, The Hadacol Boogie. My good friend Dave Johnson put me on to him many years back and I've enjoyed his writing immensely. His evocative descriptions of southern Louisiana are captivating, and remain so in this book. His main characters are Louisiana police detective Dave Robichaux and his sidekick Clear Purcel.

We have had a long, long stretch of exceedingly cold weather here in Kalamazoo, more so than usual! Fortunately, the greenhouse did NOT have a repeat of the frozen solid hijinks of my last post. The 55 gallon drum of warm water has been doing the job along with the lowest setting on the forced air fan heater, and I've been able to keep things alive.

Come visit our Kalamazoo bookstore to explore our fantastic selection of New & Used Books! It's the perfect place to buy books online or in person, all while supporting a local small business.

Except I don’t live on 10th Avenue, and Bruce Springsteen was not available to lend me a hand with this crisis! I opened the greenhouse Saturday to check on my plants and the greens I seeded …