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Working on branding for the Academy, and would love to know which community cover image you like better?

If you want more melons, squash, and cucumbers this year, the secret isn't just soil and sun. It's flowers. 🌻 Here's a good rule of thumb I use in my own garden: for every 3 vegetable plants, plant at least 1 flower. Some veggies rely on pollinators to produce fruit. But veggie blooms alone often aren't enough to catch their attention, especially early in the season before your vegetables even start flowering. Think of flowers as the billboard. Their bright colors and strong scent are basically advertising "food here!" to any pollinator flying by. Once they land in your garden for the flowers, they'll naturally visit your vegetable blooms too. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 Not all pollinators are drawn to the same things, so a mix of flowers brings a mix of helpers: 🐝 Bees love purple, blue, and yellow flowers like lavender, bee balm, hyssop, and sunflowers 🦋 Butterflies go for clustered or flat, open blooms in red, orange, and pink, like zinnias, lantana, and coneflowers, because they give them a place to land 🐦 Hummingbirds are drawn to tubular, red or orange flowers like salvia, California fuchsia, and trumpet vine 🌙 Moths prefer pale or white flowers that open in the evening, like moonflower or evening primrose, since they're active at night Planting a variety means you're rolling out the welcome mat for more than just bees. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 Pollinators need water just like we do, and having a source right in your garden makes a huge difference. A bird bath or small fountain works great. If there's no water nearby, pollinators have to leave your garden to find some elsewhere, which means less time pollinating your plants. But if you've got water right there, they can take a quick drink, rest for a second, and get right back to work. However, bees and other small pollinators can actually drown in open water. So, toss a few flat stones, rocks, marbles, or corks into the bird bath or fountain so they have something to land on while they drink. A shallow dish with pebbles works just as well if you don't have a bird bath.

I have good news: Onions are one of the easiest plants in the garden to read. Unlike other plants (I see you, watermelon 🍉), where it can be a lot harder to tell, onions basically 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 you when they're ready. 𝟯 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿: - Your first big clue is when the neck (that's the part where the leaves meet the top of the bulb) flops over onto the ground. - Your second sign is when the outer skin starts turning dry and papery instead of smooth and green. - The third indication is when about half the leaves start yellowing and drying out. BUT WAIT (there's more 🤣), don't rush to pull them just yet. 𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 Once the tops flop and start browning, give it another one to two weeks before you pull anything. This does two things: - It lets the onion finish sealing its neck shut, which is what keeps moisture and bacteria out during storage - And it lets the bulb pull the last bit of energy out of the dying stalk. Skip this wait, and you could end up with onions that don't seal properly and rot faster in storage. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 - Stop watering three to five days before you plan to harvest. This gives the outer layers and the soil around the bulb time to dry out, which matters a lot for both pulling them easily and preventing them from trapping excess moisture. - Wait for a dry day if you can. Onions have shallow roots, so on dry soil you can just grab the bulb and gently pull straight up. Wet soil makes them harder to pull, and extra soil can stick to the bulb, which traps moisture you don't want. A couple things to keep in mind: - Pull from the bulb, not the stem. Yanking on the stem can snap it. - Once it's out, gently brush off the dirt with your hand. - Don't peel off any of the outer papery layers yet. Those are doing a job (protecting the bulb), and you'll want them for curing. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 If you're planning to store your onions rather than eat them right away, they need to cure first. Lay them out in a single layer somewhere shaded with good airflow, out of direct sun. A covered patio, garage, or shop all work fine.

Since I haven’t convinced the hubby yet that I need an inside composter… it’s getting more expensive as the days go by as I discovered a really cool $649 one today. Hahahaha…. I have been using my five gallon buckets I got from work.drilled holes all over bottom, tops and sides for airflow, water to enter, and drain. Each night as I walk through my garden, I remove any dry leaves, expended flowers, etc and toss them in my bucket. I also shred up paper towels I dry my hands on, collect tea bags and coffee grounds, veggie scraps, and cut up cardboard tubes and boxes to toss into my bucket. When my seeds didn’t germinate for me this spring, I decided to dump all the seeding mix in my bucket too. Each night after adding my scraps, I take my spade and chops it all up and turn it, mixing it all together. It’s looking good and my bucket is filling up quick.