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The Impatient Gardener blog was started in 2009 and its library of posts includes practical how-tos, plant guides, favorite garden gear, successes and failures and much more. If you’re looking for something specific, the search function at the top of the page can help.

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ContainersGarden

Summer in review as seen through one container

The last day of summer came and went in the most depressing way possible: with an all-day downpour that kept me out of the garden. This summer-loving gardener is not pleased. It is my sincere hope that we have a lot more summerlike weather ahead because as usual, it feels like summer has absolutely flown by. I am in no ...

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Garden

Late season garden rescue: To salvage or call it a year?

Everything was going fine until it rained. And rained. And rained. Our weather station temporarily went on the fritz last week when a night of lightning took out the power, but we got somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 inches of rain in about four days. That much rain at this time of year is a recipe for flopped and ...

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onions
EdiblesGarden

A great onion harvest proves taking chances can pay off

These are the onions I grew this year.  I harvested them this weekend and they may be the single best argument for trying new things in the garden.I can’t give you poundage because I just pulled them and they are curing but I can assure you I’ve never grown more onions before. And here’s where it gets mind-blowing for me: ...

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EdiblesGarden

Summer, celebrated with a perfect BLT

I can tell you the exact moment that summer started at my house: 12:27 p.m. September 2.  You read that right. That is the moment that summer started. Reports of summer’s death have been greatly exaggerated. And in this house summer starts the moment that I take the first bite of  BLT featuring a giant slab of tomato from my ...

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Garden

The one thing I really didn’t want to find in my garden (or my house)

Just a couple weeks ago I wrote here about how I manage insect pests in the garden. The general point was that human intervention is often not required. If you create a garden with a healthy ecosystem, things will all balance out. If that sounds just a wee big smug, you can rest assured that I’ve gotten what’s coming to ...

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floating flower arrangement
Garden

Zen in the garden: A newfound joy of floating flowers

Earlier this week I opened my garden to a group of master gardeners. Although this wasn’t an official garden tour, there was a still a bit of last-minute fussing, the kind where you look at your own garden with a more critical  eye. That led to pulling out a “more natural” area next to the small path that leads to ...

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Annual border
GardenPlants

The great seed-grown annual show

Me in February: I’m going to grow an entire garden from seed this year! I will grow all the things I’ve grown in the past and add in at least 20 new varieties because I am a seed-starting machine! And I definitely need to grow a whole flat of everything because I need backups if something doesn’t grow. I love ...

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Japanese beetle in rose
Garden

How to manage garden pests the lazy way

I do, on occasion check out a few gardening groups on Facebook. For the past couple of weeks they’ve been full of posts like this: “What is eating my plant and how do I kill it?” A variety of answers come in, but in every case there’s at least one answer like this: “Put Sevin dust on it. That kills ...

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