Oh how I wish all things would be this easy!  The picture above left is a fresh flower arrangement that I put together on October 1 just before our first frost.  The one on the right is what I have on my kitchen island today.  What do they have in common?  

​Elevation 1313 Feet.  I live at the confluence of the east and west forks that start the Chippewa River.  It flows 180 miles to join the Mississippi River at Lake Pepin that is the widest naturally occurring part of the Mississippi River, located about 60 miles south of Saint Paul and on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

According to Rhubarb-Central.com "the cultivation methods for forcing rhubarb was developed in the early 1800's. Commercial growers of rhubarb use special forcing sheds, or hot houses, but the home gardener can successfully force rhubarb in a home cellar, a garage, or another outbuilding.  Forcing rhubarb can also be done outdoors, in the garden."  

The process is a bit involved and I recommend that you do some research before proceeding. 

Most spring bulbs need a 12-15 week chilling period.  Try dwarf species or hybrids for the best results.  I plant mine in potting soil in nursery pots and put them in the vegetable crisper of the beer refrigerator and covered with plastic to keep in the moisture.  Avoid putting them with other fruits and vegetables that may emit a gas that will cause them to rot.  Be sure to label with the date and species. 

Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus) are the exception needing no chilling period.  I keep those bulbs in the fridge unpotted. 

Here are some bulbs that are especially suited to forcing: 

1. Hyacinths, Tulips, Daffodils, Irises, Muscari
2. All Amaryllis (need no cooling period)
3. Paperwhites with strong stems & milder fragrance:  ‘Israel’, ‘Nazareth’, ‘Jerusalem’ or ‘Bethlehem. 

When you are ready for some blooms, bring them out.  You can repot in an attractive container and water.  Don't water again until growth begins.  After the first watering I give my bulbs a little extra spirit of 7 parts water to 1 part alcohol (I use an old bottle of vodka) to keep the from flopping.  The picture below shows the difference, the one on the left got a shot of booze when watering.  

Wisconsin law was changed as of December 31, 2017 to allow farmers to grow industrial hemp.  According to an August 10, 2018  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article industrial hemp is a cousin to marijuana but includes only a trace of what makes people high.  The same article stated that a 2015 federal law allows universities and state agricultural departs to work with farmers to research growing hemp.  If you are potentially interested in this crop, now is the time to explore the possibilities.  

The Wisconsin Department of Agricultural, Trade and Consumer Protection states that:  The licensing application period for the 2019 growing season will be open from November 1 through December 31, 2018.  Downloadable application forms and an online application option will be available here beginning November 1. If you sign up to receive updates (at right),  you will receive an email letting you know when the materials are available.
https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/IndustrialHemp.aspx 

Other sites that may help your research: 

• ​http://thesoyreport.blogspot.com/2017/12/industrial-hemp-in-wisconsin-first-steps.html
• ​http://ipcm.wisc.edu/blog/2018/02/wisconsin-industrial-hemp-production-faq-guide/
• https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/10/hemp-back-wisconsin-but-optimism-comes-challenge-new-market/919100002/

I saw a post on a different subject that challenged the writer to provide advice in 6 words.  So I took up the cause and came up with ten garden advice tips.  

This is embarrassing, I’m a failure at growing zucchini.  This most prolific plant that is the subject of jokes and interesting stories.  Like the report in the 2019 Old Farmer’s Almanac: “In Berlin, Germany, a 16-inch, 11-pound zucchini was mistaken for an unexploded World War II bomb.”   And I’m sure you have heard the joke told in many ways but the punch line is always to lock your car so you don’t receive any unexpected gift zucchinis from generous neighbor gardeners.

​Summer squash (aka zucchini ) are often described as a no-fail plant.  “With just a few plants you’ll have enough for friends, neighbors, and friend’s friends”, according to Grocery Gardening by Jean Ann Van Krevelen.  She also advises to keep harvesting or plants will stop producing.  Pick every day and pick when small when they are the most flavorful.  It was the "small" part that caught my attention.  The larger the size the less flavor for zucchinis. I want mine small, in fact much smaller than the ones in the markets (see female flower/fruit in above picture.) 
 
Daniel Stone, author of The Food Explorer, describes David Fairchild’s exploration for new food plants for America at the turn of the last century (1900s).  Fairchild first tasted zucchini in California.  It originated somewhere in Central America and was developed as a food crop in Italy and France.  Nature’s intent was for zucchini to be eaten small, before the blossom falls off; its name is Italian for ‘little squash’ according to Stone.   According to Wikipedia, the fruit is typically harvested as a baby vegetable, approximately finger size, and is referred to as "baby marrows" in South Africa.  That was the size I wanted to try.
 
Anyway, my plan was to grow a few plants in a tub this year to have a ready supply of perfectly sized (before the blossom dropped) fruits to sauté for an evening meal.  I grew exactly two zucchinis and, yes, they were perfect.  But then no more. 
 
Where did I go wrong?  Maybe they don’t like being constricted in a tub, maybe they need more than 6 hours of sun a day (the maximum in my woodland garden), maybe they had too much or too little water?  Lot’s of questions, no answers.
 
Do I try again next year to have a supply of the perfect zucchini?  I have more than six months to ponder whether to use space for this or a less finicky plant. 

Hollyhocks are an old fashioned cottage garden plant that provide visual height to your garden.  They are considered either biannual or a short-lived perennial. They need full sun and rich, moist soil.  I have my growing in a spot that receives about 6 hours of sunlight a day.  My plant has now been blooming for over 6 weeks and shows no signs of quitting.  Leaving the flowers to seed will help ensure plants for future years as hollyhocks are self-seeders.   Another option is to cut it back to the base after blooms have faded to have it come back for 2-3 years.

I'm hoping that mine will come back next year. ​

Aralia cordata 'Sun King', common name is Golden Japanese Spikenard, is bright chartreuse, stands about 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide plant.  It brightens up any area it might be in, one could say it dominates, or putting it nicer it is a focal plant.  
 
I added this to the front of my vegetable garden for all these reasons.  My vegetables are fenced in and are the first things visitors see when entering our property.  This showy plant keeps the area from looking too utilitarian.  It is placed in a challenging area, since it is right next to a black-topped drive in a 3 foot by 10-foot bed.  I needed a plant that would die completely back in the winter so it does not interfere with snow piles from the drive. 
 
It produces clusters of star-shaped flowers in late summer that add to late flower bouquets.  It does well for me in an area that gets about 6 hours of sun and is advertised as doing well in full sun to full shade.  In other words, it is not picky except that it does not do well if allowed to dry out.  I also have had no trouble with deer nibbling on this one.
 
The University of Arkansas Extension named it the plant of the week in September 2015, a link to their write-up is shown below.  The University of Tennessee named it the plant of the month in May 2016.  Since its introduction in 2000, it has received a lot of positive press. 
 
The downside of this plant is that it suckers, although I have not had a problem with that yet after two years.  The chartreuse color may overwhelm a garden of native plants; this would seem out-of-place.  It is non-native, the common name gives you a clue on that, although there are native Spikenards. 
 
This plant has does its job for the place I had to fill.  I enjoy its brightness and low maintenance requirements.  In the right place, I can recommend this as a plant to try. 
  
For more information:
University of Arkansas Extension 
Missouri Botanical Garden
University of Tennessee
 

​This year one of my gardening goals was to get the potager (a fancy term for my vegetable garden) in better shape.  This garden has slowly evolved from a flower patch around a flag pole to a fenced in garden with raised beds and wide paths.  In this blog pictures will tell the story. 

Here's what I did to clean things up: 

• Removed some perennials to allow for straighter paths and covered the paths with good quality landscape fabric and wood chips for sure footing
• Replaced landscape blocks with wood raised beds that my husband Don was so kind to design and construct
• Removed the plants that were unwanted like creeping jenny, chives, and mints that were invasive

I'm finding the garden much easier to work in, actually a joy to maintain and I can now find my vegetables without wading through the weeds.