The Minot Forestry Department is taking orders from homeowners for its annual Boulevard Tree Planting Program. Brian Johnson, city forester, said homeowners who are interested in obtaining boulevard trees can call the Forestry Department at 857-4178. He said they have 12 different ...
Last week while I was writing my column, unfolding a tale from the olden days about my dear grandmother’s run-in with an ornery bovine and an exasperated husband, a saga of my own was developing in my living room between our new orange cat who now has six names and a mouse, who shall never be ...
If you are anxiously awaiting the growing season, use your time wisely by planning your upcoming spring garden now. Select your site. Whether planting vegetables, herbs or flowers, you should consider these factors: – Sunlight. Select a space that receives an ample amount of ...
In an earlier article I mentioned controlling voles or also called field or meadow mice with homemade traps I call “Vole Hotels.” They are any container that doesn’t let light in, are large enough to have a small “rodent sticky trap” placed in it, and are weather proof. I use the ...
Raised beds and containers expand our planting options. They allow us to grow edible and ornamental plants even where there is no plantable space to garden. Use them to make planting, tending and harvesting convenient by bringing the garden to your back door. And fill them with ...
Blossom-end rot in tomatoes, peppers and other garden vegetable is an annual problem. There are many home remedies that have been put forth to fix the problem. They are of limited value at best, and useless for most. But the simple answer to the problem is make sure the plants have enough ...
The first time I heard my dad swear was when he was standing in the horse trailer at a high school rodeo in New Salem while my horse was standing on his foot. Or maybe it was that time the bulls got out and bringing them back with only the help of an 11-year-old was going about as swimmingly ...
Trinity Health Diabetes Education and Nutrition Services will host a class on square foot gardening Thursday, May 16, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Trinity Health Community Conference Room at Town & Country Center, according to a press release from Trinity. The class is co-sponsored by ...
Current Hometown: Velva How would you describe your specialty handcraft? Love to quilt and paint. Decided to take my quilt patterns and incorporate them into painting on wood “barn quilting.” What or who inspired you to become involved in it? My son asked me if I could create a ...
When we were growing up, we had a house cat. I shouldn’t say “we,” really, because that cat was all my little sister’s, except that my big sister named her Belly, after one of her favorite mid-’90s girl grunge bands and I got the heroic ranch kid privilege of rescuing her as a tiny ...
Make every occasion special by designing and growing containers for summer holidays, weddings, anniversary parties or other special celebrations. Pick a color scheme appropriate for the occasion or a variety of colors and shapes sure to add a festive touch. Look for opportunities to include ...
Some days, if the wind is just right and I’m the proper amount of sleep-deprived, I can convince myself that I’m a rock-star cowgirl who has this work, ranching, cattle and kid-raising situation under control. Like last weekend when I was helping sort cows into the chute for medicine, for ...
North Dakota has had a history of planting only a few varieties of hardy trees due to climate and availability of species. Because of this history, we are vulnerable to a disease or insect causing wide spread problems across the state. Dutch elm disease is a good example of this. DED moved ...
Current Hometown: Minot How would you describe your specialty handcraft? Paper crafting & stamping through greeting cards, scrapbooking, home decor and gifts. What or who inspired you to become involved in it? A group of friends were meeting monthly and since I’ve always been ...
As a writer who documents my life weekly, the gift I get in exchange for the deadlines is a chance to look back on previous versions of myself. Because sometimes I feel compelled to look back, like I did last night as I tried to quiet the worries that come with full-blown adulthood — a ...
Growing a garden is like baking a cake or a batch of cookies. The right amount of nutrients in the soil will produce the most useable garden produce. This is the same as a recipe. If you follow the recipe, the end product will be what you set out to bake. But, if you add too much of one ...
Nothing is more frustrating than investing time, money and energy in planting and growing tomatoes only to watch them succumb to disease. We can’t change the weather conditions that support disease problems, but we can tweak our growing strategies to reduce this risk. Select and grow the ...
I am the mother of two young daughters. I am the mother of girls. I am a full-grown woman with almost half my life behind me and they are children, so young and fresh, running wild down the gravel road in rain boots in search of mud puddles. I look at them, the 1-year-old’s cheek ...
With the snow all melted, we are seeing the effects of moisture and rodents on our lawns, trees and shrubs. In some instances they will recover with some help from us. But in others, damage may be extension and require considerable effort and maybe expense to repair. Voles are small, ...
Current Hometown: Bottineau How would you describe your specialty handcraft? Crocheting What or who inspired you to become involved in it? I picked up a book on how to crochet in the ‘70s. My neighbor lady asked me to finish a cape her mother had started. I was able to figure out the ...