America’s expansion on the continent has flipped this script, at least so far.

But I see change happening and hope rising all around me as people realize the they are part of nature.

Land Acknowledgement

I focus on land and ecology issues in this piece but am aware that the land I grow food on was tended by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Both genetic and archaeological data point to an inhabitation range of 23,000 to 30,000 years.  And in that time Indigenous people slowly populated the land. When the first Europeans made their way to North America in the 1500’s they found tribes growing food, foraging, hunting and managing the land in truly sustainable ways. I am repurposing our land acknowledgment statement from our book, Small-Scale Homesteading here:

We acknowledge that we’re writing on Indigenous Dakota and Lakota lands. By offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm tribal sovereignty and express respect for Native peoples and nations. We are on the ancestral lands of the Dakota people. We want to acknowledge the Dakota, Ojibwe, the Ho Chunk and other nations of people who all called this place home. We are grateful for the knowledge Indigenous peoples have gathered and continue to share with us. We urge you to explore the rich history and current Indigenous activism of your local community.

The Artificial Ecological Climax

Real ecological succession matures into a self-sustaining ecosystem. The American model replaced a deeply rooted, self-sustaining mostly wild, yet also managed (Indigenous farmland) climax community with a fragile, highly managed monoculture (like endless fields of corn and concrete cities) that requires constant inputs of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and fossil fuels to survive.

Nutrient Strip-Mining

Instead of creating soil, early American agriculture and expansion treated centuries of accumulated wild nutrients as an infinite bank account. They broke the prairie sod, farmed it intensely until the nutrients were spent, and then moved further west to repeat the process. Leaving a dust bowl and species decline of both plants and animals in the crumbling soil paths.

The Aggression of the Invasive Species

If plant pioneers build soil and invasives destroy balance, the American history aligns heavily with the invasive model. The American Homesteading Act of 1862 granted 160 acres of public land to any US Citizen (or intended citizen). This chopped up roughly 10% of the entire land into 160 acre chunks and transferred it from the government to anyone over 21 who could last 5 years on it. The way of looking at land like a commodity instead of a gift set Americans down a very narrow path.

Removing the Natives

Just like kudzu or garlic mustard, the new European immigrants didn’t integrate; they monopolized resources (water, light, space). They grew what they wanted, without learning what the land knew how to grow best. European settlers altered the entire chemistry of the environment to make it unlivable for the native species that had spent millennia adapting to that specific biome.

The Illusion of Virgin Soil

Invasive plants often thrive because they enter a system where they have no natural predators. Pioneers claimed the land was “virgin” or “vacant” wilderness, ignoring that it was already a finely tuned, actively managed human and wild ecosystem. They treated a mature garden as if it were bare mud.

European gentry started the “Enclosure Movement” of fencing off communal fields as early as the 16^th century. The results were poorer yields, and poorer peasants. This history is discussed in Kate Browns’ book, Tiny Gardens Everywhere. But for some reason the European immigrants thought the same system would have different results with the lands and people of North America. Or maybe they just didn’t care.

Nature Heals

In botany, weeds are nature’s band-aids. If you scrape skin, you get a scab; if you scrape the earth, you get weeds to hold the dirt down and prevent erosion. Most weeds have crazy fast germination and growth, and tend towards shallow, fibrous root systems. Think of plantain, which is called ‘white man’s footprint’ by Indigenous people because of how it sprung up wherever they disturbed the soil.

Failing to Heal: Americans acted like a weed layer that refused to let the skin fully heal. By continuously clearing forests, overgrazing plains, and damming rivers, the “pioneer” phase was artificially prolonged. The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s is the ultimate historical proof of this—the soil was stripped so bare of its native holding mechanisms that the wind simply blew the climax community’s foundation away. And yet, in other parts of the world, people are using planting techniques to create the Great Green Wall and hold back the Sahara Desert. And dams keeping salmon from spawning grounds are being removed and fish numbers are bouncing back. Americans just need to think in terms of nature’s timelines instead of our own.

Cultural / Ecological Mirrors

• Root Depth: Many native prairie plants have roots that go 15 feet deep into the earth. The annual food crops brought by pioneers have shallow, weak roots. This mirrors the cultural shift from deep, multi-generational, localized knowledge of the land to a transient, fast-moving, short-term economic mindset.
• Weed Mentality as “Grit”: The very traits celebrated as American virtues—rugged individualism, high adaptability, rapid growth, and tough resilience—are the exact biological definitions of weedy, opportunistic species.

The Next 250 Years

So how do we move forward with our depleted land, a government that keeps making it harder for people to make better long-term choices?  Again, we learn something old. Indigenous teachings say to think seven generations ahead when making big decisions. While 7 generations might not get us to 250 years, it gets us Americans much further than the next paycheck.

We again look to nature for answers.

Seeking out your own Ecological Observations

As humans are remembering we are in fact part of nature and not separate from it, we’re beginning to see self-care includes earth-care.

Look into your local Indigenous run farms. One of mine is Dream of Wild Health

Nature and plants tell us to adapt more than rebel. We work within the system and dig our own roots deeper. We communicate with each other, like plants use far underground immense fungal networks to communicate. These unseen systems keep revealing more depth and strength the more we research them. And that’s what will get us through this together – taking time to learn and love this earth and each other, in all our differences.

Diversity is our strength.

And Nature is on our side, because We are Nature.

With love to you all,
Michelle

The post Ecological Observations on the 250th Anniversary of America: Pioneers vs. Exploitation appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Between unpredictable grocery prices and supply chain hiccups, it’s easy to feel a bit powerless when walking through the supermarket aisles. But what if the ultimate security system wasn’t something you bought, but something you grew? Growing your own food doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need to grow everything. Just start with something!

Taking back your power starts with planting a few plants, using whatever space you have.

Growing your own food is about more than just fresh flavor. It’s about self-reliance, building food security, and putting nutrient-dense ingredients directly onto your table. Best of all, you don’t need acres of land to make a massive impact. Whether you have a spacious backyard plot, a community garden bed, or just a sunny patio with a few pots, you can dramatically cut your grocery bills.

If you’re ready to dig in and maximize your return on investment, focus on these backyard superstars.

Best Bang for Your Buck: Herbs and Lettuces

If you want to see an immediate drop in your grocery receipt, skip the grocery store lettuces suffocating in plastic clamshells (the waste and environmental impact from those is astronomical) and head to the garden center instead.

Culinary herbs like basil, cilantro, parsley, and rosemary are also incredibly expensive at the store, often rotting in the fridge before you can use them all. In a pot outside your kitchen door, they thrive on neglect and can be harvested on demand, week after week.

Pair those herbs with a continuous supply of salad greens. Leaf lettuce, spinach, and arugula grow incredibly fast from seed. Because you can use the “cut-and-come-again” method—harvesting just the outer leaves while the center keeps producing—a single packet of seeds will yield a summer’s worth of gourmet salads for pennies.

At this time of year (early June) it’s best to focus on heat-tolerant varieties, and succession sowing arugula, cilantro, and basil. I’ve got lots of specifics in my article, Growing Great Lettuce.

Maximizing Small Spaces with Vertical Gardening

If you think you don’t have enough room to grow your own food, it’s time to shift your perspective and look up. Vertical gardening is the ultimate game-changer for small spaces, patios, and balconies. Instead of letting plants spread outward and take up precious ground or floor space, you train them to grow upward.

For comparison, if you grew bush beans and cucumbers on the ground, it would take roughly 240 square feet, but growing pole beans and having the cucumbers trained up a trellis would take only 20 square feet.

You can easily transform a blank wall, a deck railing, or a sunny corner into a vertical farm. Vertical planters, stacked pocket systems, and hanging baskets are perfect for keeping a continuous supply of herbs, strawberries, and leafy greens right at eye level.

By going vertical, you not only multiply your growing area but also improve air circulation around your plants, which naturally keeps pests and diseases at bay.

Pole Beans and Bush Beans

When it comes to vertical gardening, pole beans are absolute champions. By training them up a simple trellis, teepee, or cattle panel, you utilize vertical height while leaving your ground soil or pots free for low-growing herbs. They produce heavily and continuously all summer long until the first frost.

If you don’t want to use a trellis, bush beans are an excellent alternative. They stay short, compact, and thrive beautifully in fabric pots, window boxes, or vertical pocket planters. Because bush beans mature quickly and are generally all harvested within a few weeks from the first to the last bean, they are perfect for succession planting. Even in northern climates with shorter growing seasons, you can easily get two full plantings of bush beans in a single year by sowing a second round of seeds in mid-summer.

Best Storage Crop: Winter Squash

True self-reliance means eating from your garden long after the summer sun has faded into memories. That is where winter squash shines. Varieties like Butternut, Acorn, and Delicata are remarkably low-maintenance during the growing season, and they excel at long-term storage. They do sprawl, but can be grown from containers, trained up trellises and arches, or left to take over a patch of lawn. These squash are generally not eaten by critters either, so they don’t need to be grown in a fenced-in area.

Once harvested in the fall and properly cured, these tough-skinned beauties will sit happily in a cool, dark pantry or basement for months. No canning, freezing, or dehydrating required. When the snow is flying, you will have a reliable, hearty source of vitamins and carbohydrates ready for cold-weather soups and roasts.

Get Growing Your Own Food and Take Back Your Power

The world feels unstable right now, but the rhythm of nature and her soils remain constant. If you really want to make a long-term change, consider planting some edible perennials into your landscape!

And, when you’re ready to grow enough to have ‘extras’ consider learning some of the ways to preserve your harvests with some of these gardener friendly recipes.

Remember- You do not have to become completely self-sufficient overnight to make a difference!

Start small.
Plant what you love.
Enjoy Growing Your Own Food!

By growing even a fraction of your own groceries, you save money, reduce your environmental footprint, and rediscover the unmatched satisfaction of feeding yourself.

Plus, I’ll guarantee you it tastes better!

The time is right to take matters into your own hands. Grab some soil, choose your plants, and dig in!

Peas,
Michelle

The post Growing Your Own Food: Regardless of the Space You Have appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Let’s dig into soil temperatures for early season success.

Climate Change in the Garden

While specific years will always fluctuate, the country and Northern world is experiencing a long-term trend of warming winters. Minnesota’s average annual temperatures have increased by 3.2°F between 1895 and 2024.

Spring soil temperatures in Minnesota show significant year-over-year variability, heavily influenced by snow cover, spring precipitation, and air temperature, with a long-term trend toward earlier warming. Minnesota is recording earlier spring soil warming temperatures overall.

In recent years, soil temperatures have varied from early-season warm spells to late-season “nosedives,” with 4-inch deep soil temperatures commonly reaching 50°F in April. But we still get anomalies like April readings of 33°F in 2014 and 60°F in 2012.

How to Measure Soil Temperature for Seed Germination

This spring in my Minnesota garden in mid-May I still had soil temps dip down below 50°F in the early morning, and we’re still having frosts this May. In recent years this temperature was higher.

Planting in protected growing areas like Low Tunnels or a Cattle Panel Greenhouse can increase soil temperatures by 10–15°F compared to open ground, promoting faster, healthier growth. These consistent few degrees warmer means so much for good germination early in the season.

• Use a simple soil thermometer
  (I actually have a few of them) and test roughly 4-6 inches deep to get my readings.
• To know the low temperature you have to check it before the sun starts warming it for the day.
• Leave the thermometer in the soil for at least 5 minutes before reading so it can level off

Each seed has its own ‘happy place’ temperature range. And trying to push the season by planting out a seed before the soil is warm enough means that seed will likely rot in place. So be patient for your soil to warm up, or help them along with covering.

Seed Germination Temperature Chart

Minimum Soil Temperatures for Germination

• Beans – 60°F
• Beets – 40°F
• Broccoli + Cauliflower – 45°F
• Cabbages – 55°F
• Carrots – 45°F
• Corn – 55°F
• Cucumbers – 65°F
• Lettuce (most greens) – 40°F
• Melons – 70°F
• Onions – 40°F
• Peas – 40°F
• Peppers – 65°F
• Tomatoes – 60°F
• Spinach – 35°F
• Squash/Zucchini – 70°F

Direct Sowing Versus Starting Indoors

This above graph information combined with which plants to direct sow versus which to start indoors can help you get your garden rolling as early as possible- giving many more harvests throughout the seasons.

It also means I can stagger my planting times, so beans will be going into the soil in about a week, while radishes and spinach were direct sown weeks ago.

Depth matters – deeper soils hold warming easier, shallow (over rock) cool quicker. The amount of sand and how damp the soil is overall also has a real impact. In general soil still warms and cools the most in the first inch.

While damp soil holds more heat than dry soil, evaporation of that excess moisture consumes heat which is a cooling process. Avoid bone dry soils AND oversaturated soil for optimal warming of non-covered soils in spring.

It also matters how deep you’re planting that seed. Smaller seeds like lettuce and carrots usually are planted closer to the surface, which is warmer than 6” down. But can also cool off more. But this cooling is easily moderated by adding a layer of fleece or plastic row cover to the seeds.

Learn more about Starting Seeds.

Soil Temperature FAQ

What temperature do seeds germinate at?

Seeds vary widely in their preferred germination temperature range. From soil temperatures starting at just above freezing at 35°F to 75°F depending on where the seed naturally developed. So when northern gardeners want to grow warm weather crops, we need to trick seeds into germinating by raising temps inside.

Can I use a meat thermometer to measure soil temperature?

While you can use a meat thermometer to measure temperatures, it is best to use a tool meant for outside if you plan on keeping it outside. The soil thermometers also have a different range of temperatures and larger font.

Does soil temperature matter more than air temperature?

Short answer is yes, but really, it depends… In general, seeds know what the soil temperature should be to germinate. Remember, they only have one shot. They are not reading the air temperature because they are in the soil.

But (there’s always a but), if you’re raising the soil temperatures by growing undercover, you need to be more aware of late spring cold snaps that can kill off above-ground plant greens. But if you start with the cool weather crops, you should be safe.

Air temperatures do matter, and most states gather this data and make it available online. In Minnesota our DNR hosts an interactive map with frost and freeze date probabilities that I find invaluable.

All of this is to say…

Know what your soil temperature is.
Know what temperature your specific seed prefers.

You’ll have better germination, less plant stress, and a happier overall gardening experience…

So, when the time is right–
Dig In,
Michelle

The post Understanding Soil Temperature for Seed Germination appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

These taste like if Sour Patch® had a kid with simple ingredients + kept the fiber. I like the big flavor coupled with the little chew. I get to help out at our local elementary school, and the kids go crazy for them every year!

It is a great, simple way to use up some of the rhubarb and not make yet another crisp… but if you’re looking for tips on growing rhubarb or other recipes, I have you covered.

Rhubarb Sour Candy Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4-5 stalks of Rhubarb
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Directions:
Slice the rhubarb lengthwise on a mandolin (I use my thin setting) leaving them as long as you can. This is the putzy part, and I usually save the extras pieces that don’t make nice long strips for making rhubarb sauce or something.

Mix a 1:1 sugar/water solution into a medium sized sauce pan so the rhubarb slices fits easily.

Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until you notice the stalk strips becoming much softer. Then, using a pair of tongs, gently pull out the strips and lay flat on either a dehydrator tray or parchment paper.

Set dehydrator to 140F and let them go for 7-8 hours, or set your oven at the lowest setting (usually 225F) and watch closely after 15 minutes. Remove from dehydrator or oven and let cool completely.

Chop into desired sizes, and store in airtight container for up to 1 week. (But they will be gone before that!)

Let me know if you try this fun “nature’s own” rhubarb sour candy recipe and what you think of it!

Enjoy!
Michelle

The post Rhubarb Sour Candy Strips appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

It can feel like a superpower to be eating from your land as early as May, especially when all you did was rake back a few leaves…

Why Grow Edible Perennials in Cold Climates?

We have an extremely short growing season in Minnesota, under 150 days! So we need plants that can take the freezing cold and then warm up fast, and early spring perennials make it happen.

• Edible perennials make the most of the spring shoulder season here in the north, because even when our air temps are still chaotic and dipping below those freezing points, the soil is slowly, steadily warming. And the roots of perennials use that as their sign to start growing, not the cold above ground air temps.
• Choosing the right location is key to the success of the plant’s life and your harvests. Because these plants will thrive for years to come, think about other trees that will grow and shade in 20 years, or if you’ll be adding onto a deck, patio etc.…
• They are lower maintenance because there’s no need for annual tilling, planting, seed starting, transplanting, etc.
• You’ll get much earlier harvests compared to any annuals you’ve started inside. I know this can seem counter intuitive, but I’ve seen it happen year after year.
• Leaving the roots in the ground for years has huge benefits to the soil health. It of course reduces erosion but also increases the overall count and diversity of the soil microorganisms, which help grow healthier plants.

What Are Edible Perennials?

In this article we’re talking specifically about Herbaceous Edible Perennials. These are plants that come back year after year but die down to the ground every winter. Distinct from all the delicious berry bushes and trees that also produce for years.

Edible perennials that take our colder winters in Zone 4 include asparagus, rhubarb, some varieties of perennial sorrel, kale and spinach, sunchokes, herbs like thyme, oregano, chives, garlic chives, and strawberries. Find your Growing zone in this Interactive Map from the USDA.

Best Early Spring Edible Perennials for Northern Gardeners

Asparagus

One of the first perennials to be harvested from gardens, sometimes as early as late April in my garden. And since these plants can produce steady for over 15 years, you want to be picky about choosing the right location. Plant once for years of nutritious, fresh harvests.

Learn all the planting tips and tricks, plus my favorite ways to eat asparagus in the full length article: Growing Asparagus: Long Lasting Perennial Vegetable

You can actually interplant asparagus with strawberries, another edible perennial listed below…

Rhubarb

You know when almost every old farmyard has a patch still growing it must be hardy, right!

Rhubarb plants can last up to 100 years, but typically more like 20 years and then they need dividing. But other than that, give them sun and decent soil, and they’ll give you years of easy harvests. With over 100 distinct varieties of rhubarb, red does NOT always equal ripe.

Learn how to grow great rhubarb and some of my favorite recipes (from crisps, to savory chutney, in rhubarb shrub mocktails + cocktails, to our new obsession Sour Rhubarb Candy Strips in this article, Growing Rhubarb: Plus My Favorite Rhubarb Recipes

Strawberries

Strawberries mean summer has arrived in my growing zone, as we start harvesting just as school gets out.

Planting a patch of bare root crowns in May is the way to get this crop off the ground.  And speaking of up off the ground, what should you put around your STRAW berries? Straw, lots of straw! That way the berries don’t get dirty, and the runners can root into the loosened soil. There are 3 main kinds of strawberries depending on how and when you want to harvest, June Bearing, Ever Bearing and Day Neutral.

Find out more about varieties and best planting practices, plus my favorite recipes in my deep dive article, Growing Strawberries.

*Combine these perennials to make my favorite freezer jam, Strawberry/Rhubarb!

Perennial Herbs + Greens

There is such a huge diversity of cold hard herbs and greens, especially varieties that can be harvested early in the spring, yes even up north!

From foraging for nettles or cattails, or planting perennial spinach or a perennial kale or sorrel, there are vast amounts of native and cultivated spring greens.

For perennial herbs, remember that basics like chives, garlic chives, oregano, thyme, mint and lemon balm.

Tips for Growing Perennial Vegetables and Fruits Successfully

• Take your time choosing the best location before you plant these long-term investments. Choosing the right location is key to the success of the plant’s life and your harvests. Because these plants will thrive for years to come—long-term investments = big rewards!

• Also, take time to prepare the soil well before planting. I’ll usually weed well and then add in a layer of organic compost to help start off the plants on the right root.

• Know your yard’s microclimates.  I like to think about where the snow melts first in a yard and use that microclimate to plant these earliest perennials. They are driven more by soil temperature and will give you a week or two earlier harvests if you pay attention.

Which Edible Perennials Should You Start With?

With gardening you should always grow what you love, and leave the other plants for someone else…

That said, rhubarb is one of the hardiest plants and a great one to start off with. Strawberries and quite easy to grow once they’re established, so they will take a little extra love and watering that first season. All the perennial herbs are great additions to any modern homestead. You’ll be amazed how often you head outside to grab a few sprigs of thyme or oregano to add to a salad or pot of soup…

And that’s really the goal, to get you planting foods that are easy to grow while giving you a big return for your time, garden space and growing season.

Edible perennials just check all the boxes.

Have fun and Dig Into Perennials!

Michelle

The post Best Edible Perennials for Northern Gardens appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

This guest post is brought to us by the legend, Bob Dahm. Many of my Midwest garden friends will know him as “Organic Bob,” which is how I knew him when we first met about 5 years ago.

He has guided our family on our own home lawn re-seeding (with tougher native grasses) and bee lawn areas with great success. This is because he sees our yards and gardens as integral parts of the natural world, not separate from them.

Take it away, Bob –

Why Turf Should Be Replaced

The acreage of lawn in the US is equal to the size of Texas! 63,000 square miles of turf that requires fertilizer, mowing, pesticides and water. In fact, more thank half of our drinkable water is used to irrigate grass. Pesticides, fungicides and herbicides are typically applied at a greater rate than agricultural fields.

These statistics are from Pesticide Action Network and they are one reason many people are looking for alternatives to the traditional Kentucky bluegrass lawn. Most of our grass species in our lawns originated in Europe and Asia. Kentucky bluegrass is from northern Asia! These species evolved in climates like England, where they don’t have our temperature extremes and get twice the rainfall as we do in our climate. Our native plants evolved to thrive in our climate and are much better equipped to care for our pollinators.

Read more on Creating a Wildlife Habitat in your Yard + Garden

Pollinator habitat loss is of very real concern as pollinator populations are at an all time low. A nice, manicured lawn is as a desert to a pollinator. No food, no water, no habitat and long distances between pockets of appropriate habitat are threatening many species of important insects, birds and other pollinating species.

The Rusty Patch Bumblebee (RPB) is one of these species that struggle with habitat loss and decline. In fact, the RPB is on the Endangered Species List because their populations are so low. This designation has called attention to the plight of all pollinators and resulted in the RPB being named the MN State Pollinator, which created a call to action to protect our insect friends.

Turf Alternatives Evolution

The University of MN Bee Lab answered the call by creating the concept of a bee lawn, because many tiny bees and other pollinators could not cross the vast distances to meet up with others of their kind. This lack of connection isolates populations until they lose genetic diversity or simply die off because their habitat is eliminated or contaminated with lawn and landscape chemicals.

The bee lawn introduces flowers into the seas of lawn grass, so that pollinators can move across the landscape. It modestly expanded the food and habitat and made measurable differences in pollinator populations. It also ushered in a new awareness of the serious issue of pollinator decline.

Along with that new awareness came more conservation activity. The MN State Legislature set aside significant funds to educate the public about solutions to pollinator decline and grants to enact these in the ground changes. The program was called “Lawns To Legumes” and over several years, it educated thousands of people in turf alternatives and the benefit of native plants. The grant program enabled hundreds of homeowners to install native plant gardens and alternative turf lawns. Sadly, the program has been defunded, but Lawns To Legumes inspired many more people to install gardens and bee lawns. That trend is continuing despite the funding setback.

One of the ways that momentum is being carried forward is in the explosion of different kinds of bee lawns and pollinator lawns. Twin City Seed, the foremost supplier of bee lawn seed was receiving pushback on the Dutch white clover in the original bee lawn. Conservation groups and supporting scientists discovered research that Dutch white clover was a place where domesticated honeybees interacted with wild bees and transferred diseases to which the native bees had no natural resistance. This was seen as a further stressor on an already troubled group of insects. Twin City Seed came out with bee lawn mixes that included native species and no Dutch white clover.  Now there are many different types of bee and pollinator lawns.

Turf Alternative Options

Alternative turf can mean many things. Some include the typical species of grass in our lawns, while others use native grasses and sedges, (a grass-like plant) and straight up native plant gardens all the way to mini meadows and prairies. The goals are the same for all. Increase habitat for pollinators and reduce the amount of conventional turf grass lawns, that burn up energy and water and contaminate the environment with toxic maintenance chemicals. The amount of change can be small or large, depending on the type of alternative selected.

Bee Lawns

Can be created simply by overseeding and existing lawn with bee lawn seed mix. One and done and you have created a lunch counter for traveling bees. You can also remove you existing lawn and start over by seeding your bee lawn from scratch. This is more work but is a good option if the existing lawn is a weedy mess.

No Mow Lawns

Are a blend of fine fescue grasses that are often found in existing lawns, especially in the shade. In fact, the blends of grass seed that are sold as “shade grass” are made up of these species. The No Mow part comes when the lawn isn’t mowed. The grass grows to about 6” long and lays over in beautiful swirls reminiscent of waves on water. This is the base grass for bee lawns which makes up about 92% of the bee lawn mix. No mow grass can be mowed like a regular lawn, but if left alone, it requires very little water or fertilizer. This is a popular option for steep slopes or out of the way parts of the lawn.

Tall Fescue

Is also growing in popularity for an alternative turf. Like fine fescue, it requires less fertilizer and water than Kentucky bluegrass, mainly because its roots grow up to 30” deep! Kentucky bluegrass roots only make it to about 8”. Tall fescue has runners on its roots and this feature enables it to grow back after heavy traffic or wild child stampedes. It is often used in sports fields for this reason. It can be overseeded into an existing lawn to toughen it up and make it lower maintenance.

All Native Grass Lawns

Usually consist of buffalo or blue grama grass or both together. These are native species that evolved to flourish in our climate. Because they have evolved in our climate, they are much lower maintenance. The amount of rainfall we receive is just the right amount for them to thrive, once established.

These native grasses don’t need to be mowed, watered or fertilized. This really decreases the carbon foot print of the lawn. In fact, because they have such deep root systems, they will sequester more CO2 from the air and store the carbon in the soil. These deep root systems are why native plants are so low maintenance.

All Native Pollinator Lawns

Use the same grasses, buffalo and blue grama, along with low growing native flowering plants. Blue eyed grass, violets, pussytoes, and many other flowers offer great benefit to pollinators.

Mini Meadows

Are small areas where the lawn has been removed and replaced by seeding native plants. You can also transplant starter plants into this seeded area, either before or after seeding. The best time of year to seed many native plants is when the landscape is dormant, usually November or later. Native seeds need soil temperatures to be below freezing for a number of weeks before they can germinate. Not all of the seeds will germinate in the first or second years. Some may never germinate successfully and may require re-seeding or starter plants. These kinds of meadows are dynamic and maintenance is important while getting them established.

Maintenance will consist of supplementing water when needed and weed control. The best method for weed control is to mow the area a few times per year for the first 2 years. The deep roots of native plants enable them to survive mowing, while weeds cannot tolerate the cutting. There is a saying in native plant circles; “The first year they sleep. The second year they creep. The third year they leap”! Natives spend 2 years growing roots to incredible depths and volume. This supporting infrastructure is key to the success of the plants and provides an incredible advantage over weeds. It’s a bit of up front work to get a mini meadow and can be frustrating but stay courageous. It will become a personal prairie before you know it.

Prairies

Are similar to Mini Meadows, just larger. The existing vegetation is usually killed with herbicide and then seeded. Another method involves seeding into the existing vegetation and mowing it for 2 years and stopping at the third year, much like the Mini Meadow methods. There is an organic herbicide that is effective in killing vegetation without the toxic chemicals. This product can be used to kill grass before any kind of planting.

Pollinator Gardens

Are small native gardens that are used to re-purpose areas of lawns where it is difficult to get good lawn growth. Areas in this category are deep shade, hot patches, slopes, low wet places, shady and sunny boulevards, and unused sections of lawns. Some soils, like clay or sand can be challenging for turf grass, too.

There are native plant communities that will thrive in all of these conditions. There are many pre-designed gardens through organizations like Wild Ones, Metro Blooms and native plant nurseries.

All of the above alternatives to turf will reduce lawn space, especially the weedy parts. They will also create food and habitat for the hundreds of species of pollinators that are teetering on the edge of catastrophe. One small garden or a patch of flowering lawn can make a significant difference for pollinators and the environment, especially if we build a grassroots movement of people who care about pollinators.

Reach out to Bob for guidance on pursuing a sustainable haven for pollinators and shrinking the size of that lawn that is so difficult to maintain.

Contact Bob for your consultation!

Resources

Metro Blooms
Grants, educational resources, pre-designed gardens and more! https://metroblooms.org/

Alt Lawns of Richfield and Bloomington
A Facebook group that is very active locally with lots of expertise.

Wild Ones
A nationwide conservation group with local chapters. Lots of great people and resources.
https://wildones.org/chapters/minnesota/

That is a LOT of great info on making our lawns work for all of us in nature. I love that there are so many turf alternatives that fit different needs. Thanks, Bob!

What takeaways can you use from this info?

Keep Digging In,
Michelle

The post Turf Alternatives: From the Organic Professional appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Growing under the cover of a low tunnel is the answer to jump start your spring vegetable garden. Most of the veggies shown here were started under a DIY low tunnel.

These temporary structures are basically ‘low to the ground’ greenhouses, hence the ‘low’ tunnel. The simple, arched structures are efficient at trapping passive solar heat and holding it in the soil. In Minnesota we often get snow into April, so the reinforced arches are key to keeping plants happy during spring storms.

Inexpensive and easy to build, low tunnels can be popped up anywhere, so they’re perfect for small space gardens. They also work well with crop rotation, as you can move where you’re growing your earliest crops each season.

Learn about Succession Planting – replanting more crops into the same place, something you can also accomplish when you start earlier.

Of course, you’ll also need to start with the right seeds. Many plants will start germinating at temperatures around 40–45F. For more information on my favorite crops to start early in the season, check out my Substack article on Starting Seeds Earlier.

Low tunnels extend the growing season both in the spring and fall. They can be put up again in the fall to keep cold hardy crops in the garden longer.

You can easily remove all the plastic on planting day once the soil has warmed up, giving you easy access to the soil for better planting.

Soil Temps

Let’s talk about the difference between air and soil temperatures. It is soil temperature that you need to pay attention to for germinating the earliest plants. Luckily for seedlings and plant roots, soil temperatures are way more consistent than air temperatures.

Having a dedicated soil thermometer to track soil temps will help you keep a handle on things. I actually have a few soil thermometers so I can keep them in the soil (which gives more accurate readings) in different places. This helps me track my soil temperatures in different garden beds.

Even after a spring snowfall, the sun can still warm the soil under the clear plastic!

Growing Under Cover

Covering right on the surface of the soil will help hold in a little heat, but bringing that covering up off the ground so the sun’s rays get trapped inside helps even more. Angling the plastic towards the sun or having it arched will allow in the most heat. The thickness of the plastic (called poly in these applications) makes a difference as well. The thicker the poly, the better insulation value it has, but it might reduce the percentage of light coming through.

Building a DIY Low Tunnel

First: Gather Materials

Remember to use what you have on hand and only buy what you need.

• 18”-24” sections of ¼” Rebar or any solid ¼” stake (I use 6 in my 4X8 beds)
• 8-10’ sticks of ½” PVC (I use 4 in my 4X8 beds) $3/piece
• 3-6 millimeter thick plastic sheeting usually called Poly (I use roughly 10’ X 16’ sheets for my 4X8 beds) (10’x100’ 4 mil poly $31)
• Large Binder clips or PVC Clamps
• Scrap wood or logs to secure plastic snug to ground
• Hammer
• Twine or zip ties

Next: Instructions

1. Start by finding the dimensions of what you want to cover, and pound in ¼” rebar every two to three feet along the perimeter, angling it into the bed just slightly. You’ll want it to stick out a few inches above the ground.
2. Then slide the ½” PVC over the rebar, arching from one side of the bed to the other. If you want a little lower tunnel, you can usually bury the PVC into the ground a bit, or cut off a few feet to make extra low depending on what your needs are.
3. Secure an extra piece of PVC (or a bamboo stake, etc.) along the length of the top to stabilize the low tunnel and help keep it from collapsing after heavy snow. Tie with twine or secure with zip ties.
4. Cover with 3-6-ml poly; I usually use 4 mil. Rolls of plastic typically come in 8-10’ wide rolls. The width of your bed and how tall you want the tunnel will determine how wide your poly needs to be. For our 4’ wide beds, the 10’ wide works great as we make our low tunnels pretty tall.
5. You can use binder clips or specialized PVC clamps to keep plastic in place along the top of the arched PVC. You can also dig the poly into the soil or use anything handy like scarp lumber or landscape bricks to hold it down along the bottom.

*This structure does bring plastic into your garden, but it can be reused for many seasons to come. We’ve been using the same materials for six years now. Also, it completely removes the plastic you would be using if you bought the produce in a store instead of growing it at home—not to mention the carbon cost of shipping the produce, etc…

Using a DIY Low Tunnel Throughout the Season

The basic structure can be used throughout the season to support insect netting (like below) and shade cloth as needed. I find myself popping these up in different formations all the time.

You will have to watch temperatures closely, especially on sunny days, as low tunnels are quite effective at collecting and trapping the sun’s heat. I’ve had air temps jump to over 100F by mid-morning even with outside temps in the 30s F. So, remember to vent these structures as needed. Opening one or both ends is very effective at quickly reducing temps.

**And if you don’t have time/interest in building a low tunnel, try turning a clear plastic tote upside down. They work wonders for warming a little space for planting early lettuces or peas!

Cheers to growing more food in the same space, and getting in an earlier succession and harvests just by growing under a DIY low tunnel!

Dig In,
Michelle

The post DIY Low Tunnel appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

If you love growing beautiful medicine that also attracts the pollinators, then let me introduce you to Aronia Berry, aka Chokeberry. Actually, you may have already met Aronia Berry while walking in the woods or edges of prairies in the Midwest of America.

Officially named Aronia melanocarpa, this cold hardy North American native woody shrub is worth adding to your landscape for its adaptability, form, fall color, and, of course, its fruits!

Aronia Berry: Knowing + Growing

The aronia berry tends to stay around 8 feet tall (depending on variety) and is much less picky about soil as it has deeper roots than the elderberry. They are hardy to -40F or USDA Zone 3. They also don’t have any pest issues and are disease resistant.

I’ve been successfully growing the common Viking variety for five years now in Zone 4. We’re growing and harvesting berries from my front yard from 2 mature bushes. We get about 4 pounds of fruit total. This amount is more than enough to keep us in Aronia Berry immunity syrup heaven, and extras for smoothies too.  We would likely get more of a harvest if I amend the sandy soil. Maybe someday, ha! They produce beautiful clusters of the deepest dark purple (pretty much black) berries—which is where the anthocyanin comes in…

Powerful Plant Chemistry

Anthocyanin gives the dark superfruits their super powers. The purple-black berries of both Aronia and Elderberries pretty much blow away other commonly revered superfoods with their antioxidant levels.

Antioxidant levels in food are measured by Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC). ORAC measures the overall antioxidant power of a food or supplement. USDA research shows Aronia Berries have one of the highest antioxidant content of any fruits, according to the Aronia Berry Services of Northeast Iowa.

There’s quite the list of berries that grow in our Zone 4 Midwest region: Aronia Berry, Elderberry, Wild Blueberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Cherry. Each of these contains elevated levels of antioxidants. Our local food system is providing for us, keeping us from needing to fly food halfway across the world to boost our immunity and up our antioxidants. Thank you, Mother Nature!

Comparing Berries

Both Aronia and Elderberry grow to between 6 and 10 feet tall. They will produce better in full sun, but they don’t mind a little afternoon shade. Elderberries prefer it wetter than Aronia. Aronia are self-fertile while Elderberry require another variety for pollination.  Both will start producing more fruit about 2–3 years after planting.

Raw elderberries (the berries, leaves, bark, and roots) contain both lectin and cyanide, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, so ALWAYS cook elderberries before consuming! Aronia berries may be eaten raw, or frozen and added to smoothies.

I love a good blueberry, but they do require a specific pH, so test your soil before planting, as changing soil pH is a very difficult task! Chokecherry  (Prunus Virginiana) grows more like a tree up to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide and produces smaller berries (like pin cherries) but are adored by birds and humans alike.

How to Use Your Aronia Berries

Aronia berries are the driest berries I’ve ever worked with, so they do lend themselves to dehydrating and adding to trail mix.

I really enjoy using frozen aronia berries in place of blueberries in my morning smoothies. I think the dairy (or oat/almond milk) really balances out the tart berries nicely. Adding greens and other fruits helps too.

I’ve also baked with them, making scones and muffins. Although I compensated for the astringent berries with a sweeter than normal dough, they still weren’t my family’s favorite.

But for our family, we mostly use these in the immunity boosting aronia syrup recipe below. I especially love being able to add our home-grown ginger into this recipe.

And YES- You can absolutely use a combination of elderberries and aronia berries in this recipe.

Aronia Berry Syrup Recipe

• 3 Cups aronia berries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ Cup filtered water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-2 tsp cloves
• 1-2 inches of ginger, sliced or grated
• 1 cup + Honey (Raw + local if possible)

Simmer with lid on in a non-reactive pan for 15–20 minutes, adding water as needed to keep from scorching.

Cool, remove cinnamon stick, and strain. I place the cooked pulp into a (very stained) jelly bag and squeeze out every last drop of juice by hand. You may want to wear rubber/latex gloves to avoid staining your hands a very dark purple (the stain wears off in a day or two). 

Pour into a clean glass jar.

Mix in honey to taste (I find we use less honey in aronia berry syrup than elderberry syrup).

Stores in refrigerator for 1 month. I prefer to make a small batch every month or so rather than a bigger batch that might spoil.

Dark Blue Deep Dive

If you’re interested in adding more of these antioxidant-rich plants to your landscape and diet, check out Honeyberry USA for a wide selection of high anthocyanin fruiting shrubs. Or consider connecting with the Blue Fruit Farm for a delivery of Minnesota-grown berries, syrups, jams, and jellies in the Twin Cities. They also sell elderberry canes for those interested in growing out their own stock.

If you’re looking for the finished product at your local farmer’s market, check out the fine ladies with Sailor Mercy.

Have I tempted you to grow more of your own medicine?

Let me know what you think!

Dig In,

Michelle

The post The Amazing Aronia Berry appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Start with the Best Broccoli

Broccoli is one of our family’s favorite garden veggies to grow. So much so that my boys will even go patrol for cabbage worms, the little green guys that can ravage this plant if left to their own munching.

I also love that when we eat broccoli, we’re eating the immature flower buds! I used to tell my boys they were eating broccoli bouquets, and I like to think that helped them grow in their love for this powerhouse veggie.

I’ve had good luck growing Bellstar, Emerald Crown, and Green Magic varieties of broccoli in our zone 4 gardens (all from Johnny’s Seeds).

Harvesting Tip** Soak your broccoli florets in salty water (1 Tbsp in a bowl of water) for a few minutes so any creepy crawlies float to the top!

Because it is a family favorite veggie, we grow a lot of broccoli and usually have some frozen to use during the winter months. And while we love many veggies from green beans to corn simply heated and eaten as side dishes straight from the freezer, I find broccoli needs a little extra love once frozen.

Soup is the perfect spin!

In addition to the blanched and frozen broccoli from the garden, I’m also saving broccoli stems all season to use in this broccoli soup. To make the best use of them, peel the ‘skin’ from the tender part of the stems closer to the buds. Toss the woody part (further down the stem) into the compost. These add great bulk and flavor to soups. And by peeling, you’ll get rid of the most gas-inducing part of the broccoli!

My secret ingredient in so many pureed soups is a little cream cheese. It adds such a depth of flavor and pairs well with broccoli.

You can keep it really simple, and even skip the pureeing, if you like it chunky. If leaving this kind of soup chunky, make sure to not overcook the vegetables. You can also add up to half cauliflower if preferred. See, super-flexible soups really are the best!

I’ve added the white beans and/or potatoes as a way to thicken this soup without adding gluten, and I like the flavor better too. Leave out the cream/cheese if you want to keep it dairy free or vegan.

Healthy Broccoli Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1-2 yellow/white carrots (optional)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1-2 cups shredded zucchini (optional but great thickener)
• 2-3 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped
• 4-5 cups broccoli stems and florets (frozen is fine)
• 6 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
• ½ cup white beans (optional)
• 1 cup milk, or ½ cup of half and half, or ¼ cup of cream cheese
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Olive oil to sauté

Our family’s favorite garnishes for this healthy broccoli soup recipe are roasted chickpeas, pea shoots, green onion—and of course always served with toasted bread.

Directions:

• Chop veggies into desired sizes, considering if you’ll be pureeing.
• Sauté onions for a few minutes, then add garlic, thyme, and celery.
• A few minutes later add the shredded zucchini, potatoes, and stock. If you have lots of good broccoli stems, add those in now as well. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Then add in broccoli florets and cook for another 5-10. Or if pureeing, add florets at same time, cooking for 10-15 minutes total.
• You can puree some stock with the white beans to thicken, or add milk, half and half, or cream cheese while pureeing as well.

Have fun garnishing! We love to sprinkle microgreens on top of our soups. And make sure that bread is extra toasty!

Last Words on This Healthy Broccoli Soup Recipe

For more Very Veggie Soup Recipes, check out my RECIPE page. I’m also perfecting a “Broccoli Leaf Soup” recipe—check out this deeply flavorful and nutrient packed recipe!

This healthy broccoli soup recipe makes excellent leftovers and keeps in the fridge for a few days.

Dig In,

Michelle

The post Best Healthy Broccoli Soup Recipe appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Who doesn’t love a good two for one? I’m here to show you that you can have your squash and eat the seeds too! So many of us skip over roasting pumpkin seeds and squash seeds because we’ve had a bad experience. Maybe you did it once and they were, well, stringy, chewy, like eating straw… and just not very good at all.

Well, that probably comes down to two main problems:

• The wrong seed
• The wrong preparation

So let’s get you back on track to using all of that pumpkin/squash/gourd! And if you’re into squash like I am, check out my Pumpkin Spice cake recipe, and my Winter Squash Lasagna recipe too!

Botany Moment

If you’re interested in the difference between pumpkins, gourds, and squash, it gets a little confusing… A squash is in the Cucurbita genus, and also, by the way, technically a fruit. Pumpkins are one type of a squash. Gourd refers to a different branch of the same family. Summer squash (like zucchini and yellow squash) have soft skins and are warm weather crops, compared to the long storage possibilities of the winter squash varieties. What does this mean to you? …not much unless you create a new variety of squash, but it is good plant trivia!

Winter squash typically produce lots seeds and any of these can be collected and eaten. I stay away from saving any Cucurbita seeds to plant as they are notorious for getting cross pollinated, so eating them makes even more sense!

Check out my blog post on ways to ecologically deal with the aftermath of your pumpkins/gourds/squash)

Eco Smart is Sexy!

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds: The Secret Is in the Seed

The best seeds are going to be those that are slightly immature to just mature. Many of our carving pumpkins are brought home very ripe, as we want that large, deep orange variety for our classic carving, right? Great for Halloween, but not so much for eating the seeds.

Look at the seeds once you slice into your squash; this seems obvious, but taking a minute to observe now can save you lots of frustration later!

*If the seeds have started sprouting inside the pumpkin (it happens!), you’ll do best to toss them to your chickens or compost pile.

*If the seeds are firm and plump, you’re in for a real treat!

*If the seeds are hollow feeling and small, you can pull one apart to see if there’s any ‘meat’ inside. If they are thin and empty, you’ll just be trying to eat the fibrous pod and that’s just as bad as eating a huge over-ripe pumpkin seed!

Now that we know how to pick the best seeds for roasting…

Let’s Get Cooking!

RECIPE for Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

• Squash Seeds
• Oil (EVOO)
• Salt/Seasoning

Prep Seeds

Start by scooping out those perfectly plump seeds and rinse them of the goop + gunk in a colander until mostly clean. Tip: Use a serrated grapefruit spoon or a heavy duty ice cream scoop to help with the scraping!

Soak in water (I set my colander in a bowl of water) where it is easier to pull away the stringy squash pulp. Drain and repeat a few times.

Secret #2 is in the simmer!

Then you’re going to place those mostly clean seeds in a pot of salted water and simmer for at least 10 minutes. I go heavy on the salt here: a full tablespoon of salt per 2 cups of water.

This step makes a HUGE difference and is my secret to delicious, crave-worthy roasted seeds!

100% Worth the Simmer

Rinse again in the colander, then pat dry.

Season Seeds

You’ll need to add some oil to the seeds to help them crisp up, and so you can get some seasoning to stick. You can either combine the seeds and oil in a bowl and toss, or add them to the pan and toss. I estimate about a tablespoon of oil per sheet pan full, so not much. And while I love my sea salt for lots of recipes, I actually really like popcorn salt for roasted seeds because of how fine it is and how it sticks to the seeds!

You can go savory or sweet here. I prefer savory as there are so many delicious options. A few of my favorites:

• Curry
• Onion + Garlic
• Chili
• Smoky Paprika
• Turmeric + Garlic
• Dill with S&P
• Aminos (Soy sauce) + Garlic

The spices listed would be in powdered form. And if you want to just roast with salt and oil and add other spices after, that works too!

Roast Seeds

Spread out in a single layer on a sheet pan (I prefer not using parchment for this recipe as I think they get crispier without it). Preheat oven to 350–375F and roast for 5–15 minutes. The top rack helps in my oven. *Each oven is different, so watch carefully!

Start checking after 5 minutes. The smaller the seed, the faster they’ll pop. Wait until you hear the popping and smell popcorn when you open the over door. This was a revelation to me. Yes, corn and squash seeds are very different botanically, but they’re both seeds that I’m “roasting” so it is not too weird that they smell the same!

You must let them cool a few minutes or you will burn your mouth!

Eat the Seeds

These are best eaten while still warm out of the oven, so if you can, wait until you can enjoy them. Cleaned, uncooked seeds can hang in the fridge for a few days before roasting.

*They can be reheated and crisped up with a quick toss in a skillet.

Hope this gets you to try roasting your pumpkin and squash seeds again this fall!

Dig In,

Michelle

The post Roasting Pumpkin Seeds + Squash Seeds appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.