Amy Grisak

Invasion of the box elder bugs and flies

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:04:31 +0000

It’s that time of year when it seems like all of the garden insects want to bunk with you doing the winter. We have enough flies in the house after a recent cold snap that it reminds me of a scene…

Corn pests we’d rather not see

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:44:53 +0000

We wait a long time in Montana to enjoy the first corn of the season – I don’t know anyone locally who’s harvesting yet and we’re quickly approaching Labor Day. So when we finally are able to pick…

Bad, bad bunny

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:04:21 +0000

You’d think having a garden smack dab in the middle of town would have very few large garden pests. Our community garden adjacent to Electric City Conservatory is fenced to keep errant hooligans out…

Seed saving and end of summer projects

Amy Grisak — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:06:30 +0000

I love it when my articles are published. It’s a thrill to pick up the newspaper or magazine, or click on the website, to see a piece I worked hard on (most likely late into the night since it’s the only quiet time I have) look gorgeous in a professional layout. Today Google Alerts let me know that my latest article, Vegetable Seed Saving: What you need to do for Grit is in the current issue.

This is the time of year when I desperately wish for a clone. Articles are due, but the beans don’t care. Nor do the peas, broccoli and basil. I’ve been snapping and blanching my brains out lately. So, while I’m blanching beans and blitzing pesto I’m working on ledes and content, and trying to round up interviews. No rest for the wicked, but I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fall growing to avoid the pests

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:41:32 +0000

With the onslaught of grasshoppers and a few other pests this year, I’m thinking of adopting a new slogan, “If you can’t beat ‘em, avoid ‘em.” A good way to keep insects away from your plants is to…

Go away grasshoppers!

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:51:40 +0000

It’s time for the Montana State Fair here in Great Falls, which means entering the best vegetables in the garden shows and cursing the grasshoppers that ruin the ideal specimens.

I really…

Top Ten Creepy Crawlies

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:28:24 +0000

There seems to be a never-ending list of creepy crawlies that wreak havoc in the vegetable and flower garden. It’s hard to pick the worst, but I did a shout out on Facebook to find out which ones…

Mid-summer (in)sanity

Amy Grisak — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:01:17 +0000

I’d really like to experience the “dog days” of summer. I thought spring was hectic, but this summer is rolling like a freight train. The produce is already starting to come on faster than I can freeze it. So far, I have peas, broccoli and spinach in the freezer, plus a crock of sauerkraut percolating on the counter. I have to decide what I’m going to take to the Montana State Fair next week. The culinary items have to be submitted on Wednesday, and the first gardening show entries are due in on Friday. Who knows what’s going to be ready. I’m very disappointed my Asiatic lilies are going to be finished by then – they’re winners for certain. This weekend we’re going to a friends’ for brunch, and I think I’ll use the opportunity to try out a new recipe on the group. What better way for unbiased opinions?

On the writing front I’m working on: hyrbrids vs. heirlooms, pressure cooking (woohoo!), financial aid for college, straw bale homes, earwigs and Habitat for Humanity. Since writing at night is my best option, it’s going to be more weeks without sleep. Oh well, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

The saga of the squash vine borer

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:03:07 +0000

I was going to discuss one of the most despised garden pests – namely earwigs – this week, but have had a call out for information on another problem this time of year in: squash vine borers. Found…

Leaf miner angst

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 01:29:11 +0000

You know you have leaf miners if the leaves on your beans, chard, tomatoes and other vegetables have tiny, tan squiggles on them. And, as you can imagine, it’s not a very big entity since the larvae…