WesternGardener
Jodi Torpey, Denver, CO, UScontributor
Jodi is a garden writer, certified master gardener and author of “The Colorado Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Centennial State.”
She has a special interest in helping other gardeners learn how to cultivate successful gardens in challenging environments. As a Colorado native, she has first-hand gardening experience dealing with poor soil conditions, extreme temperature fluctuations, intense sunlight and the lack of reliable precipitation.
Her favorite topics include xeriscaping, using native plants in the landscape, planting vegetable and container gardens, conserving water in the landscape, creating backyard habitats and gardening with her dog, Rufus T. Smudge.
In addition to her book, Jodi’s writing is published on home and gardening websites, in national magazines and regional newspapers. She also manages her own website and blog, www.WesternGardeners.com, an online guide to gardening in the West. Follow her on Twitter @WesternGardener
gardening interests: Container Gardening, Cooking, Culinary Herbs, Edible Landscaping, Herbal Crafts, Organic Gardening, Sustainable Living, Urban Gardening, Vegetables, gardening in a dry climate
Member Since: 10/13/2009
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A Lazy Gardener's Recipe for Pickled Beans
Having a hard time keeping up with the garden harvest? Too busy to can from scratch? Here’s a lazy gardener’s easy way to pickle beans.
'Tomaccio' Tomatoes Are All Dried Up
The new 'Tomaccio' tomato was specially bred for drying into sweet raisin tomatoes. But the results are disappointing.
Sweet Treats Lives Up to Its Name
The new pink cherry tomato called ‘Sweet Treats’ is genetically different from red cherry tomatoes in the way it looks and tastes.
Got Weird Veggies or Funny Fruit?
The Weird Veggie and Funny Fruit contest is on again this year to find the strangest looking vegetable or fruit you've either grown in your own garden or found at your local farmer's market.
Fashionable Sage is a Wise Choice for the Garden
When horticulture and high fashion meet, the results are chic, stylish and definitely delicious.
Like Two Beans in a Pod
Succession planting is a way to grow more vegetables in garden beds, but it can work in containers, too.
Sow a Little Love for Fall
It’s not too late to fall in love with Romeo, if you carefully plan a late season planting.
The Herb that Keeps on Giving
Chives are an easy-to-grow, oniony herb that turns butter into something better.
The Great Garlic Harvest
The lone scape standing gave me the sign to pull out the spading fork. The Great Garlic Harvest was ready to begin.
These Babies are Fun to Grow
The growing trend toward container vegetables has produced some new options for small-space gardening, like these Garden Babies.
Scarecrows are a Gardening Tradition
Farmers have used scarecrows for thousands of years to protect their crops from flocks of hungry birds. Today’s modern gardeners can continue this tradition by creating their own scarecrows using recycled clothing and materials.
Structured Salads are Super for Supper
Structured salads are an easy way to use garden-fresh veggies and herbs. Besides being fun to make, these salads help stretch your creativity and grocery budget at the same time.
Perfect Plant Pairings
Just like pairing wine with food, vegetables can be matched with their most compatible herbs. A good pairing brings out the flavors of each to help you get the most from your garden.
Grow a Cold Soup Garden
A chilly bowl of cold soup is the perfect way to beat the summer heat. Just about any sturdy vegetable can be turned into a refreshing meal on a sizzling hot day.
A Passion for Cooking with Peppers
Every kitchen garden needs several different kinds of peppers to use in summer-time recipes. Here are five varieties to add a little spice to your cooking life.
Enough Pumpkin for 1000 pies
Growers from coast to coast are spending every gardening minute tending their crops of 'Cucurbita maxima' in an effort to grow a pumpkin that weighs over 1700 pounds.
The 30-Mile Gardening Rule
Landscape designer, horticulturist and author Maureen Gilmer encourages gardeners to embrace their inner tightwad in her new book, “The Small Budget Gardener: All the Dirt on Saving Money in Your Garden.” Gardeners should pretend they live 30 miles from town so they’ll carefully think about their gardening needs before buying.
When is a Pear a Vegetable?
The sharp spines of the Opuntia can be intimidating, but once they’re removed, the “nopales” turns into a nutritious vegetable that defies its prickly appearance.
Hail to the Peas
You don't need to have a large south lawn or live in a White House to grow a spring vegetable garden. All you need is this list of vegetables, herbs and flowers to plant a presidential garden.
Celebrate National Garlic Month
April is National Garlic Month and you can celebrate in two ways: in the garden and in the kitchen.
Sow Happy Together
There’s an art and science to playing matchmaker in the garden. Here are ways to create plant partners to save garden space, control insect pests and encourage healthy gardens.
The Roots of Square Foot Gardening
Waffle gardens were the original square foot kitchen gardens used by Native Americans for dryland farming because they helped conserve precious resources. You can take a step back in time and try this ancient planting method.
Plant a Spring Container Garden
If you’re itching to start your spring planting, but the garden soil is still too wet to work, a spring container garden may be the perfect solution.
Grow a Spring Centerpiece
Growing a spring centerpiece from carrot tops is a fun way to recycle kitchen discards and get kids interested in the science of growing plants.
Find the Sunniest Spot for Your Plot
Most gardening experts say a productive vegetable garden needs about 8-10 hours of sun each day. Here’s an easy paper-and pencil method to find the sunniest spot in your yard.
Take Your Plants for a Ride
The Rotary Garden is an innovative new product that’s perfect for growing edibles in small spaces. Wheels make the garden portable so it can be moved to where ever the sun shines brightest.
Grow this Frittata...and more
“Grocery Gardening,” Jean Ann Van Krevelen’s newest book, is all about planting, preparing and preserving fresh food. It’s perfect for cooks who want to be better gardeners or gardeners who want to be better cooks—and everyone in between.
Canned Vegetable Seeds a Thrifty Idea
One-gallon cans of jumbo-sized packets of garden seeds can be a thrifty alternative for home gardeners who plant large gardens. Each large can contains 16 different veggie favorites and gives new meaning to “canned vegetables.”
Veggie Pizza is Super for any Party
The party menu for the Big Game isn’t limited to burgers, brats and hot wings. A hearty veggie pizza is a super healthy alternative.
Pickled Ginger is Sweet and Spicy Condiment
Pickled ginger is familiar to sushi and sashimi fans because it helps cleanse the palate between servings and extinguish the wasabi fire. Pickling is just one way to use this versatile root.
Add Some Spice to Your Life
Until you’ve experienced the pleasure of growing sweet red peppers and then grinding the dried pods into fresh paprika, you won’t know what you’ve been missing. One whiff of fresh paprika and you’ll never want to buy grocery store paprika again.
How to Improve Your Stock Options
Discover the hidden value of potato peels, carrot tops and other kitchen discards. Gain big dividend every time you cook up a batch of vegetable stock.
Cheap and Easy Winter Greens
Growing your own garlic greens during the winter is an inexpensive way to feed two needs at once: a gardener’s need for growing and a cook’s need for something tasty.
Renee's Garden Offers Personal Touch
Renee Shepherd, founder of Renee’s Garden, goes to extraordinary lengths to offer gardeners high-quality vegetable, flower and herb seeds. She selects easy-to-grow varieties, tests them in her own trial garden and writes detailed instructions for planting and growing.
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Keeps On Growing
In 1998, long before the eat local movement took hold, Jere Gettle sent out his first Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog. Twelve years later his company continues the tradition of passing along old-fashioned seeds like generations of gardeners before him.
Botanical Interests Grows Gardeners
Botanical Interests is a Colorado-based seed company whose beautifully illustrated seed packets contain much more than just seeds.
Sprouts Make Windowsill Gardening Easy
Homegrown sprouts are perfect for windowsill gardening any time of the year. Just add water and watch them grow.
This Spud's for You
Potatoes are one of the easiest root crops for home gardeners to grow. Order your specialty seed potatoes now for delivery next spring.
Gifts from the Kitchen--Homemade Red Wine Vinegar
Want to impress the foodie on your gift list this year? A bottle of homemade red wine vinegar is sure to please the pickiest palate.
A Sage Way to Delicious Dining
Since medieval times, garden-grown sage has soothed digestive troubles, cured coughs and treated sore throats. It also makes one delicious herbed stuffing for the holidays.
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Planting for a Snack Attack
The Best Snacks on EarthA major player in the potato chip biz boasts it “grows the best snacks on earth,” but I have to disagree. The best snacks on earth are grown in my...
A Lazy Gardener's Recipe for Pickled Beans
WesternGardener | September 2nd, 2010
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Tis' the Season...for Tomatoes that is...
cookinwithherbs | August 31st, 2010
Worm Tea (NaturesBest)
RainbowBob | August 28th, 2010
Raised Bed Pest Cover - Redux
yourownvictorygarden | August 28th, 2010
Re: 'Tomaccio' Tomatoes Are All Dried Up
Thanks for sharing your experience drying these specialty tomatoes. I especially appreciated the specifics of drying them in a dehydrator. I may give your technique a try.
posted: 4:24 pm on September 2ndRe: Plant a Row for the Hungry by Growing Extra Vegetables
Thanks for helping to promote the Plant a Row for the Hungry program! There are organized Plant a Row efforts in cities all over the country, but it's easy for individuals to take part, too. Just plant, harvest, donate and add your totals to the national count.
posted: 9:19 am on May 7thMost food pantries and soup kitchens will accept firm, clean fruits and durable vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, peas, green beans, sweet peppers, eggplant, squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Herbs and flowers are also welcome additions!
Re: QUESTION: When is it too early to start...
One easy way to find out when to plant is to contact the county extension office in your area. A horticulture agent there will be able to tell you the last frost date as a guide to planting.
posted: 6:11 pm on March 16thGood luck with your garden!