Dakota Blooms: Your Guide to Midwest Gardening

       Hello fellow garden enthusiasts! Today, I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you all. Dakota Blooms has been featured on the illustrious platform called Matthew's Planet . This website seeks out unique niche blogs that offer captivating content, and I feel incredibly honored to be chosen.       Matthew's Planet is dedicated to capturing the essence of a diverse range of niche blogs. With an appreciation for both intriguing content and stunning art designs, they curate a collection of blog posts that take readers on an inspiring journey within various fields of interest. By offering an opportunity for bloggers to gain exposure and reach new audiences, Matthew's Planet has become a go-to platform for discovering exceptional blogs that stand out.       Thank you to Matthew's Planet for recognizing the quality and niche of Dakota Blooms. This recognition is deeply treasured and encourages our continued growth within our garden-loving community. I invite ea

  A Beginner's Guide to Water Bath Canning     It's canning season! Canning is a simple and effective way to preserve all sorts of food from fruits to vegetables, and even sauces to jellies. It's a great resource for storing a surplus of produce from the garden. There are two main types of canning: water bath and pressure. Water bath canning is for high acidity foods and allows you to safely extend the shelf life of your harvest.  I don't know about you, but I have thrown away my fair share of moldy vegetables and it saddens me every single time. Canning can save you from excess waste and is easy to do. This blog specifically addresses water bath canning. I hope to publish more posts about pressure canning when I become more familiar with it.  I added the rings for the aesthetics. 🤣     Foods That Can Be Water Bath Canned      Some examples of high acidic canned goods would be anything pickled (beans, cucumbers, beets, etc.) or anything with sugar added (peaches, pears

     A recent devastating disaster has encompassed my garden after a torrential storm. Luckily, all my plants stayed intact. However, I discovered all my Roma tomatoes have started to rot on the bottom. As a novice gardener who is learning as she goes, tomatoes have been my biggest struggle for years. I thought this year was going to be the best one yet for a good tomato harvest, up until last week. Let's talk about what blossom rot is and how we can avoid it next time so you don't make the same mistake as me. 😢 What is blossom rot? Blossom rot is a common gardening issue that manifests as discolored, sunken spots, on the bottom of the vegetable, rendering inedible. It is also known as blossom end rot. Blossom rot typically affects the fruits of plants of the nightshade family which includes tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. This rot looks like a dark, dry, or water-soaked lesion at the bottom end of the fruit (pictured-above). What causes blossom rot? I have heard from many p