Dakota Blooms: Your Guide to Midwest Gardening

 Parsley is a vibrant, green herb that we most often use to garnish our dishes. It is packed with flavor and can enhance many meals. Fresh parsley is always my favorite way to use it, and it is simple to grow. Parsley plants do very well in the Midwest and will produce for most of the growing season. Unfortunately, our harsh winters won't allow us to harvest fresh parsley all year round, so dehydration is one way to preserve it for later use. Follow below for simple instructions, pictures, and video on how to harvest and preserve parsley.     Step 1 : Cut parsley stems 1 inch from the bottom. Harvest in the morning at peak freshness.     Step 2 : Wash parsley  thoroughly.     Step 3 : Layer parsley in dehydrator, careful not to overlap. Remove thicker stems to save room.                               Toss   any unwanted, damaged leaves.     St...

       Gardening is more than just a hobby or way to beautify our surroundings; it is a valuable tradition that has been handed down through generations. As I weed my garden every morning (okay, maybe not EVERY morning), I am reminded that the seeds of my gardening knowledge have been shared with me by friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. Those knowledge seeds have been watered by their ancestors before them. It is easy to do a quick google search to find the relevant information you are looking for, but the most admirable wisdom comes from those who have endured many years of failures before us. I want to pay a tribute to the wisdom acquired from our ancestors and emphasize the passing down of knowledge to the next generation. Therefore; Here are some tips and tricks I have learned recently: Prune your tomatoes.      This technique is very new to me. After planting your tomato plants and after the initial transplant shock, you should prune all b...

  I think it's safe to say most of us would rather use rainwater over city water, just for the mere fact that it's free! Unfortunately, we can't always rely on rain to water our garden throughout the entire season. Unless you have a very large and awesome rain barrel to use the whole growing season, you will eventually have to use the city water. (P.S. Blog article about collecting rain in barrels coming later). Let's talk about the major differences between the two hydration sources. Rainwater: -Free! -Eco-friendly -Hard to collect large amounts (and sometimes illegal depending on where you live) -Large, collected amounts will need its own filtration system -No contaminants City Water: -$$$  -Easy to use and readily accessible -Endless supply -Contains hard minerals that can sometimes build up in plant containers -Not as eco-friendly due to increased energy consumption -Treated for contaminants      You watered your garden with city and/or rainwater, now you're...