The Bruce Company Blog

A vegetable garden can be as small as a couple of containers with tomatoes or herbs, or as involved as a half-acre plot of all your favorites.

Given the interest in growing our own food, one resolution that many gardeners are considering is to start a compost pile. Not only will composting reduce your carbon footprint, but using the homegrown stuff will save you money.

Now that the holidays are behind us, it’s a relief to direct our energy inward for a little while and focus on some new projects. Winter is such a great time to make plans for the future. You can gather the courage to put those gardening lessons learned last summer into practice.

Have you ever wondered how some of them got started? The origin of the Christmas tree is well documented. The modern version originated in Germany and spread to the United States in the 1820s with the influx of European immigrants.

Outside, seeds and buds are slumbering. The earth is still. Inside our homes, we’re warm and happy in rooms sparkling with bright lights, views of any impending storms softened by steamy windows. This time of year we gather together to celebrate family and friends. But don’t forget your indoor gardening chores.

Of the 13,000 or so Christmas tree farms in the United States, more than 900 are located in Wisconsin. So we have plenty of choices.

Gardening in late November? Are we crazy? Most everyone we know is consumed with holiday decorating, shopping and entertaining, but you can still squeeze in a little winter gardening to satisfy your green thumb.

There’s no rule that says they need to be lit right away and it’s so much easier to put them up in early November that in early December.

The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting above-average snowfall for the lower Great Lakes region, so the past week is a portent of weather to come. The snow will make it difficult to get those bulbs in but stop into the Garden Center to save 50% on remaining tulips and daffodils and ask the Plant Information Desk for bulbs forcing instructions.