Books by Diane Keefe

I have gardened in at least 6 different zones and have 2 daughters with immune issues. I was the eldest of 6 children in NW Ohio and grew up helping with different aspects on the farm. My mother had an acre garden with every conceivable vegetable and fruit. She canned, froze and preserved jams, jellys and other foods. I remember going to the garden and just picking whatever I wanted to eat. I real

ly became interested in gardening when I moved to Houston. It was hot and humid and everything grew there. My plants were prolific. Then I moved to Dallas which was not as tropical but could get very hot and the soil was not ideal. Then we went to Colorado. The soil was richer and plants responded and although it would snow a lot, the snow often burned off by the evening. Many of the plants could handle the cold weather. California was terrific! I put in a desert landscape and explored plants that were drought tolerant. I won an award for my design the very next spring. It was a moderate climate as we were only 6 miles from the ocean and it didn't get excessively hot. When we moved to Cleveland, Ohio, everything grew there and the soil was rich. I had a 40' X 60' garden and an old orchard. There were a lot of deer that went through our 5 acre lot. Mother Nature was fierce because the deer ate off my first harvest of apples and mowed my plants down to 1 inch. I placed deer netting over it and the plants made a comeback but I gave up on the orchard. My girls would take their wagon and sell our zuchinis up and down our street for $1 and it was a real bargain. Since it was a virgin garden and I placed flowers in the plot, I had no pests bothering my plants. I discovered that I garden organically by accident! Louis has been good for growing but I did have to augment the soil. The heat gets extreme in July and August so watering is a challenge. That is where having a greenhouse really helps. I had a leanto which I used to winter over the delicate water plants in our water garden. That is where I learned what not to do the next time I had a greenhouse. I hope you benefit from some of the things I have learned. Enjoy the experience and the freshness of your produce! Now that I am in the fourth quarter of my life, my plants are my friends and I talk to them. Science has proven that your state of mind is reflected in plants so I make sure to talk to them with hopefulness and gratitude!