southern heirlooms for all gardens (win seed!), and my good, bad, ugly 2013 garden

Call me a Southern belle wannabe, but for decades I've been lured to the listings of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange in Mineral, Virginia, seduced by things like seed for black peanuts (no kidding!), red okra, and collards galore. Ira Wallace (above, with red okra and crowder peas), Southern Exposure's well-known home-garden expert, offers a 101 on Southern heirlooms -- irresistible no matter where you garden -- and I offer chances to win gift cards for SESE seeds, in a new story and podcast.

my spaghetti western of a 2013 garden

If I had to give 2013's garden a name, I guess I'd borrow one from Clint Eastwood's early career: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." Thankfully, il buono -- represented then by Clint's role as Blondie -- came out ahead this time, too. But did we really have to go through quite so many shootouts, hangings, and battle scenes to get to the buried treasure? Oy. A recap, in words, photos, and videos (including my public-TV debut!) of a wild, worrisome, and also truly wonderful season.

miss it last time?

my 1 million readers' top-50 posts of 2013 (your favorites!)

Margaret Roach
A Way to Garden

bright thoughts for you (and an upcycled wreath idea)

P. S. -- We hope you had a merry Christmas, Jack and I do, though we were by no means dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh. More stuck in the mud last week (which then froze up into a charming washboard that makes driving this dirt road very interesting). The upcycled ornament wreath below is by my friend Pam Kueber of Retro Renovation [dot com], a mad thrifter, crafter and all-round pal. It was her handmade holiday gift hot-glued just for me, and that's the idea, isn't it? To share bright moments, up close and personal. May the rest of your holiday season positively gleam, and be loaded with light. (The link to Pam and the wreath how-to is here.)