Michelle Smith

Garden tools rack. (Photo by Dereckson, CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

Gardening Tips: Tool Time

September 29, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Editor’s Note: We’re reaching into Michelle’s Smith’s archives for posts as useful now as when they were first published, like this one, which we last shared on 7 October 2020.   What to do this week You might need a garden shovel or something similar in the next month orRead More

Gardening Tips: Garlic Revisited

Gardening Tips: Garlic Revisited

September 22, 2021 at 4:45 pm

Editor’s Note: We’re reaching into Michelle’s Smith’s archives for posts as useful now as when they were first published. This was last republished on 30 September 2020.   What to do this week I think we had better talk about planting garlic. It’s getting to be that time. I know itRead More

Old root cellar at Törnävä outdoor museum, Seinäjoki, Finland, March 2013. (Photo by Kotivalo CC BY-SA 3.0  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

Gardening Tips: Putting Food By

September 15, 2021 at 12:02 pm

Editor’s Note: We’re reaching into Michelle Smith’s archives for still-timely gardening tips like these — first published on 19 September 2018.   What to do this week This week I want to talk about the best ways to store your veggies once you pick them, both long term and shortRead More

Blackberries. (Photo by Dwight Sipler from Stow, MA, USA, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gardening Tips: Tidying Up

September 8, 2021 at 12:45 pm

Editor’s Note: We are reaching into Michelle Smith’s archives for gardening tips as timely now as when they were first published. Today’s offering first appeared on 5 September 2018.   What to do this week This week can be all about tidying up in the garden, especially around your fruitRead More

Web or tent of Eastern tent caterpillar. Photo by Greg Hume (Greg5030), CC BY 2.5,  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Gardening Tips: Berries and Pests

August 25, 2021 at 2:15 pm

Editor’s Note: We’re dipping into Michelle Smith’s archive for gardening tips that remain timely. This column first appeared on 22 August 2018.   What to do this week It is all about harvesting this time of year, and how to keep up — just don’t sleep, and you will doRead More

Seedlings. Image via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR6gDiTdZUI

Gardening Tips: Hardening Off

June 2, 2021 at 1:15 pm

Editor’s Note: The Spectator is reaching into Michelle Smith’s gardening column archive for some weekly advice that is as relevant now as when it was first written. This column was first published in June 2017.   What to do this week This week you should be hardening off your precious seedlings. Take yourRead More

Fort Worth Library Public Access computers, 2009. (Photo by

Patrons of Public Infrastructure

May 26, 2021 at 12:21 pm

I am absolutely furious that the CBRM council has once again decided a new library is not important enough, despite the present structure being aged and decrepit and inadequate to the community’s needs. The Public Library system is a vital, democratizing tool, providing access to services and information to allRead More

By Jürgi-würgi (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Gardening Tips: Greenhouses

May 26, 2021 at 12:15 pm

Editor’s Note: We’ve been reaching into Michelle Smith’s archive to present always timely gardening advice. This week’s column first appeared on 31 May 2017. Editor’s Second Note: We are delighted to have Michelle Smith back with us this week, elsewhere in this edition!   What to do this week ManagingRead More

Kholrabi photo: H. Zell - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9378593

Gardening Tips: Lettuce Rejoice!

May 19, 2021 at 11:00 am

Editor’s Note: We’ve been reaching back into Michelle Smith’s archives for always timely gardening tips. This column was originally published on 22 May 2019.   What to do this week I finally got my tractor going after having it sit all winter and as soon as the soil dries aRead More

Winking Jersey cow, Netherlands. (Photo by By BartLaridon (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Bean There: The Price of Milk

May 12, 2021 at 12:00 pm

Editor’s Note: This week, instead of gardening tips, the Spectator is featuring one of Michelle Smith’s feature articles. This one was first published on 17 May 2017.   It’s fair to say that a user-friendly discussion of the dairy industry in Canada would be in order right about now. WithRead More