This year for the first time in a long time I was able to get a good germination from notoriously hard to germinate carrots, and the key to my success was using floating row cover. Tacked directly onto the soil, the cover provided just enough moisture to allow the carrots to sprout without drying out [...]
I spent an idyllic weekend in far northern Vermont this past Memorial day, one afternoon of which was occupied in helping my friend Christina and her son Julian put in their vegetable garden. As part of the process, we stopped by a local nursery, where I was forced, FORCED, I tell you, to acquire several [...]
Every spring, I marvel at the crowds of people buying flats and flats of expensive annual and vegetable seedlings at nurseries and box stores. For expediency’s sake, that’s fine; but for better economy, and for better gardening, you can save a tremendous amount of money, and grow a much wider variety of plants, if you [...]
I was down in the greenhouse this morning, and noticed as I was watering the Confederate Jasmine that the leaves had shiny, sticky spots on them, normally a sign that scale was present. Sure enough, a flip of the leaves revealed quite an infestation of these sucking insects. Years ago, this would have been a [...]
OK, so we’ve all been there: enticed by those luscious catalogs glowing with glossies of ripe and redolent vegetables, we’ve rushed out, bought large quantities of seeds, and then stuck the packets in a drawer, only to remember them again in June, far too late in the game. Well, thanks to our friends at John [...]
As promised, the best of the best, and worst of the worst seed-grown vegetable list from 2009. Now remember, to some extent these ratings are subjective, and dependent on climate; when choosing varieties, you must always select cultivars that are adapted to your site and growing conditions. Take for instance, that all time American favorite [...]
High winds over the weekend produced an expected windfall: several towering stems of oriental lilies, some 6′ tall, were snapped off during a violent thunderstorm, and now grace the dining room with their scent and smell. I can’t say I objected too terribly. I’m a huge fan of Asian lilies indoors, ever since I visitied [...]
A comment yesterday from one of our readers about starting lettuce on a windowsill reminded me that I wanted to let folks know how easy it is to grow lettuce in containers, especially those varieties bred for it. Here’s a pot variety I’ve grown, and it’s great: ‘Lettuce Babies’ Butterhead, available from Renee’s Select Seed. [...]