Leaves made the Green Mountains green all summer and now provide the great beauty of autumn across the Vermont landscape. Nature is now releasing leaves from the trees to add fertility and build soil. The key is to convert those rich leaves into compost, not remove them as is often the misguided custom. The second message this week is about the great importance of water to plants heading into winter. This article is all about not raking leaves and how…
Autumn has officially begun and frost isn’t far away. Gardens are already showing signs of leaf loss on squash, cukes, peppers, tomatoes, and basil. These are among the most susceptible plants. Good News, there are a few easy precautions we can take to protect our favorite plants and extend the gardening season to get a little more out of our summer efforts. It’s also the best time to begin improving the soil for next year’s garden so let’s look at…
Plant Health & Seed Saving Recent rains have been welcome but have promoted plant diseases, weeds, and some pests. As harvesting of onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and other vegetables continues it’s important to apply sanitation practices to limit damage to our hard-earned harvests. Also, while harvesting veggies, herbs, and flowers is the best part of gardening, don’t overlook another valuable crop you have and might want to harvest… seeds for next year. The easiest seeds to save include peas, beans, heirloom…
Rain or shine, our gardens are now heading into the home stretch with tomatoes, beans, squash, and peppers leading the way! Dry weather has been tough on some veggies and flowers this summer, so mulch and extra watering is required. Good news is that weeds grow slower and the lawn needs less mowing! Tomatoes and peppers are really sub-tropical plants and don’t know that winter is coming so they are still trying to grow. We know better and there are…
Despite the lack of rain, it’s great to see your garden in full maturity and producing an abundance of veggies, herbs, flowers, and soon to be harvested potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, and more. It’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. Proper harvesting is key to good production, the more you pick the more you get! Leaving fruits on plants to get over-ripe or go to seed tells the plants its job is…
We are in peak garden season and there’s a lot happening out there. The dry weeks of July have made two practices essential: watering and mulching. While you enjoy some satisfying harvests and flowers, stay alert to new pests showing up now to prevent serious damage. There are some more things that can be planted now too. Garlic harvest is almost here so let’s look at the best way to harvest, cure, and select next year’s crop. Weeds are growing…
Garden planting and transplanting is now in full swing and everything we want to grow can be planted out including favorites like tomato & pepper plants, squashes, potatoes, onion sets, broccoli, herbs, or greens. But one question remains, which plants make good garden companions with each other, and which do not? Plants affect their neighbors and the soil around them so we should try to place compatible or non-competitive plants near each other when possible. A similar principle applies when…
June brings better gardening weather, what a welcome change! Although it’s been dry for Vermont spring, recent rains have created a great time to get new plants into their outdoor homes for the summer. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, and salad greens have mostly been planted out. It’s time for heat loving plants like basil, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, squash, okra, sweet potatoes, & peppers to be in the ground. Annual flowers like geraniums, petunias, marigolds, nasturtiums, and snapdragons will do well…
Sunny, warmer days make the garden real in May. While there are many garden plants that can be seeded outdoors now, don’t be tempted to start working your soil if it is still wet. If you insist on tilling your garden it is very important to wait until the soil has drained and dried enough to be crumbly, not gooey or sticky. I do not till my garden soil at all because tilling is very damaging to soil & unnecessary. …
On this 50th edition of Vermont Home Gardener I would like to announce No Mow May and promote raised bed gardening. There are so many advantages to growing in raised beds that we really should consider them for any garden. Whether you are beginning a new garden or wish to improve an established garden, raised beds will make your garden more productive, more convenient, and are less work in the long run (no tilling, ever!). Raised beds do very well…