Despite the winter season there’s plenty to keep a gardener occupied. If you haven’t ordered your garden seeds yet, start by listing seeds leftover from last year. Then look at the short list of local seed companies that I list below (or any others that you like). Browse online catalogs from the comfort of home. Don’t delay, the best varieties sell out early. In this article I suggest a few winter tips and easy-to-do ideas that will make the coming…
The 2024 gardening season has begun with the arrival of new seed catalogs! Mid-winter is the ideal time to take inventory of what happened in 2023, which seeds will be needed and begin preparations for the next gardening season. It’s also important to take care of indoor plants and get started with early pruning of woody plants when we have an occasional nice winter day. Here are some details… Got seeds? Before ordering new seeds, I like to check my…
Autumn has begun and frost isn’t far away. Gardens are showing leaf loss on squash, cukes, peppers, tomatoes, and basil. These are among the cold susceptible plants. Cold tolerant plants like broccoli, cabbage, kale, and arugula will keep growing. In ground carrots, potatoes, onions, & turnips are fine and can be harvested when you have time. Good News, there are a few easy precautions we can take to protect our favorite plants and extend the harvest season to get a…
Here we are… winter in Vermont with beautiful snow, cold nighttime temperatures, but there’s still plenty to keep a good gardener busy. If you haven’t ordered your garden seeds yet, that is your #1 priority! Look at the short list of local seed companies that I list in the full article (or any others that you like) and you can browse their online catalogs from the comfort of home. Don’t delay, the best varieties sell out first. In this article…
Like it or not, the gardening season in the Green Mountains has ended, mostly. Before our thoughts turn completely to the holiday season there are a few tasks worth attending to before we’re totally snowed in. There are also a couple easy tips to help keep your Christmas tree green and fresh longer. Christmas tree health. I can offer two simple tips that will help your tree stay green and hold its needles longer: 1) Just before placing your tree…
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…
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…
Here we are… winter in Vermont with beautiful snow, cold nighttime temperatures, and there’s still plenty to keep a good gardener busy. If you haven’t ordered your garden seeds yet, that is your #1 priority! Look at the short list of local seed companies that I listed in the previous article (or any others that you like) and you can browse their online catalogs from the comfort of home. This is not the year to delay, the best varieties are…
Autumn has officially begun and Jack Frost isn’t far away. Many 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 long efforts. It’s also the best time to begin improving the soil for next year’s garden so…
This is really a traditional winter in Vermont with plenty of beautiful snow, cold nighttime temperatures, and little to do for the garden except dream and plan. Not exactly! There’s plenty to keep a good gardener busy. If you haven’t ordered your garden seeds yet, that is your #1 priority! This week I offer a collection of short winter tips and easy-to-do ideas that will prove useful and make the coming garden season a little more productive. If you really…