Rain or shine, our gardens are now heading into the home stretch with tomatoes and peppers leading the way! Weather has not been good for some veggies and flowers this summer, so disappointments are part of the game. Tomatoes and peppers are really sub-tropical plants and don’t know that winter is coming so they are still trying to grow as though they have many months ahead. We know better and there are several things we can do right now to…
After all these rains it’s a great feeling to see your garden in full maturity and producing an abundance of veggies, herbs, flowers, and soon to be harvested potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, turnips, and more. It’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. 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…
We are in peak garden season and there’s a lot happening out there. While you enjoy some satisfying harvests and flowers stay alert to new pests showing up now so we can prevent serious damage. There are some great 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 too and it’s important to prevent them from producing seed that…
The good news is that the days are getting longer! In mid-winter we gain just over 2 minutes of daylight every day. Slow but sure, spring in coming. The other sure sign that spring is coming is the arrival of new seed catalogs. This is a great time of year to begin planning for your new gardening season. In this last article for 2020 let’s begin thinking about preparations for 2021 with deciding what to plant and some tips about…
I like to wrap up fall gardening with planting something. Garlic is an easy New England crop and it’s great to have something to look forward to for next year already in the ground when winter arrives. Nothing compares with fresh garlic from your garden and now is the time to sow your garlic, along with many other bulbs that will be the first things up next spring. Let’s look at a few tricks to have a successful garlic crop…
Leaves made the Green Mountains green all summer and now provide the beauty of autumn across the Vermont landscape. Next they are released from their trees to bring fertility and build soil. The key message is to use those rich leaves, do not remove or discard them as is so often the misguided custom. The second message this week is about the great importance of water to plants heading into winter. Let’s look at why we should not rake away…
Jack Frost visited this week and the first damaging frosts of the season are upon us. Many gardens are already showing signs of leaf injury on squash, cukes, peppers, tomatoes, and basil. These are among the most susceptible plants. Even if you escaped the first frost there is a second round in the forecast and it will be more serious with 3 cold nights near 30 F Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. Good News, there are a few easy precautions we…
Rain or shine, our gardens are now heading into the home stretch with tomatoes leading the way! Tomatoes are actually sub-tropical plants and don’t know that winter is coming so they are still growing and producing as though they have many months ahead. We know better and there are several things we can do right now to get the most out of what’s left of this year’s growing season for tomatoes and our other gardening investments. Despite the calendar and…
It’s a great feeling to see your garden in full maturity and producing as much or more than you hoped for. That’s the reward that a hard-working gardener deserves and should enjoy this time of year. Harvesting is vital to good production, the more you pick the more you get! Leaving fruits on plants to get over-ripe signals the plants to slow or stop production. Of course, overabundance can become a burden too, unless we have some good ways to…
Composting is like printing your own money, maybe better! As a home composter you take your kitchen scraps and lawn wastes and turn them into “black gold” for free. I call it gold but it is so valuable and provides so many benefits that it’s actually better than gold. Gardeners, farmers, and landscapers all know about the amazing benefits of compost for gardens and lawns, the environment, and your local economy. With a vision for the future Vermont passed a…