After the welcome rains of July, gardens are in full maturity and producing an abundance of veggies, herbs, flowers, and weeds. Soon we’ll harvest 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 successful production, and the more you pick the more you get! Leaving blossoms or fruits on plants to get over-ripe or go to seed tells the plant its job is…
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…
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…
We’ve had a very dry and unusual spring in Vermont, again. While there is little we can do about the weather, there are some things you can do in the garden to be sure your plants are healthy and thriving despite what nature brings. Mulching is a very good practice to conserve water, suppress weeds, improve the soil, and encourage natural pest control. Let’s take a closer look at the kinds of mulch materials to use, when to apply them,…