Garlic is an easy crop in New England and it’s great to have something to look forward to for next year before winter arrives. You will never accept store bought garlic after you’ve had fresh garlic from your own garden. Mild temperatures have caused me to delay planting this year but now through mid-November is the time to sow your garlic, along with other bulbs for next spring. Let’s look at a few tricks to have a successful garlic crop…
There are many advantages to growing in raised beds and 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 in the hilly, rocky, weedy, cool, wet, northern New England conditions. Raised Beds. While building raised beds will require some extra…
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…
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…
Leaves made the great Green Mountains green all summer and now provide the beauty of autumn across the Vermont landscape. Next they are dropped from their trees to add fertility and build soil. The key message here 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…
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…
As plants enter their peak vegetative growth phase in June their nutrient requirements increase so they can get bigger and prepare for fruiting (tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, etc.) or storage (carrots, beets, onions, etc.). We’ve had some badly needed rains and things should start to look good out there. Also, this can be when plants in deficient soils run short of essential nutrients and show signs of poor health. In order to promote strong growth and avoid nutrient shortages now…