It’s planting time! You might think that a strange beginning for an October article, perhaps more appropriate for May. But there is no mistake. Mid-October is the time to plant bulbs of many spring-bloomers as well as garlic. Perhaps more planting is the last thing you feel like doing at the end of a [Continue]
August is a busy time in the garden. There’s just so much . . . zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans. And you need to keep harvesting all of it. Ideally you harvest every day, but at minimum every other day. There is no point in allowing large, overripe vegetables to tax a plant of resources [Continue]
September is a busy time in the garden, especially this year when everything seemed to get a late start. If your garden is like mine, it’s just reaching peak vegetable and flower production. There is still much to be done. In the vegetable garden, harvesting of zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash and cucumbers continues. [Continue]
Some gardeners are scrupulous about pulling everything out or cutting everything back before winter comes. Others leave the entire job for spring. The ideal is probably somewhere in between. You should pull up and compost all annual flowers and vegetable plants. As an alternative to adding plant debris to the compost bin, dig big holes [Continue]
The time will soon come for gardeners to take a well-deserved rest, but it’s not here yet. Much work still needs to be done, but it can be accomplished without the rushed pace of the beginning of the season. Annual plants should be pulled up and removed from both flower and vegetable gardens. Most can [Continue]
Some gardeners are scrupulous about pulling everything out or cutting everything back before winter comes. Others leave the entire job for spring. The ideal is probably somewhere in between. You should pull up and compost all annual flowers and vegetable plants. As an alternative to adding plant debris to the compost bin, dig big holes [Continue]
Gardening books recommend planting peas “as soon as the soil can be worked.” But what does that mean? This week, many of our vegetable garden plots are still under water and it’s going to be quite a while before they dry out. Perhaps you are fortunate enough to have well-drained, sandier soil, or raised beds [Continue]
Like it or not, it’s time to start getting your yard tucked in for winter. There are two main things plants need protection from in winter – rabbits and the weather. Fencing is the only sure way to protect plants from rabbit damage. A roll of chicken wire is inexpensive and easy to cut [Continue]
There is much to do in the September garden! Vegetable gardeners continue to harvest tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and beans and are busy canning, freezing and dehydrating. Potatoes and carrots are ready to be dug and apples and pears are ready for harvest. Just a reminder that local food banks welcome any extra produce. [Continue]
Take the time now to prepare your yard and garden for winter. When spring comes you’ll be glad you did. Cut the grass short to discourage voles and mice from making nests below the snow. Rake leaves out of areas where they pile up and shred them with the lawn mower for free lawn [Continue]