I was recently tasked with summarizing the principles of organic gardening on just a half sheet of paper. Given that there have been thousands of books and articles written on the topic, it was a tough assignment. A search of the Winnefox Library system turned up 231 titles! After some thought, I realized that [Continue]
Every year I experiment with a new vegetable, herb, fruit or flower in my garden. Not this year. This year, in my new home, everything is different. The soil, light conditions, wind, water, surrounding vegetation, weeds, insect pests, the deer population, whatever critters live along the riverbank; it’s all unfamiliar. The ecosystem I created [Continue]
Gardeners have many reasons for pursuing their hobby – exercise, relaxation, spending time outdoors, creativity and beauty, or growing healthy, fresh food. These are all admirable motives for pursuit of a worthwhile pastime. Gardening should be a lovely, relaxing activity. So why do we sometimes make it so much work? Why do we try [Continue]
What tasks are you doing in your vegetable garden this time of year? Pulling everything up, rototilling, maybe trying to find some free manure, beating yourself up over the many weeds you didn’t pull? There is a way to make autumn’s garden tasks, and indeed the entire vegetable garden year, easier. It’s called deep mulch [Continue]
What happens when you see an insect chewing on your beans? Do you immediately reach for some kind of spray? You really don’t need to do that – as soon as the chewer landed on the plant and began snacking, the bean called for help. It did this by releasing a complex of chemicals called [Continue]
Remember the story of Squanto teaching the pilgrims how to fertilize their crops by planting a fish head under each hill of corn? It turns out that Squanto really knew what he was talking about. Fish and seaweed from our lakes, rivers and oceans make excellent fertilizers for annuals, perennials, vegetables and even [Continue]
Face it. You KNOW that synthetic chemical fertilizers and herbicides are bad for the environment and for your own health. Those little white signs that lawn care companies place on the lawns warning people to stay off aren’t kidding. But your lawn is addicted and you’re afraid that if you give up the chemicals [Continue]
Some gardeners love moss. Some gardeners hate moss. Some gardeners love moss in some places but hate moss in other places. Moss growing in your lawn is actually a symptom rather than the cause of a poor lawn. Moss grows in shade where soil is compacted and has a low pH. Poor drainage [Continue]
When I went to visit Suzette Lazotte’s permaculture garden, she gave me her address and detailed directions how to get there. But I wouldn’t have needed either. Just the name of the street would have been enough – her yard is very different from her neighbors’. The bulk of Suzette’s yard is filled [Continue]
Permaculture, coined from “permanent agriculture” may seem an obscure or unobtainable theory that doesn’t apply to the average yard or garden. But there is no need to adopt the entire permaculture philosophy to derive some benefits. Just a few of the concepts can be applied to make your yard and garden more beautiful and [Continue]