How to Transplant Winter-Sown Seedlings
This week, I received the following email from reader Brick: Kevin, you're extremely good looking. Are you single? My phone number is 212-xxx-xxxx. Also, when you winter-sow seeds, do the roots get...
View ArticlePerennials and Hardy Annuals I’ve Successfully Winter-Sowed
Happy day-after-Valentine's Day, everyone! The Hudson Valley looks and feels like Narnia right now, with snow, blowing snow, and wind-chill temperatures in the dangerous digits (-10°F to -20°F). Can...
View ArticleGarden Chores for March, 2015
What do I do for my garden in March? Well, if the ground is frozen and covered with a foot of snow, I simply mix up a double martini and wait for better weather. Otherwise, I get down and dirty with...
View ArticleWhich Veggies Will You Grow?
The tried and true -- or something new? Which veggies are you planning to grow this summer? Ah, summer. I hope it doesn't resemble our Hudson Valley spring. As you can see, snow is swirling outside my...
View ArticleMy April, 2015 Garden Chores
HELLO, APRIL! Honestly, after the coldest March on record, I'm really happy to see you! I'm also happy to report that my Witch Hazel (above) is in fragrant bloom, and that a number of daffodils are...
View ArticleMy Gardens in Early April, 2015
How's your garden clean-up coming along? Here in New York's Hudson Valley, I'm still picking up sticks and leaves, and making repairs as the weather allows. More details in this sip and stroll garden...
View ArticleFirst Aid for Non-Blooming Daffodils
THE TIMELY TOPIC OF DAFFODILS CAME UP THIS WEEK, when a reader asked "Why don't my daffodils have flowers?" Actually, these Narcissi have a number of requirements. If their needs are not met, the...
View ArticleMy First Asparagus Bed
I stopped by my favorite farm store the other day, with the sole intention of buying one (just one!) bag of organic parsley. I purchased the $2.00 herb, and then wandered into one of the farm's...
View ArticleHow I Acidify My Blueberry Soil (& other useful tips)
What do blueberries, rhododendrons, and azaleas have in common? They all want acidic soil! To keep my tiny blueberry patch in happy (and productive) health, each spring I pour acidifying halos around...
View ArticleThe May Garden Chores!
Take a tip from the nesting robins -- May isn't the month to snooze! Indeed, garden-work we accomplish now will determine the success we'll have for the rest of the growing season. Need a little...
View ArticleMy Gardens in Mid-May
KA-BOOM! My garden exploded last weekend, when a heatwave roared through the Hudson Valley. Suddenly the crabapples are cloaked in shimmering snow, the tulips are holding pale purple cups, the Dicentra...
View ArticleBoxwood: An Extreme Makeover!
Hallelujah -- my boxwood received its annual haircut yesterday. To accomplish this job, I rented a gas-powered hedge-trimmer from the local hardware store. I also rented a professional boxwood-barber,...
View ArticleJune 2015 Kitchen and Garden Chores
Wanna get down and dirty in the garden with me? We can train the tomato vines, smother the weeds, and deadhead the spent spring flowers. Afterwards, we can make something delicious to eat! The fun...
View ArticleMy Herb Garden, or How to Decorate Rich (Even When You’re Not)
For me, a garden begins with a vision. A totally awesome vision that can become a reality on a less-than awesome budget. My little Herb Garden is just one example of how I decorate rich without...
View ArticleEasy Lavender Shortbread Cookies
Yesterday, I clipped several blossoms from my lavender plants. Then I added the perfumed petals to a standard, three-ingredient shortbread dough. The result of this mad experiment? Pure deliciousness!...
View ArticleHow’s Your Veggie Garden Progressing?
How's your veggie patch coming along? Any troubles to report? My own Kitchen Garden is a little pokey this season, thanks to a hot, dry May, and a cool, wet June. Still, the plants are making a valiant...
View ArticleA Short Walk in the Kitchen Garden
Today, I planned to give you the "grand tour" of all the gardens here. But it's too hot and muggy outside! It's the kind of day when sweat stings your eyes. I can't have you running around with...
View ArticleWoodchuck Woes
Uh-oh. This morning, during my daily inspection of the too-many gardens here, I discovered a fiendish fat woodchuck in the fenced kitchen garden. The object of Woody's affection? Sweet potato leaves....
View ArticleHow I Freeze Whole Tomatoes
Red ones. Green ones. Yellow ones. Striped ones. Are late-summer tomatoes swallowing your kitchen counter top, too? Here, the weather's too hot for boiling, peeling, and canning the fruit. Consequently...
View ArticleBulbs I’m Planting for Spring Color and Perfume
Yes, I know it’s only September. But I’m thinking ahead towards spring! For color and perfume in April and May, I recently ordered some gorgeous tulips and daffodils. Here’s a look at these...
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