Spring signs are all over the place! Those cheerful daffodils are popping up, red maples are beginning to flower, and willows are taking on that distinctive yellow glow – all sure signs it's time to get our hands back in the soil. Not to mention yesterdays pretty shockingly hot weather 😎🌡️ This is the perfect moment to prepare for our earliest cool-weather crops. Next week, I'll be planting onions, leeks, spinach, and (feeling a bit adventurous!) some lettuce. Arugula and radishes will...
26 days ago • 1 min read
Things are starting to feel (slightly) warmer and you may have noticed the first daffodil leaves starting to push up to join the snowdrops and crocuses. The gardeners and motorcyclists are starting to get antsy! But don’t start planting your tomatoes quite yet. Greenhouse Update Strawberries jet getting started! Spring is ramping up in the greenhouse and it’s starting to look pretty. Tomatoes are getting seeded next week! But this year’s strawberry baskets are starting to pop and looking...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
What a change - it’s was almost tropical out there for a couple days! Let’s wrap up our garden planning series. We’ve covered WHAT to grow, WHEN to plant it, and HOW MUCH to grow. Today, let’s tackle the final act: WHERE everything goes in your garden’s grand production. Just as every director has their own vision for staging a play, there are different styles for arranging your garden’s cast of characters. You might prefer the precision of a Broadway musical - where each vegetable has its...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Jeez! I hope you are staying warm. Let’s do some more on-paper and in-doors gardening this week! Last email when answering our 3 Big Questions we talked about the WHEN of planting. Today I want to help decide how MUCH to grow. Think of your garden like a theater production. A director wouldn’t cast 20 Hamlets - nor would they attempt to stage a chorus line with just three dancers. In your garden, you need to know whether you’re producing an intimate one-act show with just enough runner beans...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Last week we explored choosing the right plants for your garden. Today, I want to share how I turn my plant wishlist into an actionable plan that makes our gardens more successful. It all starts with what I call the Big 3 Questions (When is it going to be planted? How much to grow? Where is going to live?), let’s tackle the first one now: WHEN to plant. Just like a chef’s kitchen runs on perfect timing and temperature, your garden thrives when plants go into the ground at just the right...
3 months ago • 1 min read
A good plan is imperative to a great garden! And now is the perfect time to do it – especially when it’s too cold to go outside and dig around. It has definitely been tea and cuddling weather lately! I start all my planning with a big long list of everything I want to include in the garden. Without years of gardening behind you, the best place to start is your own favorite recipes. You’re much more likely to enjoy gardening when you use all the veggies you’re raising! - Big salad family -...
3 months ago • 1 min read
I hope you are enjoying this slow, cool rainy day and all your trees, shrubs, and perennials are getting a well deserved drink before winter truly sets in! Every garden tool has its use? As the gardening season winds down your shovel has been faithful all season long and now its time to show it some TLC too! Clean, sharp tools not only make gardening more enjoyable but also help reduce strain on your body and allow your tools to last for years to come. Here’s your quick guide to winter tool...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hello, With the end of the veggie garden in sight for most of us (our expected first frost date is around the first week of November here in the Rivertowns), it’s the perfect time to reflect and prepare for an even better garden next year! Garden notes or a garden journal will be a huge asset when it comes time to plan or make decisions about next season’s garden. Good notes Improve our planning - they allow us to see when and where certain veggies were planted and make adjustments Identify...
6 months ago • 1 min read
As the weather gets cool, it’s time to brush off the trowel one more time and dig soil tests! This is the best time of year for checking on how you can bring nutritional balance to your soils as well as prime the soil micro ecology for next season’s plantings. Anything you add to the soil now will have plenty of time to enter the soil food web and be ready for your next season’s veggies to scoop right up! While we might harvest tomatoes and lettuce as gardeners what we truly cultivate first...
7 months ago • 2 min read