A Way To Garden

2016 cheesemaking classes with alana chernila

when to start seed

6th annual seedy saturday

2016 cheesemaking classes with alana chernila

when to start seed

6th annual seedy saturday

Latest Posts

making sourdough starter, with sarah owens

time-tested perennials, with kathy tracey of avant gardens

links: a white beet (but why?); parrots and ptsd; was that a woyote?; garlic-onion tricks

sowing seeds, growing vegetables, with lee reich

counting birds with cornell, 2016 edition

rescue operation: freezing stored garlic, onions

don’t skimp on light when starting seeds

the february garden chores

growing annual poppies, with marilyn barlow

6 easiest orchids to grow, with longwood’s greg griffis

Latest Posts

making sourdough starter, with sarah owens

time-tested perennials, with kathy tracey of avant gardens

links: a white beet (but why?); parrots and ptsd; was that a woyote?; garlic-onion tricks

sowing seeds, growing vegetables, with lee reich

counting birds with cornell, 2016 edition

rescue operation: freezing stored garlic, onions

don’t skimp on light when starting seeds

the february garden chores

growing annual poppies, with marilyn barlow

6 easiest orchids to grow, with longwood’s greg griffis

shopped for seed yet?

don’t rush with seed

stay off mucky soil

plan to deter deer

plan to compost smarter

prevent leggy seedlings

check stored veggies

fruit-tree pruning

forcing branches

houseplant tuneup

Latest Posts

shopped for seed yet?

don’t rush with seed

stay off mucky soil

plan to deter deer

plan to compost smarter

prevent leggy seedlings

check stored veggies

fruit-tree pruning

forcing branches

houseplant tuneup

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February 1, 2016

February 2, 2016

February 3, 2016

February 6, 2016

February 9, 2016

February 11, 2016

February 15, 2016

February 17, 2016

February 20, 2016

February 22, 2016

February 1, 2016

February 2, 2016

February 3, 2016

February 6, 2016

February 9, 2016

February 11, 2016

February 15, 2016

February 17, 2016

February 20, 2016

February 22, 2016

WHAT IS SOURDOUGH STARTER made of? I’m interested in growing all manner of things, so one photo in a new [read more…]

WHAT ARE YOUR time-tested perennials—and would you like expert help selecting others that rate that status? It’s time to talk [read more…]

ANIMALS AND VEGETABLES (if not minerals) feature in this edition of my occasional links posts–with inspiration from damaged parrots, awe [read more…]

I’VE BEEN PESTERING Lee Reich–who’s a master at making compost, growing common and unusual fruit, pruning and more–for any extra [read more…]

I’LL TELL YOU MINE, if you tell me yours–and then how about we all tell eBird.org (or join the upcoming [read more…]

REACHING INTO THE NET BAG of onions in my barn this morning, I got a little wakeup call—from a few [read more…]

STARTING SEEDS is not hard…unless you skimp on light, or your timing is off. Sorry, friends, but your windowsills just [read more…]

RESTLESS, ANYONE? The houseplants are noticing, and so am I: the days are longer, making us both want to get [read more…]

I DON’T RECALL where the annual poppies that have been replanting themselves here and there around my garden for decades [read more…]

RIGHT ABOUT NOW, countless orchid plants in homes everywhere—plants perhaps gifted to their owners, or others we bought for ourselves [read more…]

1 February 1, 2016 shopped for seed yet? IF YOU HAVEN’T yet, it’s definitely time to shop for seeds. Listen or read along with me and Joseph Tychonievich as we power-shop the latest ones—including many little-known resources.

2 February 2, 2016 don’t rush with seed TOP TIP: Don’t! (Don’t rush, I mean.) A short, stout, sturdy 6-week-old tomato transplant is better than a leggy, all-stretched-out weakling. Only leeks and onions are started indoors this month in my zone, at the earliest. Make your own location-specific calendar for seed-starting using my calculator tool at this link.

3 February 3, 2016 stay off mucky soil KEEP FEET on mulch, stone or gravel paths—off the lawns and out of beds—if thaws prove warm enough to soften the ground. Mucking around in mud is a no-no, and honestly, I don’t even walk on frozen lawn grass unless I must.

6 February 6, 2016 plan to deter deer SICK OF DEER? Maybe it’s time to plan for upgrades in deer control. If by this point in winter you have tired of browsing damage, perhaps this will be the year you fence the yard, or at least a key area, using one of these approaches.

9 February 9, 2016 plan to compost smarter IS YOUR COMPOSTING operation just not yielding enough, or taking too much work? Nobody does it better than my friend Lee Reich, who composts like this.

11 February 11, 2016 prevent leggy seedlings PLAN NOW TO PREVENT STRETCHED, leggy seedlings later by reading this. (My “when to start what” seed calculator gives the proper dates for your zone.)

15 February 15, 2016 check stored veggies CHECK stored vegetables (“one bad apple…” and all that). My garlic doesn’t make it all the way through the year in the cellar so I freeze some, as whole cloves. Like this. Ditto with onions to keep them fresh, not sprouting. Remember the ideal storage conditions for each crop?

17 February 17, 2016 fruit-tree pruning IF THE COMBINATION OF not-too-deep snow (or none) but still-frozen or at least not-muddy soil occurs on a sunny day, get out and prune. Fruit trees, like my old apples, benefit from a late-winter cleanup; here’s how.

20 February 20, 2016 forcing branches FORCE BRANCHES. Early blooming shrubs and trees like pussy willow, forsythia, apple and cherry are good candidates; branches can be cut once their buds begin to swell. Also try the shrubby clove currant, the so-called Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas, and pear, beeches, birches, and redbuds. The closer to actual bloom date, the higher forcing success.

22 February 22, 2016 houseplant tuneup TIME FOR A HOUSEPLANT TUNEUP. Everybody over here is getting a trip to the shower and more, like this.