MARCH IS IF-AND-WHEN MONTH: I’ll do things on this list if and when the snow melts, the ground defrosts, and the muck it leaves behind starts to drain off and dry. If and when. Which means I’m starting the month indoors this year, with a last pass through the seed catalogs; finishing up my bare-root and tuber orders (any berry bushes, strawberries, asparagus, roses, potatoes and sweet potatoes), and getting out the seed-starting gear to be ready in a couple of weeks. This month’s to-do list—if and when you can get to it: [read more…]
my march 2010 garden chores
February 28, 2010 at 7:39 pm
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doodle by andre: tree protection, punk style
February 25, 2010 at 8:42 am
ANDRE SWEARS THAT IF I PUT THESE AROUND THE TRUNKS of my young trees, no critter of any description will be able to get in for a nibble. I’m more familiar with traditional hardware-cloth collars, but I’m always open to any suggestion regarding pest control. Do you think Mr. Jordan, mad doodler that he is, was inspired by his British roots, or by his recent adoption of Miss Pickle the Pit Bull, who looks like a girl who could easily carry off such edgy, custom-tailored bling?
a way to garden on facebook
February 24, 2010 at 11:01 am
CHECKING OFF MY TO-DO’S HERE AS I APPROACH the March relaunch of A Way to Garden, with nifty new improvements, and this was on the list: “Make fan page for garden blog.” And so I did, though “fan page” sounds a lot less appealing than “friends page” or “group page,” which is what we used to have quite happily. According to Facebook’s Rules of Order, so to speak, things like blogs have “fans,” though. Join if you choose, and don’t worry: no peer pressure whatsoever. I am grateful for your company wherever you choose to offer it.
longing for another kind of shovel
February 23, 2010 at 6:54 pm
IWAS MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS HERE WHEN THIS SHOWED UP. And it continues to show up. After several “cried-wolf” storms this year (all of which settled on New York City south to the mid-Atlantic, not us) finally here comes The Whopper (definitely not flame-broiled, and no mayo, ketchup, onion, lettuce, tomato or pickle included that I can see). Truth be told, I wasn’t minding my own business, exactly, but actually our business: revamping A Way to Garden for its third “facelift” (cheaper and easier than getting one myself) in time for a March release. If you wonder why I am quiet this week, that’s why: I’m hectic here, rebuilding. And it’s also quiet because the snow now muffles me in a thick duvet of white.
doodle by andre: caught in the act
February 18, 2010 at 8:48 am
BRINGING NEW MEANING TO THE PHASE ‘HOMELAND SECURITY,’ right? You all may not know that in his former life, Andre the Doodler was a photographer, and garden photos were his specialty. Like these: [read more…]
downtime with the birds: courses and sightings
February 17, 2010 at 2:39 pm
MY SPADE AND RAKE REMAIN IN COLD STORAGE, but the birding binoculars have been getting quite the workout. So it goes on winter days here at A Way to Garden, when I count on (and simply count) things avian to keep me from going mad. Do you perhaps need a distraction, too? Join me for some bird-watching, virtual or otherwise. [read more…]
planning now for a healthy tomato harvest
February 15, 2010 at 12:30 pm
TOMATO GROWERS WHO HAD A BAD YEAR, home gardeners and farmers alike, wonder how to prevent a repeat of widespread disease that wiped out huge portions of the 2009 crop in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Will late blight, caused by the fungus-like pathogen called Phytophthora infestans, strike again, and is there anything can we do to guard against that? While I wait to hear more from authorities like Cornell University, here’s what I know; what I did last fall, and what I will do at spring cleanup time to help myself. One advance clue: It focuses largely on a treasure hunt aimed at finding every last volunteer potato in the garden. [read more…]
stop searching: tomato-growing tips and tricks
February 15, 2010 at 12:18 pm
THOUGH I WON’T START TOMATO SEEDS HERE UNTIL MID-APRIL, I know from looking at my WordPress dashboard—the administrative screen I use to create and run this blog—that many of you are already looking around for the tomato-growing how-to’s. To make the searching easier, a roundup of links to my best tomato-growing tips and tricks: [read more…]
doodle by andre: medicinal purposes only
February 11, 2010 at 12:01 am
ANDRE MADE ME DO IT. Go to the liquor store, I mean. That’s my excuse, but what’s yours? I know he’s talking about paperwhites on the rocks, but I fear he has a problem, and this may be a cry for help (hiccup). Remember our dear Andre Jordan’s previous statement on the use of alcohol in the garden (and the use of alcohol at the garden party)? Like I said: hiccup.
