AS I POTTED UP SOME PLANTS TODAY, I ran short on potting soil–and then I remembered: With big pots, in particular, there’s sometimes no need to fill the entire vessel, which is often deeper than the roots of seasonal plants would reach in their relatively short time in residence. So I reviewed my trick for making false bottoms (and saving on soil). Hint: It involves recycling garden-center leftovers, like plastic soil bags and empty six-packs. It’s right here.
for beginners
I have selected some of my posts on a range of topics, aiming to introduce beginning gardeners to some of the basics. A great place to start on this site if you're new-ish to gardening: Browse the stories below and see what sounds right for you.
soil-saving tricks for planting big pots
April 30, 2011 at 9:52 am
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12 top composting faq’s
March 18, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Q. Do I need to buy a bin to make compost?
A. What method of composting you use should be determined by the volume of material created in the yard (and to a lesser degree, in the kitchen, where vegetable scraps, egg shells and coffee and tea grounds can be collected for the heap, too). I create far too much raw material for a mere bin-type system, the commercially available kind made of metal or heavy plastic or mesh that are about as big as a washing machine. [read more…]
20 top seed and seed-starting faq’s
February 18, 2011 at 8:21 am
Q. I have leftover seeds from last year. How long do seeds last, or remain viable?
A. There is no hard-and-fast answer on how long leftover seeds last; every expert has a slightly different take, making memorization of any absolute rules impossible. Most seed will last a couple to several years—but there are disclaimers to even that general a statement. [read more…]
happy accident: a garden for 365 days
January 23, 2011 at 10:32 am
EACH FALL, GARDENING FRIENDS CAN BE HEARD swapping tales of garden cleanup and whatever the year’s aberrant weather brought, while also sounding their annual lament: “The season’s almost over,” they say, the level of their voiced despair growing louder as each week passes. “Another year gone.” Maybe I am just stubborn—not a bad quality to have when you work a steep hillside in Zone 5B—but such talk rankles me. I see no evidence that the garden is ever really out of season. [read more…]
updated: new source list includes plant societies
December 5, 2010 at 6:06 pm
THE FIRST CATALOGS ARRIVED THIS WEEK and made me think how out of date my source list was, so finally: an update–the first of several to come. To my former list of links I’ve added many catalog vendors; more reference sites–and the start of a whole section of plant societies. The whole growing-by-the-minute list now has its own page for easy reference. How you can help, and my thoughts on what makes the cut: [read more…]
links: a thoughtful video, beginner blunders, more
October 17, 2010 at 2:05 pm
MORE RAIN THE LAST WEEK MEANS a happier landscape, and also more links to share, since I sat sidelined, waiting for breaks in the action to go out and tidy up–or take pictures of a fiery doublefile Viburnum leaf, above, and whatever else is still smoldering. From a tender video of one man’s 40-year garden-writing career, to the story of a “seed library” up in my neck of the woods, to beginner blunders and the impact of gardening on the restaurant business (think: big), the latest digital harvest: [read more…]
the little book that could: ‘botany for gardeners’
July 25, 2010 at 8:57 am
COULD IT BE? TWENTY YEARS? WITH MY VINTAGE REVIEW still the lead blurb on the opening page? And 200,000+ copies in print? Yup, yup, and yup: Brian Capon’s masterpiece, “Botany for Gardeners,” was reissued recently, and my glowing praise (written when I was garden editor at “Newsday” newspaper) still applies: “Here is a magical little book for anyone wanting to know the why of gardening’s many miracles.” I believe that this is an essential reference for every gardener—and every young person who otherwise won’t learn the botanical sciences and miss out on a whole lot of life–so I’m offering you a chance to win one of two copies I’m giving away: [read more…]
vegetable-garden tuneup: make room for more
June 6, 2010 at 9:09 am
IT’S NOT JUST THE BEDS OF FADED SPRING PERENNIALS and gone-by flowering shrubs that need a tuneup around here (and maybe in your yard, too?). The vegetable garden is screaming for attention, as cool-season darlings—the spinach and broccoli raab and various other once-succulent things—stretch up in protest, saying “No more!” How to achieve a continuing harvest with some simple succession-sowing tactics, in words and a captioned slideshow: [read more…]
look out the window: garden design 101
May 17, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I AM NO GARDEN DESIGNER OVER HERE, but this much I know: Look out the window if you want to make a garden. That’s Step 1; that’s where the siting of a successful home landscape should begin. After all, as a gardener, when was the last time you viewed the garden from outside, when you were in it? If you’re like me, you’re bending/weeding/mowing/digging, not viewing when you’re outdoors. With that in mind, here’s my pretty basic Garden Design 101 for Real Gardeners: [read more…]
