ONE LATE-AUGUST DAY, Nancy Lawson—or “The Humane Gardener,” as she is perhaps better known—was making a video about a spicebush swallowtail butterfly when something just beyond it in her Maryland yard caught her eye. A green heron was visiting a small pond Nancy had created not long ago—her first such encounter with the bird. (That’s one of her backyard ponds, above.) When I saw that video on Instagram it made me think of the late-March morning when I’d stood...
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Hello & Welcome!
'horticultural how-to and woo-woo'
A WAY TO GARDEN is the latest horticultural incarnation of me, Margaret Roach, birthed in March 2008 with my own words as its primary DNA, mingled with ideas shared in weekly expert interviews.
Since April 2020, I have been the garden columnist for “The New York Times,” where I began my journalism career decades ago. I host a public-radio podcast; write books, plus hold tours at my 2.3-acre Hudson Valley (NY) Zone 6a garden, and always say no to chemicals and yes to great plants.
Timely Essentials
How to Grow Everything
A “NEW YORK TIMES” column I did recently happily put me back in touch with organic farmer Kate Spring, who in our past conversations has always taught me how to think smarter about when to start seeds—like how to time succession sowings of vegetables for an extended harvest well into fall. This time she gave me a 101 on another kind of seed-sowing, but indoors, preferably under lights, and starting right now as winter descends: mastering microgreens. Kate Spring,...
Recipes
I DON’T BAKE MUCH THESE DAYS, BUT IN ANOTHER LIFE I was the Queen of Pie (and even baked all my bread, too). Even though I rarely cut or rub cold butter into flour for a crust any longer, I’ve found a shortcut to homemade fruit dessert that’s served me faithfully since I hung up my rolling pin. No surprise that I attribute the find to my old friend Martha Stewart, who taught me many things—including clafoutis, a simple,...
'horticultural how-to and woo-woo' with margaret roach, head gardener
