A WAY TO GARDEN turns 5 months old this week, and as if to celebrate it reached a milestone: our first 100-comment post (about equal to the number of frogs who share the place with me). No-no surprise for me that it was the post about Garden No-No’s (aka The Complaint Dept.) that took the prize. Thanks to your generosity, we’re about to record our 3,000th comment over all…who will be the one?
I WATCHED A ZOOM lecture the other day that really put into words a lot of the ways my own deepening understanding of ecology is shaking up the way I practice horticulture—from spring cleanup, right on to the last chore of the active year. The lecturer was Rebecca McMackin, director of horticulture for Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, where she leads the team that manages 85 acres of diverse parkland with a central focus on habitat creation of woodlands, wetlands, and meadows to build soils and support birds, butterflies, and other organisms.
We talked about the dynamic tactics they use and when and why–a whole different approach to spring cleanup, where the life cycles of animals (from insects on up) dictate what happens when, garden maintenance-wise. Like why some things don’t get cut back, and others that are still seed-laden when they do have their seeds collected and set aside, then returned to the spot after whatever cleanup is needed there.
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
Congratulations on a successful blog!
It’s always a pleasure to read it.
/krys
Congratulations!
Congratulations! It doesn’t take long for a quality blog to reach this kind of success! Gardener’s thirst for the kind of information you share.
Keep them coming!
Shirley Bovshow
Welcome, Shirley, and thank you for the good words (and ditto, Krys and Louise). Glad to have you here and hope you’ll visit (and comment) again soon.
3000 comments?!? When do you have time to do the pruning?
Congratulations! Always an interesting read.
Cool, way to go! I love your blog!
@All of you: Doesn’t ANYBODY have ANYTHING to say about my latest (green) guy? Really, though, thanks for the good words.
He’s gorgeous. He’s a dreamboat. He’s a thief of hearts. I love your camera and its ‘eye’ – as well as all of its technical prowess. (What kind of camera is it again??)
Finally, somebody notices Mr. Bigstuff! Thanks, Andrew. Saves me getting Frogboy the psychotherapy he’d otherwise need if nobody said anything nice (he reads all my comments, you know; he’s a real geek).
(P.S.–It’s a Nikon D40X, a digital SLR, probably shot w/the 70-300 in tow.)
No, Kathy, he doesn’t weed, but he is on slug duty and also catches (and eats) mice and even the occasional chimpunk. I kid you not.
Welcome, Angela. Yes, I always think they are about to start laughing. Glad to have you here with us.
Hi Margaret,
Some girls get all the good ones! Good looking and close by. What more could a girl want? Does he weed?
Congratulations on your blog. I look forward to it every day. The food fest has been great fun even for a non-cook like myself.
Don’t you love that frogs always have a smile on their face?
Congratulations! I love your blog. Always interesting and informative. Why are your frogs always so colorful, mine must be toads.
Welcome, Dan…nice to “see” you after all these years. I enjoyed a visit to your site not long ago; the work is great as ever. Of course, I now shoot portraits myself. I specialize as you may have noticed in amphibians…is there much call for that work, and what should I be charging the frogboys, who I think are getting me way too cheap? Tee hee.
Congratulations Margret. I love reading your blog. Reminds me of the good old days.
I am a sucker for hazel green eyes. And a guy with a healthy appetite. Great close-up.
Congrats on this well earned and exciting milestone! Look forward to many, many more!
Thanks, Andrea, and yes indeed, Nancy, they do. I even took photos of said rodent sushi-eating. Grotesque, and fascinating. Nature. I couldn’t believe it and looked it up in reptile/amphibian guides and indeed, it’s true.
Your frogboys eat mice and chipmunks? Really? Wow, I have some big ol’ bullfrogs around my pond but I never considered that they might eat rodents. Or maybe it’s just your frogboys, trying to impress you. Congrats on the success of your blog!
Welcome, Vicki. The bullfrogs (not green frogs or leopards or any other kinds) eat rodents when they can grab them with their muscular tongues. Perhaps you do not have large bulls? As for green tomatoes, I have pickled them (you can use this easy recipe) and also made “mincemeat” for pie filling, chutney or to top vanilla ice cream.
Saw you on Martha today. Thanks for the intro to your site. No-no’s to share….. No man trash in the garden. No scalloped cement edge pieces.My frogs are so tiny I think they can only eat mosquitos, or ants.. Where do you get the ones that eat rodents? Have you pickled any green tomatoes? I have alot right now, and I was concidering pickling some of my mini pear tomatoes. Are they worth the effort? Vicki