I’m an organic gardener and I grow a lot of roses — about 50 varieties of them. They don’t look like sticks with a bow on top and I don’t treat them any better than my other garden perennials. I plant mine in the same amended soil I use for the rest of my plants, fertilize them a couple times…
I am a seed hoarder. I still have packets from 2000 in my seed box because they might germinate whenever I get around to planting them. I don’t like to take risks with my vegetables though, so I make sure to have a fresh seed supply. Peas are not great seeds to save, the older they get the less vigor…
I’m here to help those of you who want early blooms to tide you over while your massive patch of kudzu is dormant. Plant partnering, if you haven’t tried it, is a pretty version of companion planting. The premise is growing complimentary plants together — either due to color schemes, textural interest, or seasonal successions. Now that I’ve drifted away…
If you had 15 – 30 minutes to teach people how to start an organic garden, what would you do? Last Wednesday I did this crash course for our local Green Drinks International chapter. I gave out a one page, fridge-magnet-ready handout to go with it — which I included below. Here’s the handout. I was able to expand on…
The Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve is one of my favorite late-day stops when I need to get a nature fix. It’s about 20 minutes from my house and offers a range of habitats to explore — including forest, rare wetland seepage areas, and maintained meadows. Meadow habitats have become so scarce in the Carolinas that DNR uses mowing and controlled…
Woops! It’s spring… this week got busy! I went to a great SCUMS meeting, the Organic Growers School, and created a huge new garden with the help of three friends. We’re still planning to amend the beds with compost but technically we could just plant in it as is. I did process photos to show you how to make raised…
I don’t do a lot of companion planting. I’m not saying it doesn’t work (and I’d love to hear your success stories) but other than being impressed by mycorrhizal fungi and permaculture plant guilds I haven’t felt the need to find my plants a buddy. Oh! EXCEPT for growing fennel next to plants plagued by caterpillars. Flowering fennel is like a beacon…
I thought I would post about morels next but good things come to those who wait. In the meantime we have a bad thing with (at least one) good solution. Ever heard of Atrazine? It’s in the news right now for altering the reproductive systems of frogs: CNN, Reuters, Fox, BBC It’s now infamous and controversial. Atrazine has a reputation…
You may not be awash in excitement from the title of this post, but you should be. This magazine, the best garden magazine I ever read, has long been out of print. I purchased my first copies at a Master Gardener Symposium exchange for $0.25 a piece. I could scarcely wait to go online to buy a subscription and was…
It’s not just tasty and easy — it’s pretty! For those of you who like to dress up your flower beds with some well-placed ornamental edibles (or who want show-stopping potagers) this is an oft-overlooked plant you can’t be without. For those of you who like to eat — it’s celery! Of course you should grow it. I don’t know…
This blog often focuses on eating local. However, if you aren’t comfortable gardening on your own or your yard is shady (or nonexistent) you can still grow your own food successfully. You just need to get involved with a community garden! The characteristics of community gardens are varied. Some of them allow you to rent a plot of land that…
Crop Mobs are a new movement that I suspect will spread like wildfire. If you’re a small-scale, sustainable farmer they can be a lifesaver. And if you’re without ample land they’ll rescue you from growers lust and put you in touch with the source of your food. :)Anyone can participate. It’s not charity. The premise is that people who want…
I’ve been thinking about guerrilla gardening lately. I’ve done it… but why not delegate and get your neighbors to do the work? If you’re a butterfly gardener, birder, or simply a lover of native plants it is a good way to increase the species diversity in your area. Studies show that birds thrive in areas rich with native species. Butterflies…
If that title sounds too good to be true, it’s not. Over the weekend my friends Tradd & Olga invited me over for dinner (and after eating the wild mushroom dish that Olga served you can expect a post on morel hunting soon). Tradd is a Mycologist and together they run Mushroom Mountain out of Liberty, SC. You can buy…
Nothing goes better with fresh garden tomatoes than fresh garden basil. It’s likely these two plants are responsible for the majority of intrepid forays into vegetable gardening. Cooks and gardeners quickly find there is more to basil than the overpriced “sweet” grocery store blister packs or the spice aisle’s jars full of lifeless confetti. Basil is quick and easy to…
Peppers can be very easy to grow but many gardeners struggle with productivity, sun scald, or getting those darned red ones to ripen. A few simple tricks can make a big difference in getting a successful harvest. The most important first step, whether you grow from seed or buy transplants, is to get started with sturdy, healthy seedlings. If you…
*EDIT 1/15/2013* – This post was written when bees were far less expensive than they are now. Unless you are planning to catch a free swarm or have some other cheap bee source, it would be a good idea to learn all you can prior to obtaining bees. Yeah, that’s right. I did a Valentine’s post on undies followed by…
The last few dawns have sounded like spring (in spite of the snow we’ve been having). The birds are getting excited and so am I! I’ll be renewing my efforts to learn bird calls this year. Here are some suggestions on how to become an auditory birding expert. Books and CDs: The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Eastern and Central North America…
For Valentine’s Day I decided to write about my recent quest for latex-free undergarments and socks. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say I had a “duh” moment about the latex sensitivity that I’ve known about for years. Guess what elastic is?! My (urgent) search made me a bit of an expert on sustainable undergarments. Here is what…
Does anyone who loves tomatoes really need advice on more tomatoes to buy? Yes. Because how else are we going to make it through the winter? Note: for photo captions “OP” stands for Open-Pollinated, which means you can save the seeds. Heirlooms are OP. For hybrids you can’t save the seeds, but they aren’t the same as GMOs. Everyone has…