After harvesting potatoes from my new bin, I started to think that setup — made from a three-bay compost bin — looked a lot like a coldframe. And the soil inside is better than any of the soil in my regular garden. So once the potatoes had been harvested, I seeded the area with a bunch of different cold-weather crops. Front to back: Bed 1. Spinach, romaine lettuce, cilantro, kale and radicchio Bed 2. An Italian green called Spigarie…
The Elevated Cedar Raised Bed, augmented with a cold-frame top. Another great idea from one of our customers: Rose Deskavich, who gardens in western Massachusetts, modified her Elevated Raised Bed, adding a custom cold frame so she could grow greens, parsley and chives through the winter. “During warm weather, I do not take the top off because I have a problem with squirrels digging in it. I open the cover but keep a heavy duty mesh cov…
…f just 3.25 square feet. Hinged roof and doors provide ventilation. Shelf area matches our Compact SunLite® Garden shelf, making it easy to transfer seedling trays. Shelves can be adjusted to different heights. Easy assembly. 26.75″ W x 46.5″ H x 17.5″ D. Learn more … Elevated Patio Grow House Start seeds and acclimate plants to outdoor conditions without backbreaking bending to water and fertilize them. The double-wa…
…mal DNA. Many Americans are concerned about the negative effects of GMO use on the agricultural economy and small-scale and organic farming. Surveys show a wide majority of Americans support mandatory labeling. At least 21 countries and the European Union have established some form of mandatory labeling. Mandatory labeling will allow consumers to identify food products they want to avoid. So why not label? Well, here are some of the argu…
Though cold winds chill the air and snow blankets much of the U.S., pesticide use remains a hot topic — and not only among gardeners. The most recent comments come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health, whose December 2012 policy statement makes a clear link between pesticide exposure and children’s health problems. Published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the 60,000-member AAP, “Pesticide Ex…
to double the amount you use in this recipe. Anytime Tabouli 1 cup bulgur 1½ cup boiling water 1 tsp. salt ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 2 cups fresh) 1½ cup finely chopped parsley 3 scallions, chopped, with greens salt and freshly ground black pepper Put bulgur in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let sit for about 20 minutes until m…
…and still in perfect condition. As an experiment, I wrapped only the north and west sides of this row. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the plants on the far end that were almost completely enclosed, are at least 20 percent larger than the others in the same row. The tomatoes went into the ground May 10. Nights were still in the 30s. I dug compost into the bed and then added a handful of organic fertilizer to each of the p…
At our store, and I suspect across the nation, the demand for fruit plants is up sharply. Everbearing strawberries produce succulent berries all summer. The grow-your-own movement is stronger than it’s been in about 60 years, judging by the way vegetable seeds, onion sets, and seed potatoes are flying off the racks. Germinating mix and seed-starting supplies are in demand, too, as novice gardeners prepare to grow some of their own food…
If you find yourself with more vegetables than time, read my list of super-quick, after-work solutions that I use to save some of summer’s bounty for cold winter days. This year, we’re growing an all-pepper bed as part of our Kitchen Garden Planner designs. This means we’ll have lots of peppers to preserve for winter stir-fries, salads and sandwiches. Vegetables That Can Be Preserved Easily and Quickly Peppers Tomatoe…
The poinsettia has gotten pretty flashy in recent years. Not only are the colors amazing, some are dusted with glitter. Slideshow: Poinsettias for 2009 Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. Slideshow:Poinsettias for 2009 To see captions, click on the image. To share comments or explore further, go to Flickr. Wow. Poinsettias sure have changed. We just received a fresh shipment at our store in Vermont, and the variety…