On a recent spring day, I had the opportunity to visit Planting Fields, located in Oyster Bay, Long Island. Once a remarkable private estate, it is now managed by the State of New York. Its name comes from the Matinecock Indians–the original cultivators of the fertile clearings above Long Island Sound. Although Henry Hudson stopped […]

What is the best way to start vegetables and annual flowers? Factors to consider include your available indoor space, your time, and the space and temperature requirements of the plants you want to grow. Some crops, such as peas, resent moving, and it’s best to plant them where they’ll stay. This is also true of […]

As we enjoy the lengthening sunlight of late winter, it’s hard to imagine being interested in shade. But if you’re planning to build a greenhouse, creating shade for the hottest days of summer should be on your list of considerations. While it’s possible to grow plants in hot greenhouse environments, high temperatures will limit the […]

One good thing about bone-chilling weather is that it provides a chance to peruse this winter’s crop of seed catalogues indoors. I’ve only begun, but my list is growing long… Johnny’s Selected Seeds have long-supplied Northeastern market gardeners with the best in vegetable seeds; they offered organic seeds before they were readily available elsewhere. I’ll […]

Like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson’s interest in gardening was influenced by European trends. His gardening mentor, Bernard McMahon, an Irish nurseryman and writer, was probably instrumental in encouraging that he build his own. Because Jefferson himself had travelled extensively in Europe, he had seen many greenhouses – freestanding structures later known as orangeries, which were […]

Despite juggling the demands of a busy military and political life, it seems that George Washington enjoyed his time in the garden, particularly in his greenhouse. The Upper Garden at Mount Vernon was first designed and built in 1763. Then, fifteen years later, he added a greenhouse, and two long, low buildings that were designed […]

Non-gardeners may suppose this time of year is when those of us with vegetable gardens sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor, but we know better. After all the watering, planting, weeding, training and mulching —this is harvest time! Fortunately, on a small scale, harvesting vegetables has enormous universal appeal. When they were […]

In the midst of the summer heat, it’s sometimes challenging to appreciate the brief gift of hot weather for what it is. When temperatures climb, we must water more frequently—and sometimes during a stretch of drought like the one we’re experiencing this summer in the Northeast—the chore of watering can seem interminable. Day after scorching […]

When you walk in off the street, you’ll notice an immediate change in your blood pressure. The Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden– the horticultural therapy branch of the NYU (New York University) Medical Center– is just a stone’s throw away from FDR Drive. But the tranquility of the garden, and the history of its role […]

This month I thought I’d explore a topic that's new to me. This activity isn't usually done inside greenhouses, but I do think it's of interest to gardeners. What is an efficient, odorless way to recycle food wastes, producing compost at the same time? The answer is vermicomposting, or the farming of worms. An average […]

Struggling with supplemental lights and squeezing plant flats into your house or apartment can make growing seedlings a challenge–but greenhouse gardeners enjoy the benefits of planting in environments ideal for their purpose. Whether you grow under glass or not, here’s how to insure your plants turn out the best they can. As in so many […]