As we step into the new year, celebrate the transition with an early dose of spring by “forcing” some winter branches or dormant bulbs. (Not as violent as it sounds, forcing simply means encouraging plants to believe it is a different time of year—in this case, not winter—so that they bloom.) A sunny January day […]
If holiday gifts are on your mind, these suggestions may help with the gardening recipients on your list. Or perhaps, like me, you’ll add a few of these items to your personal wish list. Globally, gardening as a pastime is enjoying an all-time high in popularity; new gardeners sprout every day. The Curious Gardener’s Almanac […]
Cooler evenings and shorter days—everything points to summer’s end. It’s time to move plants indoors. Here are a few things to consider before you do. Realistically assess your indoor space. Whether you plan to begin spring seedlings or grow winter crops, remember to allow room for these activities. Most plants you move in grow larger […]
With the hottest days of August behind us, this is a great time to plan for cooler times ahead. Particularly at the juncture of two seasons, your greenhouse provides a growing environment sheltered from increasingly unpredicatable weather. Chilly nights? Just close the vents and let the thermostat bring on a little heat. Indian Summer? Re-open […]
We usually think of greenhouses as spaces devoted to growing plants, but they have other uses too. If plants aren’t growing in your greenhouse during these hottest months of the year– or if there’s extra space among plants that are there—why not utilize this sheltered place in other ways? So much we grow in the […]
As summer’s temperatures climb, it can seem hopeless to grow anything inside the greenhouse. But with adequate ventilation, there are actually some excellent candidates for these conditions. If you think in terms of plants that like the heat—there really are quite a few. You’ll need to decide whether to plant them in containers—these should be […]
Sometimes the only way to go is up. And when is that truer than late spring, with horizontal space at a premium for the burgeoning seedlings we began last winter? Going vertical isn’t merely practical, vines are lovely too. Many grow outdoors during the summer. But greenhouse environments are ideal for them – depending upon […]
One of the biggest challenges of spring is that we eventually must limit what to grow. It’s worst inside greenhouses, where the space is confined by four walls. Seedlings have a shocking way of increasing exponentially in their needs–that tiny handful of seeds sprouts into a modest seedflat, then moves in a fairly orderly fashion […]
In this busy season of gifting it’s easy to lose sight of the things that really matter. Few of us really need more things. For the gardeners on your gift list this season, consider something different: Give them a gift membership to a public garden located nearby, or alternatively, make a donation to a garden […]
It’s not every day, nor is it everywhere that a brand new botanic garden opens, but the city of Santa Fe New Mexico recently became home to one. Although the garden opened its gates just this past July, only two months later in September when I visited the gardens looked remarkably filled in. The Santa […]
Peterborough, New Hampshire, is one fortunate town. Between the Contookuk River and Nubanusit Brook, it was a thriving mill town in the nineteenth century. The home of the MacDowell Colony (the first artist’s colony in the country) since 1907, the town is thought to have been the model for Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, which he […]
While some herbs overwinter in sunny windows or greenhouses, and others dry well for later, there’s a handful of culinary herbs that– to my mind– are best grown only during summer and enjoyed when fresh. Though they can be preserved one way or another, there’s no substitute for their fresh presence in summer’s signature dishes. […]
