For nearly one hundred years–between the 1880’s and the 1960’s a stretch of the Hudson Valley in upstate New York was known as the “Violet Capital of the World.” Herb Saltford recounted that it was his grandfather, William Saltford– head gardener at several estates in England before the family moved to Hyde Park, New York– […]

Snow covers the garden, and spring is nowhere in sight, so it’s time for that perennial pleasure—perusing the stack of seed catalogs that’s been piling up since November. Interesting trends in vegetable gardening emerge in this year’s catalogs. If you plan to grow tomatoes, 2015 promises intriguing choices; breeders have been busy creating new combinations […]

There is an easier middle way between the effort of traditional composting and the specialised requirements of a wormery: invite the worms into your regular bin, and let them do the work. Of all the ongoing experiments and trials in my garden, the longest-running, most revealing and ultimately most fruitful are those around compost-making. I’m […]

February is the time to give cool-season vegetables a jumpstart by sowing seeds in a greenhouse. You could also put seed trays under lights in a frost-free garage or a back porch, or even on a sunny windowsill that’s not too warm. In addition to the traditional ones—cabbage, broccoli, peas, lettuce, and cauliflower—it’s worth considering […]

We are lucky enough to have the wonderful Pam Ruch – a greenhouse grower in Pennsylvania, adding a little bit of her knowledge to the blog this month. Take it away Pam: If you’ve ever spent time breathing in the musky, earthy air of a winter greenhouse then you know for a fact that this is […]

  At a White House Dinner that gathered world leaders early in his tenure, President Kennedy quipped that those assembled represented the “greatest meeting of minds since Thomas Jefferson had dinner in the White House here by himself.” What’s impressive about Thomas Jefferson’s intelligence is that it wasn’t limited by matters political or philosophical. Jefferson’s […]

Grafted trees with more than one kind of fruit are a classic way to maximize yield in small backyards. Now, to celebrate the beginning of 2015, here’s a different two-for-one—supersweet cherry tomatoes grafted onto a rootstock that features a crop of potatoes. It’s all one plant called Ketchup ‘n’ Fries™ by TomTato.® I talked with […]

I’ve been running into a lot of glasshouses in my midwinter reading. I just finished reading up about Edward VII, son of Prince Albert, who dazzled the world with the Crystal Palace in London in 1851. Albert was a better exhibition organizer than he was a father, but the book reminded me what a remarkable […]

Every year, as a professional garden writer, I am given products from manufacturers and businesses who want me to test them. And I do. Anything I receive gets a serious workout in my own garden. Now in this season of gifting, I’d like to pass along my recommendations for several that have been outstanding. Rain […]

The Gift List Recommendations for your gardening friends, and some for your other friends and loved ones: 24” Stake Rain Gauge Nothing matters more to gardeners than the rain. Here is a beautiful and efficient way to measure what fell. This handsome, rustproof model is based upon the Archimedian Principle and constructed entirely in the […]

If you have a heated greenhouse, you have a big advantage in growing amaryllis, those bulbs with huge, dramatic flowers that are such popular holiday gifts. Pretty much anybody with a bright window can get an amaryllis bulb to bloom, but to keep the plant alive and get it to flower again next year requires […]

“I’m telling you, I have full heads of broccoli and cabbage only seven weeks from seedlings in a six-pack—huge!” Joe Lamp’l is pleased. In a phone interview, the executive producer and host of the TV show “Growing a Greener World” is sharing with me the delight all gardeners feel about a horticultural achievement. The secret […]