It’s not often that a simple garden tool becomes a cult, but such is the case for the wheel hoe. It’s easily the most time-saving, back-sparing tool in my shed, as it deals with the most taxing job: removing weeds, especially ones in compacted soil. Picture a stirrup hoe, which is shaped like a horseman’s …
In the garden we’re always trying to make the most of the space we’ve got, especially if we live in a city, a town or just a small lot in the countryside. “Leafy suburb” is a positive phrase, evoking beautiful old trees and welcome summer shade. “Yard with a dinky patch of sun for vegetables” …
One evening I was sitting on the bench beside our pond, watching spring arrive. The ice had nearly melted on the pond and the buds on the swamp maples were showing red. Nesting birds were twittering, and airplanes were drawing silvery lines across the sky. Even though the jets were too high to be heard, …
Tomatoes are the divas of the vegetable patch — luscious, celebrated and notoriously hard to please. If it’s too chilly they’ll sulk. If it’s too hot, they’ll throw a tantrum, scattering their blossoms and refusing to perform. Gardeners everywhere know that planting tomatoes prematurely in spring is a mistake. They will just sit there until …
It’s April, and, weather-wise, anything can happen. Mainers know better than to put away our snow shovels, and not even the most optimistic gardener will be fooled by springlike days. Remember one April with three major snowstorms. Tomato-planting time is still far away. Gardeners tend to be philosophical about weather events, partly because they’re beyond …
There are many ways to make a garden bed, but one thing is constant: The soil within it should have the lightness of a fluffed-up pillow and the loft of a down-filled duvet. Adding plenty of organic matter to the soil is the key to building a plant-friendly soil like that. But the bed’s design …
To the little people it never felt right. The readers of the old Organic Gardening and Farming magazine saw no logic in spraying poisons on their vegetables. The magazine was founded 75 years ago, with no glamour or gloss, and its circulation reached more a million at its height. It featured tales and photos from …
The “O” word in gardening has long been “organic,” but this year it might be “occultation.” You might well ask what that means and what it has to do with the garden — or the occult. The word occult, which can be used as a noun, an adjective or a verb, signifies something hidden, concealed …
The famous gardener Ruth Stout did not invent mulch. By her account, God did.
The nutritionist Adelle Davis once said that we should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. Because of today’s schedules, most people reverse that order, grabbing a quick bite before work, a sandwich on their lunch break and a full dinner at night, when everyone is home and …
