And more farmers are getting in on the action, offering their own seedling sales. But take care you don’t transfer any pests — plant or insect — with your new plants.
gardening
Grow: onions
Onions are a wonderful plant to grow because, if things go well, you can eat them beginning in June and keep eating them all the way to March. People who start their seeds inside can start them as early as February. Now is the time to plant seedlings or onion sets – which are dried […]
Grow: potatoes
Potatoes are a a major industry in Aroostook County and a good vegetable to grow anywhere in Maine. I prefer growing unusual, specialty potatoes rather than the Kennebec and Katahdin varieties you can buy at any store. Varieties I’m growing this year include Charlotte, a French variety new to Wood Prairie Farm this year; two […]
Saving a heritage orchard, one apple tree at a time
Massachusetts’ Tower Hill Botanic Gardens gets some restoration help from Fedco Trees and inimitable apple man John Bunker.
Making plans for the 2021 gardening season
By now, columnist Tom Atwell can grow vegetables in his sleep. This year, he’ll focus on ornamentals.
Five essential tools for the vegetable gardener
True gardening hoe: Use the hoe to weed and to create depressed rows for planting seeds. Get one four or five inches wide and about two inches deep. Spading fork: Use it to turn the soil, loosening it in the spring and turning in compost you’ve added. Since we got rid of our rototiller, we […]
Remember to water regularly
Even before drought seemed to hit every year, watering was essential. As I write this, this spring is already looking drier than usual. Water perennial flower transplants and shrubs every day for the first month or two. Vegetable seedlings also need regular watering. If it hasn’t rained for two days, water your seedlings. Water seeds […]
Four essential vegetables for the new (and otherwise) gardener
Beans: They come in many types: thin, flat and those grown for dried beans. Whichever type you chose, they are easy to grow and produce a lot. Cherry tomatoes: These are easier to grow than full-sized tomatoes. If you’re like us, you eat as many in the garden as ever make it into the house. Leaf […]
Five fun things your kids can do in the garden right now
Garden plan and journal: Daydream and draw your 2021 garden. Give your child some seed catalogues, a notebook and glue stick and have your child make a 2021 Garden Plan Journal. Plant outside: Peas and radishes are a great pair to plant with kids. Pea seeds are big, making them easy for little hands to […]
Raised beds or in-ground gardening? Which is right for you?
If you have good soil, garden in the ground. It’s easier because you don’t have to build beds and add soil to them. But if you have ledge, rocky soil, lead in your soil or perhaps you have trouble bending down to reach the garden, use a raised bed. In sum, in the soil is […]