Pulling Together was the theme for this year’s Heath Fair. After such a cool, wet summer when it was hard to get a good hay crop in and Late Blight hit local farmers, as well as local gardeners who mourned over lost tomato and potato crops, it felt like we were all doing some heavy hauling. It takes a lot of people pulling together to prepare the for the Fair, from the vision and energy…
Paul Tukey of Safe Lawns sent this moving letter: "In the midst of planning movie premieres and national anti-chemical campaigns, our life as we knew it stopped suddenly when my wife went into labor at precisely 12:55 a.m. last Thursday. For the next several hours, I was either glued to a stopwatch or being gripped fiercely by my wife as her contractions grew closer and more powerful in succession. Incredibly important questions came at us from all directions…
I was flattered to get an e-note from CSN Stores saying that the commonweeder had the kind of readership that they were trying to reach. They proposed a Giveaway and I am very happy to pass that on to you. Their website Teak, Wicker & More offers a whole range of outdoor furniture which includes just about everything you need to make your gardens hospitable and comfortable. They have firepits and grills, planters, and of course, patio furniture. They…
My friend Peter who reads this blog, and others, responded to the review of Covering Ground by Barbara Ellis with the following post and request. "I need some gardeners' advice. The two photos show the side area of our house. It was cleared and a lawn (of sorts) planted before we bought the place. We do not use the area, and our dogs don't go down there either. Its value is in providing a respite with open space…
“Green your garden” sounds like an unnecessary admonition, but as the discussion about global warming heats up (pun intended) gardeners are looking at ways to lower their gardens’ carbon footprint. Because digging the soil releases carbon into the atmosphere no-till cultivation methods have gained new advocates. In addition to saving human energy, sheet composting/lasagna gardening has become more popular. Another way of reducing the carbon footprint of the garden is to reduce the size of the…
“Grow Food Everywhere!” is Ricky Baruc’s enthusiastic motto. It doesn’t matter if the soil is bad, or if you have a bad back. At Seeds of Solidarity Farm in Orange Baruc and his wife Deb Habib have proved that food can be grown anywhere, by anyone. He said his secret is cardboard and worms. I will add he gets some aid from the beautiful Diemand Farm compost. His technique is simple. He clears the garden spot then lays…
Earth Day celebrations remind us that there is work to do to build a sustainable world – and that we have to begin in our own neighborhoods. I know of two local efforts. Last week I visited Ricky Baruc at his Seeds of Solidarity Farm in Orange. In 1996 Ricky and his wife Deb Habib started farming in a woodland clearing. The soil was bad and season was not long, but they did not find these insuperable…
Earth Day celebrations remind us that there is work to do to build a sustainable world – and that we have to begin in our own neighborhoods. I know of two local efforts.Last week I visited Ricky Baruc at his Seeds of Solidarity Farm in Orange. In 1996 Ricky and his wife Deb Habib started farming in a woodland clearing. The soil was bad and season was not long, but they did not find these insuperable deterrents. They…
Celeriac was lauded in our daily newspaper, The Recorder, on Saturday by Aaron Falbel of Sunderland for its brightness of flavor, versatility, and modesty. He says,Relegated as you so often are, to the back and upper shelves in the supermarket,Tossed among horseradish, jicama, salsify and other strange,Unidentifiable rooty things.Little do they know that you are the storage champion of all time, Leaven even butternut squash in the dust. . . .You persevereon, and on and on, Keeping your…
Dominique Browning of the late lamented House and Garden wrote in The Wall Street Journal recently about changes in the White House as the Obamas prepare to move in, and some changes that could be made."A green lifestyle shouldn't be an unaffordable status symbol; it has to become mainstream. With the Obamas' leadership, America can trace a path to a more compassionate, respectful, sustainable way of keeping house." she said.While I certainly look to the Obamas to set…