I left my daughter and her broken ankle in the loving care of her sons and friends and made it home for the weekend and the wonderful Western Mass Master Gardeners Spring Symposium. I was giving a presentation about my worm farm, but I was eager to hear landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy speak about her new book, Home Outside, and attend a garlic growing and cooking workshop. I'll post more about the Symposium later this week.While I…
I feared my worms had all died during a great winter cold spell. Temperatures in my basement dipped below 50 degrees which I had read was the absolute limit for red wiggler survival. One day I went down to see if I could at least harvest some worm castings for houseplants I was repotting - and I found a worm. More than one worm! I don't know how many there are, but although my photo doesn't show it,…
I feared my worms had all died during a great winter cold spell. Temperatures in my basement dipped below 50 degrees which I had read was the absolute limit for red wiggler survival. One day I went down to see if I could at least harvest some worm castings for houseplants I was repotting - and I found a worm. More than one worm!I don't know how many there are, but although my photo doesn't show it, the…
One year a friend, just returned from London, gave me a copy of the Financial Times that contained an article about rhubarb. Rhubarb season comes earlier in England, but it is one of the first harvests here in New England and the article had all kinds of fascinating information.Robin Lane Fox, Financial Times columnist, explained that rhubarb has been cultivated for about 4500 years. There are records of rhubarb being used medicinally in China since 2700 BC. It…
Julie Moir Messervy, the well-known landscape designer and author of books like The Inward Garden, Outside the Not So Big House, and most recently, Home Outside, is coming to town. Messervy will be the keynote speaker the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Spring Symposium, Feeding Soil, Self and Soul, on March 21.Messervy knows that our homes are probably the most important spaces in our lives. We celebrate at home and refresh ourselves at home. We can enjoy our family…
Julie Moir Messervy, the well-known landscape designer and author of books like The Inward Garden, Outside the Not So Big House, and most recently, Home Outside, is coming to town. Messervy will be the keynote speaker the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Spring Symposium, Feeding Soil, Self and Soul, on March 21. Messervy knows that our homes are probably the most important spaces in our lives. We celebrate at home and refresh ourselves at home. We…
We left the snowy fields of Heath in a hurry on Thursday and made our way to our daughter Betsy's house. She and her broken ankle were on her couch where she had been rearranging her life for the previous 2 days. Plans were made to get her to the hospital at dawn on Friday morning.While she was in surgery we took a walk through the Brigham and Women's Hospital neighborhood where we saw a very neat park,…
Lynne has won our Johnny's Selected Seed Giveaway! Congratulations! Once I have her street/mailing address I'll pass that on to Johnny's and they will send the $25 gift certificate directly to her. She is sure to have a great garden season.So thank you all for playing, and happy gardening.
Lynne is our winner of the Johnny's Selected Seed Give Away! With her $25 gift certificate she can buy anthing in the Johnny's catalog. She is sure to have a great growing season. Congratulations, Lynne. When I receive your street/mailing address I will pass that along to Johnny's and they'll send you the gift certificate. Thank you all, and happy gardening to all.
This is the time of year when our gardens are at their best – growing, blooming and ready for harvest in our mind’s eye. These visions are inspired by the catlogs mounting on the kitchen and coffee tables. Their bright pictures and lush prose encourage us to think that we will have the best garden ever this year! There are organizations that work to make those best gardens possible by testing plant varieties to let us…