100 posts found, showing 20 per page

Garden Mary Wildfire May 13, 2020
Brassicas
Brassicas, cole family plants, are members of the cabbage family and include broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, collards, mustard greens, kale, and Chinese cabbage. All like cool weather and rich soil, and can take a light frost. Some kale can tolerate much lower temperatures. More

Garden Mary Wildfire May 7, 2020
Fencing Them Out
Your garden has good soil, is freshly tilled and ready to grow many wheelbarrow loads of vegetables and perhaps some fruits (strawberries or raspberries). You have a plan. Next—you probably need a fence, to keep out the deer, groundhogs, rabbits, and the local dogs and cats (the dogs aren’t interested in your crops but may trample them; the cats look upon your soft earth with unseemly intent). So…how do you build this fence? More

Garden Mary Wildfire April 29, 2020
Preparing Your Garden
Late April—time to set out plants, plant seeds, plant potato sets…but first, we need to talk more about soil preparation. In the first column, I mentioned getting your soil tested, but it can take weeks to get your analysis back, especially in the busiest time—now. Meanwhile, there are some quick and (literally) dirty ways to test your soil. More

Garden Mary Wildfire April 23, 2020
Starting Your New Garden
Last week we talked about why you might want to start a garden, and some considerations for planning it. Let’s say you did that, you acquired some seeds (or have them coming by mail order) and have staked out your garden space. What’s next? More

Garden Mary Wildfire April 15, 2020
Your New Garden—First Steps
Why plant a garden? So many reasons! It’s good exercise, and gets you outside to absorb all that Vitamin D that keeps you healthy and cheerful. It’s a source of ultra-local, ultra-fresh food. It’s security, in case the pandemic or the economic aftershocks cause serious shortages later this year. More