Edibles

Best of the Web: New Shade Perennials, Gardener’s Hide-a-Key, Veggie Gardening, and More!

March 11, 2009 10 comments

Brrrr!!! In rainy Humboldt County, February’s usually the month my garden assistants turn to me in shock and say – “uh, I think the weeds are stuck!” The first time I tried to pull frozen, crystallized weeds out of the ground, I was pretty surprised, too. This year, February’s been glorious – a bit wet, [...]

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Backyard Chickens – Five Reasons You MUST Try Them, and Two Reasons Why Not

January 30, 2009 13 comments
Thumbnail image for Backyard Chickens – Five Reasons You MUST Try Them, and Two Reasons Why Not

1. They make charming pets! I love their happy little chortles when they see us, and if you want them to love you forever, a bit of leftover rice or lettuce goes down a treat. They’re great gardening companions, too. Esther, above, likes to stay close when I’m digging so she can have first crack [...]

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Stupid Thorns, Tasty Berries: How To Prune Raspberries (It’s Easy)

January 23, 2009 26 comments
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So every time I open up my pruning book to the raspberry page, I get deep unhappy furrows in my brow. Raspberries are a simple plant. Why do they have to make it so complicated? There’s the summer-fruiting kind (with a short fruiting season), which fruit best on one year old wood. Ideally with these, [...]

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January Garden Maintenance: The To-Do List

January 11, 2009 8 comments

If December is all about putting things to bed – raking, weeding, mulching,  and cutting back perennials – January’s for dreaming big dreams of the coming year’s harvest and blooms – pruning, spraying, and planting for a productive year. You’d think while pruning a completely bare tree you’d feel wintry and rather desolate – but [...]

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December Maintenance Tasks for the Pacific Northwest

December 5, 2008 11 comments

If you’ve been finding the time to work in your garden in the last couple months, you probably have most of your fall trimming done – deadheading Lavender, Scotch and Irish Heather/ Heath, and Hydrangeas; and cutting back your Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Astilbes, Hostas, and other hardy perennials which lose their leaves.

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