Eliza Daley ~ Wordcraft & Musing on Home & Hope
The sun reaches its northernmost point on the horizon today. Tomorrow evening it turns around and starts heading south again. In the US, we call this the beginning of summer, but traditionally this is the middle, Midsummer. The official date of the Midsummer holiday is the 24th, much like the winter solstice holidays are tied… Continue reading Jungle to Veg Garden!
Let me just start with this declaration: weeds exist. There are people who will debate that one with me; but I remain staunchly convinced that some plants do not belong where they are growing, some are annoying wherever they grow, and a few just shouldn’t exist at all. (Oriental bittersweet… why?) This is apparently the… Continue reading On Weeds…
It’s planting season! And here you thought it was harvest, right? You’d be forgiven for thinking that. There is very little talk about autumn planting. For that matter, there’s also very little talk of spring harvests. But both are integral to having a food supply all year long. If you don’t have a harvest of… Continue reading Autumn Planting
This time of year normally sees an explosion of garden productivity. There are baskets of veg every day, mostly summer squash and tomatoes. This year has not been good in my garden, but then this is the first garden in this home. I have learned what not to do and made adjustments in the master… Continue reading Ratatouille
Well, this is unexpected. Here I thought I’d planted filet beans. Avast, ye mildewed squash! Prepare to be boarded! Been over a century. New round of seeds every year for more the one hundred generations. And these changelings still crop up. They used to say plastic was the most enduring ill from those people. And… Continue reading Beans (Winifred Mumbles)
Herbs and sweet peas April is planting month up north. There is still a chance of frost, perhaps even snow; but it’s safe to plant peas, leeks, carrots, cabbages and other brassicas, many greens, and the cool-season herbs like dill, calendula and cilantro. Keep the row cover handy, but take advantage of the moist soil… Continue reading The Needful Garden
Spring strawberry patch In the last year we’ve seen many changes, few of which could be considered unequivocally good. But there is at least one real benefit of 2020 — many more people took up gardening in the last twelve months. Gardening is hard to track because it’s rather a broad category heading. It can… Continue reading A Garden in the Plague Era
Because it's time to start planning those gardens, folks. And because there are all these broken trees after that last nor'easter. Hügelkulture (pronounced HOO-gl-culture) is the most fun word ever to come out of agriculture. Sounds like the hoopla around faddish felt gnomes or something, doesn’t it? Or maybe a really bad New Mexico cannibal… Continue reading Hügelkulture
By My Solitary Hearth 