My mother was a gardener! Despite frail health, she was one of those people who grew plants and flowers as a matter of course. To these “born gardeners,” it is the natural way of living. Remembering her flowers, there comes the realization of the difficulties that beset her as the wife of a Methodist minister. … Read more
Heirloom beans, what are they? Heirloom beans are the ones that our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers have been growing year after year here in New England. They have selected them over a long period to suit the climate and soil and give them a quality that New England people like. They are mostly either green … Read more
The general impression is that cold-frame operation ends with June and the setting out of all early plants. Far from it! So many are the uses of the cold frame through the summer that there is always more space for all that could be done. Seeds of rock garden plants and other hardy perennials can … Read more
Vacations tend to curb the style of garden planning, both from the standpoint of care and of using — or losing — the products. Bush snap beans are an exception. They grow quickly and can be planted and harvested before or after a vacation or both. Ordinarily, the crop matures in seven or eight weeks … Read more
Cucumbers are good to grow in any garden. They have high vitamin content and are delicious. An average size cucumber contains only 25 calories and is therefore useful to people on diets. They make excellent salads and also fine pickles. I chose the ‘Bur-pee Hybrid’ variety because they bear for a long while and resist … Read more
In many states, great piles of sawdust are going begging. Some of them, aged and well-rotted, are located in country sawmills. Others, both old and fresh, stand high in local lumber yards where lumber is cut for retail trade. It may be hard to ask if you can carry much of this sawdust from the … Read more
The insect world is mysterious. It is amazing to see how insects fit into the pattern of this planned world. We soon discover that some are friends and others are foes. Wild and domesticated bees are friends. Besides the fact that a bee stings, what else do we know about this insect which has such … Read more
While their flowers bring beauty to our borders, their roots supply nitrogen to the soil. Too few gardeners are acquainted with members of the pea or pulse family, many of which grow in my rock garden and border. All excite inquiries and enthusiasm from visitors. All are hardy, long-lived, and easy to grow, needing little … Read more
The gardener who burns all his leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and small prunings is destroying valuable soil material. Material that would have added fertilizer to the soil and improved the structure. Material that would have aerated a heavy clay soil or helped a too-sandy soil to retain much-needed moisture. Do you think of soil as … Read more
Some folks try turning their home grounds over to a “garden-sitter” while away. A friendly neighbor may feel sure he can provide the necessary care for the few weeks of your absence. Perhaps that nice young fellow who does odd jobs for summer employment will take on the responsibility of groundskeeper. It’s a quick, easy … Read more