I became convinced of the value of planting strawberries in the fall of the mid-1990s. I have been systematically experimenting with strawberries since 1993 to grow the greatest yield from a given area. Dozens of experiments confirm this statement: you get the largest yield from the matted row system. Mother plants are set in September … Read more
Now and then, something pops up in horticultural magazines about chayote, Sechium edule. Last winter, this relative of the cucumber was offered at such a reasonable price that many people who had never used it bought it. Naturally, this resulted in a crop of questions. Gardeners in temperate climates wanted to know how to grow … 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
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
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
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
If you want to grow something different, try miniature popcorn, the red-headed glamour girl of Zea Mays everta. It pops, it’s decorative and easy to grow. However, it doesn’t grow nearly as high as an elephant’s eye, so you may plant it in next year’s small garden or even in a bed or border. Growing … Read more
Many of us who yesterday thought we were competent gardeners have been intimidated by the constant barrage of new facts and figures about insecticides, wet sprays, dry sprays, slug baits, weed eradicators, grass deterrents, plant vitamins—the list is endless. And there seems to be a conspiracy afoot to mechanize us right out of our own … Read more
Sometimes when there is a lot of work to do in the vegetable garden, and it’s hot, and I’m tired, an old question comes to mind. Is it worthwhile, in this day of supermarkets and “pre-packaged everything,” to grow your vegetables? Then I come to my senses and remember that no market—super or otherwise—can match … Read more