The flowers of the irises are mostly passed. Almost all the peonies have bloomed, the petals breaking away and collecting on the ground. The baptisia is still going, in white […]
gardening
PLANTCRAFT
Gardening by the Moon
Look to the sky before you dig in the dirt
I’ve been paying attention recently to an old gardening proverb that goes like this: “With the waxing of the Moon, the Earth exhales. With the waning of the Moon, the […]
PLOTTING
It’s Time to Start Planning and Planting
Seeds, soil, and other steps to get your vegetable garden underway
The earth is coming alive. Beneath the oak leaves that I pile on my garden plot every fall, I am beginning to see the first sprouts of green. Garlic is […]
SOIL BUILDERS
Salt Hay, Biochar, and Other Secrets
Healthy soil is less about fertilizer, more about microbes
Outer Cape gardeners can get restless counting the days until they can safely set out their tomato seedlings. But seasoned local growers have some advice on what to do right […]
KITCHEN TABLE
The Faithful Asparagus
It takes years to grow but just minutes to make
The vegetable garden is in a spring shambles. But some parts of it are waking up all on their own. I can see from inside the house that the parsley […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Pruning Is a Good Thing
Purposeful cuts are an act of rejuvenation
Hacking. Butchering. Murdering. These are all terms we hear when the subject of pruning comes up. These words betray a widely held belief that pruning is an act of brutality. […]
FARM AND GARDEN
Sal Del Deo’s Garden and Its Bountiful Memories
It’s a piece of the Old World in Provincetown
Salvatore Del Deo sits in his kitchen on a snowy December afternoon, holding a jar of dried beans. “My favorites of all the favorites,” he says, holding them up to […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Structure and Shape in the Winter Garden
Reminders of the bones required to support summer’s softer beauty
I used to rent a small house with large windows. The windows overlooked a meadow of grasses and wildflowers framed at its edges by low oaks and autumn olive. In […]
