SMALLER IS BETTER
Small is good, sometimes, in gardening. I plant small trees which need only small planting holes and only small amounts of water to establish. Also, renovative (drastic) pruning revisited.
Lee Reich, PhD worked in agricultural research for Cornell University and the U. S. Department of Agriculture before moving on to writing and consulting. He grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on his farmden (more than a garden, less than a farm), including many uncommon fruits such as pawpaw, hardy kiwifruit, shipova, and medlar.
Small is good, sometimes, in gardening. I plant small trees which need only small planting holes and only small amounts of water to establish. Also, renovative (drastic) pruning revisited.
Sustainable right down to my potting mixes? Not quite. A look at coir vs. peat, and other organic components. And what about perlite.
Hot weather means potted tropical and subtropical plants vacation outdoors, greenhouse figs start growing strongly, and I try for early curcurbits in the greenhouse.
The wacky winter left it’s legacy on one pear tree, growing only at its top half. But I can’t blame the weather for my poor tomato and pepper seedlings this year. Or maybe I can.
The air makes wonderful scents, even if the source two invasive plants are responsible. My lilac, scentsless too long, cries out for drastic pruning. Asl, free copy of my book.
I take a multi-pronged approach to weeds, everything from blades to fire to acid . . . to eating them (those that taste good).
April showers do NOT bring May flowers, or vegetables, at least not on this side of the “pond.” Hand watering is needed, plus some way to tell when it’s needed.
With spring’s warm spells comes irrationality. Avocadoes in New York? Why not? Rush out to plant onions. (Timing turned out correct).
Two very old foes — damping off and quackgrass — do an encore here. Now, after gardening for many years, I know how to deal with them — not eliminate them 100%, but to keep them in check.
The weather is bouncing me around, have me revel in the warmth and the worry in the cold — for my plants, fruit trees and bushes in or nearing bloom, leas sprouting. Note to myself: Do not plant peas on St. Patrick’s day next year.