Entries by Lee Reich

HOT OFF THE PRESS

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If you’ve gardened at the same location for many years, as I have, you may have thought either your plants were getting better at fending off cold or that winters are getting milder. If you thought the latter, you’re right. And to prove it, the USDA has just released an updated version of Plant Hardiness Zones. In this blog post, we dive into the map, some of its (and any such map’s) limitations), and other things affecting winter plant survival. If you want to read my blog, it’s here:

APICAL DOMINANCE — WHAT FUN!

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Apical dominance! A most useful technique that brings into play pinching, cutting, and bending. Is this about gardening, though? Read the about apical dominance and it’s many applications in my latest blog post.

GREAT GIFT IDEAS: BOOKS (NOT ALL JUST) FOR GARDENERS

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A book is a way to cram lifetimes of gardening experiences in a diversity of environments into a few hours. And some gardening books also make for good reading and/or inspiring visuals. In my latest blog post I make some recommendations for some gardening books. They’re also nice for gifts. Read the post here.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE LEAVES?

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You’ve raked up this season’s autumn leaves. I hope you didn’t treat them like garbage because they can bring all sorts of goodness to your soil. So much so that I gather up those bags that others put out for pickup — that is, unless the leaf goblin gets there before me. Read about autumn leaves and the goblin in my latest blog post.

NOT YET OUT OF THE PUMPKIN PATCH

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Saving pumpkin seeds is one way to plan now for next year’s Halloween. But what is a “pumpkin” really? And what are the chances and challenges for a good or great pumpkin from this year’s seeds. Learn the answer to these questions — and more — by reading this weeks blog post.

PRUNER SHEARS POISED AND READY

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To prune or not to prune (this time of year): that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler to neaten up the garden or to suffer tangles of stems. With apologies to Bill Shakespeare, it depends on lots of things whether or not now is a good time to go out to the garden wielding pruning shears. I go over the why’s and the why not’s of pruning in fall in my latest blog post.

BIOCHAR

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Biochar is a relic of ancient agriculture now used with a modern perspective. Applied to soils it confers myriad benefits. But does biochar make the best use of the plant feedstuffs?

A VERY GOOD GARDEN NOW

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My worst garden ever is now looking pretty good. For a number of reasons. Which I enumerate in my latest blog post. I can’t do anything about the weather but now I can pay attention to some things to make the best of even a poor growing season.