I’m always searching for vegetable crops that go above and beyond normal expectations. I want plants that will produce a generous harvest, yet not take up too much precious garden space. I also want them to be disease and insect resistant, as well as relatively low maintenance. These might seem like unreasonable demands, but my vertical vegetable crops deliver all of this and … [Read more...] about Vertical vegetables save space
Pumpkins
Beautiful pumpkins — warts and all
The arrival of the first seed catalogues has coincided with the end of pumpkin season. My friend Clare had a bumper crop of pumpkins (Curcurbita spp.) at her farm garden in Ontario, and her cold cellar is full of the smooth, round globes waiting for winter pies. She gifted me with a lovely specimen that sat on my porch Halloween night, and now is on the dining-room sideboard. … [Read more...] about Beautiful pumpkins — warts and all
Pumpkins as groundcover
Last week a young hemlock had to be taken down at the back of my garden, a victim of high summer temperatures with insufficient moisture. Yes, I’m the guilty party, and very sorry for my neglect of this tree’s simple need for regular irrigation. I’ll be over-compensating all season, delivering fertilizer, water, staking and providing every form of assistance required in this … [Read more...] about Pumpkins as groundcover
