I had one of those moments today in the garden. It happened during a quiet morning, as the sun was shining, my muddy clogs on and a cup of coffee in hand as I walked around through my makeshift garden. The moment was something calming. Everything was perfect, in its imperfect way, and I felt complete. Imperfect is easy to describe: empty containers that need
When to Plant
There are a few rule-of-thumb planting dates among the gardening community that we enjoy repeating every year. One is to sow your peas on President’s Day. Another is to plant potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day. These are general rules though which will not apply to you if you happen to live in sunny southern California or frigid Canada. To properly time your planting, it really
Winter Gardening
It is that time of year to start planning the coming season’s garden and get our seeds going indoors. I have to admit that I haven’t started a thing yet and I am already feeling really behind. Hopefully this weekend will allow me a sliver of time to get my seed starting organized. In the mean time, there are still things to do outside in
Making Good Garden Soil
A garden is only going to be as good as its soil quality, which is why we gardeners are obsessed with building better soil. Many of us are not blessed with perfect soil where we have planted our gardens. We also do not have the luxury of an endless gardening budget, allowing us to bring in fine garden loam by the dump truck load. And
The French Kitchen Garden
This morning I am frantically cramming for a midterm in one of my classes. In this particular class, we have been studying some of the greatest gardens in the world. Although taking tests is always a drag, it is a pretty good excuse to immerse myself in something I am completely obsessed with anyways: gardens. Most especially the history of kitchen gardens. I wanted to
Ultra Urban Gardens
With Jay living in New York City this year, and me in Oregon, we are making many cross-country trips this year. This past weekend I was out visiting and was continually surprised that New Yorkers, as urban as they come, are still fascinated with things that grow. Did you know that New York City has one of the highest ratios of parks to people in
Back Home
I spent a recent morning working in my garden back at our house in Portland, which we are renting out while I am in Eugene going through grad school. Summer is long gone and I wanted to check in on the permanent plantings. It was a mixed experience. It felt good to be back home, even though it’s not my home right now. The familiar
Low Maintenance Garden Design
My mother is a self proclaimed “black thumb” and has a never-ending battle with weeds in her yard. One large section in particular used to house two dwarf cherry trees, which she eventually gave to Jay and I for use in our landscape. The spot has sat bare for a couple years now and the battle with weeds raged on. I finally convinced her that
Garden Karma
This weekend I have been contributing to the world of garden karma. Sometimes we take, and sometimes we give back. I spent two lovely, brisk autumn days giving back but walked off with more than I had walking in. Yesterday I spent a few hours at my lovely friend Denise’s house out in St Johns shoveling three cubic yards of bark dust. We really blew