It’s Time for Some Winter Planning
Posted on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 · Leave a Comment
I was recently thumbing through my first book, Notes from the Garden, looking for an inspiration for yet another winter article. In it I read that I had planted my ‘Merrill’ magnolia in 2001. I had forgotten that I planted it just twenty years ago this spring – it feels like it has always been there!
Looking out the window at that handsome tree which blooms each April with a thousand large, lightly fragrant double white blossoms made me think: how many of us plant a tree with a vision of what it will be like in twenty years? I had mainly hoped it would survive to bloom modestly. But it has already been a magnificent tree for a decade or more.
I invite you to draw up a wish-list this winter. Think of big, majestic trees that you wish to have and figure out where you could plant them. Dream of flowering trees. Think of native trees that will feed the baby birds with the thousands of barely noticeable caterpillars that feed on their leaves. Imagine a recliner in the shade of a tree you have planted. Picture grandchildren playing in its shade.
I think it’s important to realize that trees get to be of a good size fairly quickly. Most grow two to three feet per year, some even more than that. So what if you are 60 or 70 or 80 years old? Even if you never live to see it bloom or drop nuts on the lawn, you are improving the environment, now and in years to come.
Years ago I visited author, illustrator, eccentric and well-known recluse, Tasha Tudor at her home in southern Vermont. She was in her late eighties at the time, but still was planting trees. She asked me if I could help her find two specific crabapple varieties that she had planted 30 years before, but was unable to find anywhere.
One variety I found immediately at EC Brown’s nursery in Thetford, Vermont. The other I could not find, so I asked her where she had purchased it. She told me that she bought it at Weston Nurseries, and I called them. The woman who answered the phone remembered her, and the fact that she traveled with a rooster under her arm. Amazingly, she also remembered the fellow who waited on her that day, he still worked there, and he was brought to the phone. He explained that the variety was no longer in production. End of story.
Actually, it was not. I saw Wayne Mezitt, the owner of Weston Nurseries, at a trade show, and told him the story of his people remembering Tasha. He grinned, and said he would make her some of the trees she wanted by grafting branches onto root stock. And he did. Three years later, Wayne and I met and presented Tasha with the trees she wanted. By then she was past 90 years, but still planting trees. Did she ever get to see them blossom? Unlikely, but I love the idea of someone her age planting trees. I hope to do the same.
If you plant trees over a long period of time it is hard to keep track of when you planted them, and the variety planted. Keeping track takes real discipline. In my experience, tags are fine for a few years, but eventually they get lost or the writing fades until it is unreadable.
If you are linked closely to your phone or tablet, that might be one way to keep track of what you plant – until the phone dies or gets replaced. I don’t have a cell phone, so I cannot advise how to keep records on it. But I do take lots of photos and they are in my computer by date, so I should be able to find most anything I plant – so long as I label well – and the computer doesn’t eat things, which mine does from time to time.
This 10 year gardener’s journal is a good way to record garden notes
I like writing things down, using a real pen, sometimes even using my trusty fountain pen. Years ago I bought a 10-year Gardener’s Journal from Lee Valley Tool Company. They still sell them, and at about the same price: $32.90. It is hard-covered and durable. The only thing it lacks is a search function. It has a page for every day of the year, and 10 sections per page – a few lines for every day. In principle I would write the weather, what I planted or pruned or dug out every day. But life gets in the way of even the best of intentions.
I like old fashioned “three-by-five” cards for making lists. To-do lists, grocery lists. They fit nicely in a pocket and good ones are quite sturdy. My Winter Resolution (that’s like a New Year’s resolution, but made after Ground Hog’s Day) is this: I will fill in a note card every time I plant something, whether perennial flower, tree or shrub. I have an old fashioned wooden box designed for 3-by-five cards, and I will use it to keep track of my plantings this year.
Notecards and a file box for storing plant records
So what will go on the cards? First I have to decide if I will use common names or scientific names for alphabetizing the plants. I will use the scientific names, as that is how I think of most of my plants. But I will also include common names. Date planted, source of the plant, where planted, perhaps soil amendments added or any other details that might be useful. If plants die, I will keep the card, but place a black dot on the upper right corner of the card.
Last fall I wrote up a list of woody plants I have planted here in Cornish Flat since I bought my house in 1970. I listed nearly 80 species or varieties. I think, if I have time this winter, I’ll start the project. I’ll fill in a card for each tree on the next raw, gray, wet day.
Henry can be reached at
henry.homeyer@comcast.net or PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. He is the author of 4 gardening books.
The Basics of a Garden Library
Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 · Leave a Comment
I know that many people, especially gardeners under the age of forty, use the internet to find the answers to their questions. That is fine, but the internet is full of “fake news” and spurious assertions. I do use the web, but if I want to learn about something in-depth, I reach for a book. People who write books generally write about things they know. Garden books are written by gardener
Some years ago I taught a class in sustainable gardening at Granite State College, part of the University of New Hampshire system. I asked my students to buy The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. This paperback is a compact 800-pages of readable, educational information about nearly every aspect of gardening. It came in out on 2008, but is still in print. Everyone could benefit by owning it.
For a book on vegetable gardening there is none better than Vermont’s own Ed Smith’s The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. With more than a million copies sold, this book goes into detail on every veggie you could grow – when and how to plant, how long seeds last, when to harvest, and much more.
For the serious flower gardener or landscape professional I would recommend an 1,100 page book by Allan M. Armitage. His Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on their Identification, Culture, and Garden Attributes. This book came out in 1989 and it is now its fourth edition, which came out in 2020. My goal for the winter is to read it, or the relevant parts, cover to cover. Why? Because I can learn from a man who is not only a PhD professor, but a hands-on gardener of many decades.
Are you interested in flower gardening? My first choice of books would be Tracy DiSabato-Aust’s book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques. She is obviously a well-experienced gardener and designer, and one who has learned to get her flowers to re-bloom, or bloom at a shorter height, and who knows how much sun and water each needs. Staking? Dividing plants? It’s all there and more.
There are plants in the book that I absolutely lust for. Unusual plants that will fill niches in my diverse garden beds. It also tells me why some plants I have tried have died out. It informs me about named varieties to look for that have special attributes.
Dr. Armitage is opinionated and often funny. I like that. It has some photos, but certainly not one for every flower mentioned. This is not a coffee table book, but a book for plant collectors, landscapers – and fanatics. At just under $80, I think it’s a bargain.
Trees? The most prolific and best informed expert, in my opinion, is Michael Dirr. I use his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses every week of the year. It has informed me about any tree or shrub I want to know about. Now in its 6th edition, it sells new for $81.80, but it is available used for much less (usually earlier editions).
Professor Dirr also has written many other books, several of them with terrific color photos (in contrast to his Manual, described above, which has only drawings). I spent one winter going through his Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs with its descriptions of 3700 species and cultivars and 3,500 photos.
Pruning is key to keeping your woody plants looking good. My favorite pruning book is by Lee Reich, The Pruning Book. With both diagrams and photographs, this book covers many species and their specific needs. His book, Grow Fruit Naturally is another excellent book you might want.
Soil is the key to good gardening, but a topic that is usually boring and scientifically described. Want at easy explanation of how it works? Try a book by Dianne Miessler, Grow Your Soil: Harness the Power of the Soil Food Web to Create Your Best Garden Ever. It explains very well how soils work, what soil test results mean, and how to correct deficiencies. You don’t need to be a scientist to read this one. ($16.95 in paper).
Stone is a key element in many gardens, part of the “bones” of a garden. Dan Snow, a Vermont dry stonewaller and stone artist, has written a number of fine books on using stone. Listening to Stone and In the Company of Stone both offer practical and philosophical advice and share many fine photos of his projects.
Gordon Hayward, a Vermont landscape designer and prolific author also has an excellent book on how to use stone, Stone in the Garden: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects. Want to build a stone path or a retaining wall? Hayward simplifies the process. As with Dan Snow’s books, great photographs full of ideas.
Sydney Eddison is another prolific garden writer with many fine titles. Her The Gardener’s Palette: Creating Color in the Garden taught me a lot about the use of colors in the garden. Her advice is always practical and nicely explained.
So invest in some books this winter, curl up in a comfy place and see what you can learn that will help you, come spring.
Henry is the author of 4 gardening books including
Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On, Month-by-Month Guide. It is a collection of his gardening articles gleaned from 10 years of writing. It has recently been re-printed and is available from Henry for $19. He is at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. His email is
henry.homeyer@comcast.net.
A Winter Soup from Our Garden
Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 · Leave a Comment
Homegrown soup ingredients
There is something about a bowl of warm soup on a cold winter day that warms the heart and soul as well as filling the tummy. And if the ingredients are from your own garden, the soup tastes even better! Here is a soup I made largely with ingredients from my garden.
This is a vegan recipe, but you can include some of your favorite sausage in it, or cook sausage on the side and add it to your bowl at mealtime if other members of your household don’t want meat.
The quantities listed below are enough for a large pot of soup able to feed six or eight, but they are only intended to give you an idea of proportions. You can cut the recipe in half. Or double it if you have half a dozen ravenous teenagers. Each time I make it I vary the ingredients and spices.
Henry’s Homegrown Winter Soup
4 cups cooked dry beans such as Jacob’s cattle beans or black beans
2 cups leeks ½ cup chopped shallots
2 tbsp smashed and chopped garlic
2 cups chopped kale
5 medium carrots (about 12 oz. by weight)
30 oz. tomatoes, either frozen whole or one large can
1 medium butternut squash (about a pound)
¼ tsp chipotle pepper powder
1 tbsp fennel
1 tsp each oregano and marjoram
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 to 2 cups sweet peppers
2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Shallots add rich flavor to a soup and grow well for me
A day ahead of “soup day” I measured out a cup and a half of our home-grown dry beans, and soaked them overnight. Then I drained and rinsed them, and cooked them in plenty of water for an hour and a half. They produced 4 cups of beans when cooked and drained. They should not be hard or crunchy – but not mushy when the soup is done, either. Beans stored longer take longer to cook.
Other dry beans can be used, but avoid pinto beans as they tend do to get mushy when cooked a long time. And if you forget to soak dry beans, you can use canned beans – 3 standard 14 oz. cans would be needed, after draining and rinsing.
I cooked my soup in a 6-quart heavy enameled cast iron French cooking pot. I started by sautéing the leeks, shallots and garlic in a little olive oil on low heat. You can use onions instead of leeks, but leeks freeze well and I grow a lot leeks. My supply of onions from my garden is low by now, so I used leeks. When the garlic started to brown I added a quart of water and the beans, and cooked at medium heat.
Kale still usable in early February
While that was happening I chopped 2 cups of kale that I had picked that day from my garden. Yes, even in early February my kale was still okay, despite freezing and thawing many times. I also have bags of kale in my freezer. I remove the mid-rib before chopping. I added it to the soup, along with 5 medium carrots cut in rounds, not too thinly.
Carrots and onions come in lots of varieties, including those labeled “for storage” Storage carrots last for months in a spare fridge or cold cellar (so long as you keep them protected from mice). The classic storage carrot is a variety called ‘Bolero’. Plant on the Fourth of July weekend for fall harvest. Patterson is the yellow storage onion I grow.
Next I added a little hot pepper – not enough to notice, but enough to add complexity to the broth. I had frozen chopped jalapenos peppers I grew in 2018, and added some along with a smoky dry pepper I buy called chipotle. Fennel seeds compliment carrots well in a stew, so I added a tablespoon of them, and some marjoram and oregano we had grown and dried.
A quick soak in hot water will make these garden tomatoes thawed enough to chop easily
Tomatoes are central to most soups and stews I make, so I freeze large quantities of them whole and store in zipper bags for winter use. I used nine 2-inch tomatoes that weighed 30 ounces – roughly one big can from the store if you don’t have your own. To thaw them, I submerged the tomatoes in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes or so, and chopped them coarsely.
Why are tomatoes a key ingredient? They contain the fifth flavor our tongues recognize, one called umami. Americans seem not to know much about it. We recognize sweet, sour, salty and bitter, but not umami, which is Japanese for “essence of deliciousness”. So I used not only those frozen tomatoes, but a cup of dried ‘Sungold’ tomatoes and 2 cubes of tomato paste I froze in an ice cube tray.
I have a few winter squash I’ve been storing in a cool room, but they don’t last forever, so I peeled and cut one in small chunks for the soup. After peeling and coring, it weighed about 12 ounces.
Lastly I added 2 cups of sweet peppers. I bought a half bushel last fall and froze it all in zipper bags. No blanching required, and they add a lot of sweetness to the recipe.
Ingredients from the freezer
Use whatever veggies you have in your freezer and larder. Keep tasting, and add spices, salt or sweet things (like more carrots or dried tomatoes) until you have it just right. Bon appetit!
Notes from the Garden is supported by donations. If you wish to donate, you can do so on-line by going to https://gardening-guy.com/store/ Click the donate/store button and follow the prompts. Of course you can do it the old fashioned way: send a check to Henry Homeyer at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.Thanks!
Favorite Trees for Winter
Posted on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 · Leave a Comment
Hophornbeam branches are delicate and graceful in winter
I recently asked a few readers, garden friends and tree experts a question: “What is your favorite tree in winter?” It’s not easy to pick just one, any more than most of us would be willing to name a favorite child. I invite you to think about the question, and perhaps, come spring, you will want to plant one if you haven’t already.
Pamela Kirkpatrick of Swansea, Massachusetts sent me this: I love the winter landscape, and, next to my family, trees are my greatest love. American holly, which comes into its own in winter, both for its gleanings and the way it reflects light. Beech of any kind, for showing off its muscular trunk when not in leaf. White pine, troublesome as it is with its brittle limbs, because it is home to an owl who returns there every winter and serenades us with his call.
Amur maackia bark is interesting especially in winter
Lynn Schadd of Cornish, NH e-mailed me saying, “Amur maackia is for me the best four season-interest tree in the garden. And right now its magnificent bark is stealing the show peeling, curling, showing off plates of designer colors all of which may be easily seen since the tree has no oak like aspirations of bigness.
Lisa Lovelette of Waterbury Center, VT wrote, “My favorite winter tree is the pine tree when dressed in white. I am a hobbyist photographer and nothing is more beautiful than a stately pine dressed in white when placed in front of a beautiful Vermont sunset, sunrise, or majestic sky…and a rising bright and bold full moon in the background makes the dressed pine a standout.
Anne Raver of Providence, RI is a former NY Times garden writer. Here’s what she said: “My favorite tree is the scarlet oak, or the white oak, or the red oak, any kind of oak. They support hundreds of species of insects, whose caterpillars feed on the leaves, and who provide crucial food for birds. Also, the red and scarlet oaks turn beautiful colors.”
Donnamarie Kelly of Salem, NH wrote, “By far my favorite winter tree is the hemlock. When snow-laden, the boughs remind me of ballerina hands dipping delicately downward. Hemlocks are full, projecting a sense of being in the “woods” even when in a simple grove of two or three trees. “
Julie Moir Messervy, is a world-renowned garden designer and author of many great garden books. She e-mailed, “Our land in Vermont was an old sheep farm, as were so many. My favorite tree (in winter and also all year long) is a stately White Oak ( Quercus alba) that may well date from the 1800s. For me, it’s a “Cosmic Tree” that shades and shields our deck and screen porch from the harsh western sun, while opening its boughs to the cool summer winds. It is home to squirrels, porcupine, and at least 13 types of birds in winter …”
Stewartia bark photo Christine MacManus
Christine MacManus of Narragansett, RI e-mailed, “A favorite winter tree of mine is a neighbor’s Stewartia with its wonderful bark of mottled patterns and colors. I’ve kept my eye on this tree for 40 years and sometimes pull mulch away from the trunk flare. And of course the summer flowers are a bonus too.
My favorite tree authority, Mike Dirr, author of “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants” could not limit himself to just one or two. He e-mailed, saying, “I love Nyssa sylvatica (black tupelo), Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Quercus alba (white oak) , Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip tree) and Quercus bicolor (Swamp white oak) for starters.”
I know Professor Dirr is particularly fond of “Majestic trees” – trees that tower over the landscape and last for a hundred years or more, and all of those he mentioned can do so.
JD Lavallee of Henniker, NH loves blues spruces: “In the winter, I just loved how the snow is caught in their branches forming beautiful white pillows. And light snows simply add a beautiful dusting of their needles.”
Tom Bacon of Hanover, NH emailed, “I love the majesty of the hemlocks in general, but the way they hold the snow is beautiful in the winter and just stunning compared to other evergreens.”
Flower buds on my Merrill magnolia are like pussywillows all winter
As for me? My favorite is the hybrid Merrill magnolia I planted long ago as a specimen tree in the back of the house. I love its smooth gray bark and the fuzzy buds like pussywillows on steroids. Those buds remind me that spring is coming, no matter how cold the weather now. Of the native trees, I love the hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) in winter. The bare branches are fine and delicate, with tiny buds. The lateral branching patterns are so ornate and beautiful that I hung one on the ceiling above my computer.
One last perspective came from my friend Alicia Jenks of Weathersfield, VT. She noted that American beech trees produce a lovely rustling sound on breezy winter days. The young trees hold their leaves until May, and provide a quiet symphony in winter. And pines make such a soothing song on breezy days, too. So go outside to look – and listen – to the trees. Pay attention, and your trees may surprise and delight you.
Starting from Seed
Posted on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 · Leave a Comment
I hate to be the one to give you bad news, but some seed companies are already running out of seeds. Don’t panic: there are, in fact, plenty of seeds out there. And if one company doesn’t have your favorite tomato or zinnia variety, chances are that some other company will.
Before panicking, you might want to go to your local feed-and-grain store, garden center or food coop for seeds, too. Most of those have racks of seeds, some with just one brand, others with several.
Heirloom tomatoes are often irrecular in size and shape but they are tasty and you can save seed for next year
Most seeds are good for 3 years. Of the seeds I use, onions and parsnips are just good for just one year. Peppers, parsley, corn and leeks are good for two years. Most of the cabbage family (kale, broccoli, etc.) and squash family (cukes and zukes) are good for four years. Basil and some flowers are good for five years.
You can prolong the viability and vigor of your seeds by storing them properly: they do best in a dark, dry place cooler than 40 degrees. Freezing is fine, too, but put them in an airtight container. In fact, that’s always a good idea.
Despite what I wrote above, I have germinated seeds much older than the suggested limits when I have not been able to find the varieties I wanted. There are downsides to using old seeds. They generally germinate at much lower rates. You can test this by wrapping ten older seeds in a paper towel and keeping it moist on a sponge. If less than half germinate in a week or two, buy new seeds. You can do that now, before you place your seed order.
Older seeds also have less vigor. That is the main reason I avoid them, even if they will germinate at 60 %. Not all seeds are created equal, and I want those that are ready to explode with pent up energy, ready to grow.
Corn seeds planted in plug tray indoors
It’s important to know what seeds need to be started indoors, and which can do well planted directly in the ground. All your root crops are best started outdoors in the ground, though beets can be started indoors. Beans and peas are direct seeded outside, too. Corn can be started in the ground, or indoors in flats. Crows love freshly germinated corn seeds with a little green leaf, so planting 4-inch plants started indoors is good if you have just a small plot.
Although you can start the vine crops directly in the soil, I have troubles with striped cucumber beetles killing the young plants when they first germinate by stripping them of their first leaves. So I start squash-family vines in small pots indoors a month or so before outdoor planting day, and the plants are big enough to survive some leaf damage by those insect pests.
Tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and lettuce I start indoors in April or buy in 6-packs. Peppers and some flowers need to be started indoors very early: March 1 is good where I am.
What are my favorite companies? This year I ordered most of my seeds from FEDCO Seeds, a co-op based in Maine. I like that it’s a cooperative and does everything in a low-key, sustainable way: their catalog has no color pictures designed to make me drool. They offer small seed packs for as little as $2.00. And instead of saying that every tomato variety is “The Best Tasting” they tell the flaws as well as the positive attributes of each variety.
Catalogs are great fun to study
I always get some things from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, an employee-owned company in Maine that is favored by commercial growers. They provide excellent growing information. This year they provide excellent comparison photos in each section – all their tomatoes, side-by-side, for example.
Last year I tried John Scheepers’ Kitchen Garden Seeds and liked them a lot. If you are interested in unusual vegetables like shiso, Karikachi edamame, tatsoi, mizuna and other Oriental veggies, they have plenty to choose from. They even have peanuts for northern gardeners! Like Fedco, no color photos in the catalog.
Like Italian food? Seeds from Italy carries the Franchi brand Italian seeds, and more. They also have kitchen items, garden tools and more. All high quality.
Hudson Valley Seeds started as a seed library in New York State, and became an excellent seed company with seeds others do not carry, like their Siberian watermelon.
Fruition Seeds in upstate New York is another favorite of mine. They grow much of their seed on their 24-acre farm, specializing in heirloom seeds for short seasons like those we have in New England. They have some nice varieties not found elsewhere. The owners are young and full of energy, and grow only organic seeds.
Carrots and most root crops need to be planted directly in the soil
Renee’s Garden Seeds has great seeds – but no print catalog. Still, I order from them most years. I love their mixes of different color veggies in one pack – 3 colors of beans, or two colors of carrots.
And lastly, don’t forget Burpee Seeds, one of the oldest and biggest seed companies for the home gardener. They sell lots of varieties that they have developed, especially disease-resistant hybrids.
So get busy, and buy your seeds now before all get sold!
You may reach Henry at
henry.homeyer@comcast.net or PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. Henry’s book, Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-O Month-by-Month Guide has been re-printed and is now available from him for $19.
Why Eating Organic Food Is Important
Posted on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 · Leave a Comment
I’ve been growing vegetables organically all my life. I use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. I don’t often think about the reasons I do so, any more than I think about breathing – it’s just something I do.
Organic Manifesto
I recently picked up a book written by Maria Rodale called The Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe (Rodale Press, 2010) and it reminded me why I do so. I’d like to share some of the important points with you here.
In the introduction Eric Schlosser (author of the fabulous book, Fast Food Nation) presented some stark facts: American farmers use 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides each year – 4 pounds for every man, woman and child. Some of these pesticides – the organophosphates – were first developed in Germany in WWII as chemical weapons. The federal government does not require reporting of usage, and testing is done by manufacturers, not the EPA or USDA. Most food has some pesticide residue – except for organic foods,which shouldn’t have any.
One of Maria Rodale’s reasons for eating only organic food might surprise you: it has to do with climate change. Soils treated with chemicals, including fertilizers, do not have robust populations of microorganisms. Organic soils do. Key among these living beings are the mycorrhizal fungi that coat the roots of plants in organically tended soils. These fungi sequester huge amounts of carbon, taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and holding it the soil. But they are virtually non-existent in soils treated with chemicals. Grow organically? Eat organically? You are helping the environment.
My organic veggies look and taste great
Secondly, irrigation water for commercial agriculture, particularly in the West, uses large quantities of water, depleting aquifers and polluting ground water. When I traveled through the mid-west in the early 2000’s I was amazed that supermarkets designated entire aisles to jugs of water – no one wanted to drink from their own wells. And there is a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico that is bigger than New Jersey caused by agricultural run-off of chemicals from conventional fields.
Children are particularly vulnerable to chemicals used in commercial farming. Rates of childhood cancers, asthma, diabetes, autism and other debilitating conditions continue to increase. Ms. Rodale attributes (with copious footnotes to scientific studies) many of these changes to the chemicals children consume. As she says, “Cheap food equals high health care costs.”
The “organic” label on food also means that no genetically modified organisms were used in producing your food. Back in 2010 when Rodale wrote the book, 91% of all soybeans and 95% of all corn produced in America was genetically modified to be tolerant of a weed killer called glyphosate, sold under the trade name, “Roundup”.
Organic fertilizers contain more healthy minerals than chemical fertilizers
There has been much controversy about Roundup, and whether it is harmful to humans. Ms. Rodale points out that Roundup cannot be washed off food: it has a surfactant that allows the chemical to penetrate the cell wall. And since corn and soy are used to manufacture many foods from ice cream to baby food and ketchup, it is everywhere. The federal government does not consider Roundup a problem, though many scientists do.
Ms Rodale never once, in this book, criticized conventional chemical farmers. Organic or conventional, she recognized their hard work and a desire to work their land and support their families. She recognizes that transitioning to organic farming takes time, money, and education.
So what can you do? You may not be able to afford to buy nothing but organic food. But you probably can buy your meats from local farmers that do not use the feedlots of the mid-West that feed their cows and pigs antibiotics. And you can get eggs, as I do, from a local teenager that treats his hens well. (Thank you, Ian’s Eggs).
This organic farmer has nurtured soil rich in microorganisms that sequester carbon
For vegetables, you can probably grow some of what you require for vegetables in summer, or buy from a local farm stand. Many farmers are happy to tell you about how they grow their vegetables. The supplier of the local farm stand near me uses an approach called IPA or Integrated Pest Management. This method encourages farmers to use natural controls, and to use pesticides only when a crop is threatened. They cultivate crops to root out weeds instead of spraying herbicides like Roundup.
But the bottom line is this: the more you grow organically, the better your soil will be. If you use only organic methods, you can avoid many chemicals in your food that might be present in grocery store foods.
I recognize that I cannot change the world with what I do. But I have learned to grow plenty of vegetables, and to keep them for eating out-of-season. So think about a bigger vegetable garden this summer, and I will tell you about how to put food up for next winter when the time comes.
Henry is the author of 4 gardening books and a UNH Master Gardener. He lives in Cornish Flat, NH. You may reach him at
henry.homeyer@comcast.net.
Helping Your Plants to Survive the Winter
Posted on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 · Leave a Comment
If you are like me, you buy new perennials, trees and shrubs every year. Most plants sold locally are hardy, but not all. It’s good to know the “zone hardiness” of plants before you buy them, and how the zone maps work. In a nutshell, the colder the climatic zone, the lower the number.
The USDA (Department of Agriculture) has created maps showing the climatic zones of all states and regions. They are based on many years of temperature records, and rate each zone according to the coldest average temperatures in each zone. Summer temperatures are not considered in creating the hardiness zones.
Each zone covers a 10-degree range of temperatures. The coldest zone in New England is Zone 3, which includes places where temperatures each winter range between -40 and -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Some maps include an “A” and “B” designation to further describe the zones. An “a” is 5 degrees colder than a “b”. So Zone 4a is minus 25 to 30, and 4b is minus 20 to 25.
Trees and perennial plants that survive in Zone 4, which includes much of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, should be hardy to -30 degrees, though we often only see minus 20 degrees. Zone 5 is -20 to -10, Zone 6 covers areas where temperatures range between -10 and zero, and Zone 7, which includes much of Rhode Island, temperatures only drop down to zero or 10 degrees above.
Burlap will help protect this heirloom rose planted in the season
All that said, you can grow perennials, trees and shrubs that are not rated to be hardy in your zone. The key is to get them well established before winter arrives, and to provide them with growing conditions that are optimal – sun, soil and moisture levels that correspond to their needs. You probably cannot grow perennials and woodies that are rated for two zones warmer than yours, but one zone is generally possible.
Some trees and shrubs will survive in a colder zone, but might not bloom every year. Or ever, for that matter. Here in Zone 4, old fashioned wisteria vines that do well in Connecticut or Rhode Island will survive but their flower buds (which are set the summer before) are spoiled by our cold, so they do not bloom.
Harvey Buchite of Rice Creek Gardens in Blaine, Minnesota wanted a wisteria that would bloom in his Zone 4 gardens. He was given a seedling on his wedding day 34 years ago, one started from a seed of a fairly tough hybrid. His turned out to be a wonder vine, and he named it the Blue Moon Wisteria, and sold it for many years. It blooms reliably after winter temperatures of 30 below. The reason for its success? Blue Moon, unlike most other wisteria, blooms on shoots grown in the current season – on new wood.
Blue Moon wisteria blooms on new wood so is not bothered by cold
I called Harvey Buchite in 2006 and he reported that even after hard winters it will bloom, and often 3 times each summer. I’ve had one since 2004 and get a very nice set of blooms each year around the Fourth of July. It usually re-blooms a little in the fall. Others have been developed since then that will bloom in zone 4, including “Amethyst Falls” which I grow and like even better.
Survival rates in a cold winter can be improved by mulching the roots of your delicate or borderline-hardy plants. I bought a Japanese Andromeda ( Pieris japonica) this year, even though it is only hard to Zone 5. In the fall I spread a thick layer of leaves around the base to keep the roots warm as winter approached. I could have used bark chips instead, which is also a good mulch.
Trees and shrubs extend their roots in the fall up until the ground freezes, and I wanted my little shrub to grow as big a root system as possible. And later, when temperatures drop to minus 20 and below, I wanted to keep the roots protected.
This Japanese andromeda is a Zone 5 plant in my Zone 4 garden but should survive
That Andromeda was loaded with flower buds when I bought it. I may wrap it with burlap or landscape fabric to protect those blossoms from harsh winter winds, though I haven’t yet. In the long run it will have to survive on its own – I have too many plants to fuss over them all every year. The first year is always the most important – once established, plants are tougher.
Sometimes freezing and thawing of the ground will push a plant up and part way out of the soil. This allows roots to be exposed to the air, freezing and dehydrating. That is almost always lethal. But this usually only happens the first winter after planting. Check new plants after a thaw, and if a plant has popped up, push it back down and mulch it well.
Wrapping shrubs or small trees with burlap or a synthetic, breathable cloth will help to protect flower buds from desiccation and dieback. I find roses in my climate often are badly burned by winter winds, but I rarely do anything to protect them. I just cut back the roses to green wood in April or May, and they bloom nicely. I cut back a nice double red “Knockout” rose to the ground this past spring, and it rewarded me with dozens of blossoms all summer, starting in June.
I do lose some plants to winter conditions most years, but don’t feel bad about that. As I see it, I learn something each time one dies, and losing one plant means I can try a new one! Or, if a particularly loved plant does not survive in one location, I may buy another and plant in a different spot.
Henry’s Book, Organic
Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On, Month-by-Month Guide has been re-printed and will be shipped to people who ordered it as soon as he receives it. E-mail Henry at
henry.homeyer@comcast.net.
A Guide to Nature in Winter
Posted on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 · Leave a Comment
A Great Book for Exploring the Winter Landscape
This is a good time to be outdoors exploring the fields and woods. There is so much to see that will be buried in snow later on. But you may ask, what is there to see? Trees, winter weeds, animal footprints, signs of insects, shelf fungi on trees, evergreen woodland plants and more. If I had to choose one person to show me the outdoors in winter, it would be Donald W. Stokes who wrote A Guide to Nature in Winter, that covers all these topics and more.
I find that learning the names and characteristics of plants and animals makes them more interesting. Many people look at all evergreen conifers and call them “pine trees”. But if you know the difference between a white pine and a Canadian hemlock or a balsam fir, you can decide if you want to grow one or the other on your property.
Oak buds have pointed tips and come in clusters at the tips of the branches
Donald Stokes’ book explains that if you learn to identify the six most common deciduous trees and the six most common trees with needles or cones, you will know 80% of the trees in most northern forests. And you can do this in winter. Bud location, size and shape are good indicators for identifying trees.
- Maples. Like ash trees, the buds, branches (and later leaves) are arranged opposite each other, while most other trees alternate the location of them on stems. Maples have oval buds that are between ¼ and ½ inch long.
- Ash. Buds on ash trees are larger than maple buds, and are dark and dome shaped. The twigs on ash trees are generally thicker than on maples.
- Oak.These have clusters of buds at the end of each branch, and the younger trees often hold onto their brown leaves through the winter. Buds and branches appear in an alternating pattern.
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Beech buds alternate on the steam and are long and pointed
Beech. The buds on beech are long and pointy. But the most distinguishing characteristic is its smooth, gray bark. There is a beech fungal disease which can mar the bark, making it look like a bad case of acne.
- White Birch. Most people can recognize white birch by its bright, white and peeling bark, but other birch species can have golden or greyish bark. The bark also has long horizontal lines marking it, and they often have catkins hanging from the tips of upper branches.
- Poplar, also called aspen. These trees tend to grow in clumps in places with poor soil. The upper bark has a greenish tinge, and their buds are variable in color, but always have sharp, pointy ends.
Then there are the evergreens:
- Pines.They have clumps of needles in groups of 2, 3 or 5. White pine, the most common, has groups of 5 long, soft needles.
- Hemlock. These trees have short (1/2-inch), soft needles with 2 white lines on the underneath side. There is a short stem between needle and twig.
- Balsam fir. One-inch needles, also with 2 white lines underneath but no stem between needle and twig.
Birches have horizontal lines on their bark
- Cedar. Small, scale-like needles arranged along the twigs.
- Spruce. Four-sided needles that are uncomfortably sharp to the touch.
- Larch. No needles in winter, but cones may be present. Stubby twigs on branches.
After that basic list of characteristics, the Stokes book provides interesting details about the various species of trees, and differences within a genus. So, for example, he explains that most wooden sports equipment – and the handles of our garden tools – are made from ash because it is strong, relatively light, and flexible. And he notes that sycamores, known for beautiful variegated bark, are often hollow when large, and home to nesting mammals like raccoons and skunks.
I was fascinated to read that willow seeds, if washed away and deposited on a muddy bank (in spring), can germinate in two days and grow seven feet during the first year.
Poplars or aspen are often the first trees to grow after land has been burned or damaged by construction of roads. They often appear in clusters, as new trees pop up from the roots. They are not long-lived like maples or oaks which can live hundreds of years: poplars, Stokes noted, generally last no more than 80 years, and frequently less.
Did you know that the sounding boards of many musical instruments are made of spruce? Stokes points out that it is especially clear of knots and imperfections, and resonates better than other woods.
Old sugar maples have craggy bark
If you pay attention to your trees, you will learn to identify them by shape and bark. Sugar maples, for instance, have nice rounded tops and older ones have craggy bark. I can identify a white pine from a fast- moving vehicle: branches on the lower part of the tree droop downward, upper branches reach for the sky.
So head outdoors and study the trees along a woodland path. And bring along A Guide to Nature in Winter. Almost anyone will learn something from it in no time.
Henry can be reached by e-mail at
henry.homeyer@comcast.net or by snail mail at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. He is the author of 4 gardening books.
The Year in Review: 2020
Posted on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 · Leave a Comment
This past year was a tough one for many of us: isolation due to Covid-19, political turmoil, employment interruptions and more. But in the garden? For me, it was pretty good, overall. It was a very dry summer, but that meant that there were fewer fungal diseases on my tomatoes and phlox. Since a small stream passes through my property the water table is high, and my established plantings did fine with little supplemental watering.
Let’s start in the vegetable garden. What tomatoes did best for me? For sheer production, it was one called “Big Mama”. She is shaped like a plum tomato, but 3 times the size or more. Flavor-wise it was not spectacular for fresh eating, but it was great for making sauce. I got seeds from Burpee.
Blue Beauty Tomato
My best flavored tomato? One I bought as a seedling called Hungarian Heart. It is a big, juicy tomato that makes any sandwich memorable. I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner when I had them. Seed for this heirloom tomato are available from The Seed Savers Exchange or Burpee seeds. And since it is an heirloom, you can save seeds from this year’s harvest to use next year.
Equally tasty is a perennial favorite of mine, the Sun Gold cherry tomato. Early, relatively disease-free, highly productive. It’s a modern hybrid, so you’ll need to buy seeds or plants every year. But buy them early: they sell out fast. Great for snacking or in salads, I also dehydrate them by the hundred and use in soups, stews and salads all winter.
Best looking early tomato? One called Blue Beauty. It starts out blue, but ripens to be a red tomato with black shoulders. Very productive with 6-to 8-ounce tomatoes and a nice flavor. Hybrid. Seeds available from Pine Tree Garden Seeds.
Dahlias make nice cut flowers
Best annual flowers? My wife Cindy ordered 18 Dahlia tubers last winter, and we started them indoors last March in 12-inch pots. We grew them under lights until mid-June when the soil was warm enough to please this heat-loving flower. They grew purple, pink and white 6-inch blossoms on 6-foot tall plants. We had more dahlia plants than any normal people would want, and even after we gave away a few, we had a forest of them.
These big plants had to be staked, and the only thing strong enough to support them were 1-inch square hardwood grade stakes, 5- or 6- footers. We dedicated one 8-foot by 3-foot flower bed to them, and scattered a few plants elsewhere.
For years I have been trying to find the perfect spot for a nice flowering shrub called Carolina allspice or sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus). I moved it this year for the third time, and finally found a good spot. About ten years ago I planted it in full sun with moist soil, and the leaves burned. Then I put it in shade, and it didn’t flower much. This year I moved it to a drier location in dappled shade under a pear tree. It grew well, and appears to have settled in well.
Sweetshrub produces nice burgundy flowers in late June. Some varieties are very fragrant. Mine is not. (Note to self: always buy flowering plants when in flower if they are supposed to be fragrant).
We had a fierce windstorm in 2020, and it partially tipped over a 15-foot catalpa tree that we’d had for 3 years. I was able to push it back up to vertical position, but worried that it was unstable. I tied it to 3 stakes for a while. Then I had the idea to place a large stone over the rootball on the side that had lifted up. That really stabilized it, and I removed the ropes which had begun to dig into the bark. So far, so good, despite strong winds this fall.
For years I have been frustrated by weeds that infested a walkway though a terraced area for flowers. Goutweed and creeping grasses were seemingly impossible to eradicate, especially since the roots could hide under the large flat stones I had used as stepping stones. This year my wife, Cindy, decided to make it better.
Pea stone pathway lined with bricks was a big project but worth it
First, we removed all stepping stones and she dug out the weed roots. She hired three teenagers to wheelbarrow away the soil and help with the digging as she excavated the path. They dug out a pathway about eight inches deep, two-to three-feet wide and 80 feet long. They then put down 6 inches of one-inch crushed stone and covered it with landscape fabric. Then they edged it with bricks standing on edge, and filled it with rounded pea stones about half an inch across.
The project was a huge success: for the first time ever, we had no weeds in the walkway. Not one, all summer. Stone, with no soil mixed in, will not grow weeds and the bricks kept soil in the beds from getting into the pathway. We will be on the lookout for scraps of goutweed that might pop up at the edges of the walkway next year, but the landscape fabric will keep any scraps of root from sending up shoots.
Each year is different. Each year certain flowers or vegetables are supremely happy, and others sulk. That’s part of the fun of gardening: remembering the good, learning from the bad, and looking forward to the next year. My best wishes to you all for 2021.
Getting the Most Out of Your Cut Flowers
Posted on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 · Leave a Comment
Snow is finally here in Cornish Flat. The cardinals and blue jays are providing a little color to an otherwise unremarkable world. The sun is lurking behind gray clouds, and on a good day we get 9 hours of light. I DO miss the colors of summer. I still keep fresh cut flowers on our table – just not flowers from my garden.
Alstromeria is a long-lasting inexpensive cut flower.
Cut flowers are among modern America’s true bargains. For the price of a bottle of wine – or a few of cups of fancy coffee – you can buy flowers that will grace your table for up to three weeks. But there are some things you should know about getting good table-life for your investment.
Where you buy your flowers may affect how well they last. A floral shop or a good Food Co-op has trained personnel who trim each stem in the store every other day. And someone who regularly changes the water to keep to keep it fresh. Chain grocery stores probably count on you buying their flowers before the flowers need to be trimmed or their water changed.
In either case, you should cut off half to three quarters of an inch from each stem before you put them in a vase, and change the water regularly. Never let leaves sit in the water. Leaves will rot, promoting growth of bacteria, which will impede water take-up. Ask for the little packets of powder that florists provide, and add that to the water to prolong the life of your flowers. A couple of drops of chlorine bleach may work, too.
Chrysanthemums
Keep your arrangement cool if you can. Putting it near a radiator or wood stove will shorten its life. If you’ve invested in roses or tulips, you may wish to move the vase to the entryway or mudroom at bedtime to keep the flowers extra cool during the night.
Some flowers are better picks than others if you’re on a budget and can’t afford to buy new flowers every week. Here are my recommendations for good cut flowers:
- Alstromeria: Each long stem has clusters of 2-inch lily-like blossoms in pinks and reds, with yellow throats. Very long-lived. Great value. Most grocery stores sell them inexpensively.
- Chrysanthemums: These come in a variety of sizes and colors, from the huge spider mums to little guys. I love the scent of the flowers –it’s not overpowering, but it’s there if you sniff them.
- Lisianthus: These look like silk flowers to me: perfect white, pink or lavender-colored bell-shaped flowers on long stems. Tough to grow in the garden, they are perfect in a vase – I’ve kept them for up to 3 weeks.
- Miniature carnations: Each stem has 2-4 blossoms. They come in a variety of colors. Mix dark red “minis” with red roses to make a bouquet of roses look fuller. And even after the roses go to Valhalla, the carnations will still be good!
- Baby’s breath. Tiny white pompoms are great on their own, or mixed with colorful flowers. I have kept them in a dry vase for months.
- Statice. I grow these for use as dry flowers, which tells you that they really do last forever – even out of water. They come in blue, purple, pink and white. You can put them in a dry vase and they will last all winter.
- Spray roses: Instead of a single blossom per stem, these have 2-5 blossoms, giving you more bang for your buck. Will last about a week with proper care.
- Orchids: While not cheap, orchids can last up to a month. I love dendrobiums, though they are not common, even in floral shops. Cymbidiums have bigger blossoms but also last extremely well. And of course you can buy potted ones, which bloom even longer and can be coaxed to re-bloom next year if you put in the effort to keep them happy.
- Kangaroo paws: These Australian natives are fuzzy and cute. They come in pinks, reds and browns, and last very well. Not every florist will have them. I grew then in a pot on the deck one year and love them – like Teddy bears on a stem!
It’s possible to change the colors of cut chrysanthemums. Here is what has worked for me: leave a few stems of a white mum out of water for 12 hours, then cut off 2-3 inches and put it in water with food coloring. Try it with a few stems, to see if you like the results. Put 8 drops of food coloring in a glass with just an inch of water.
Baby’s breath is a good filler all or lovely by itself.
When I tried it with blue food coloring, my white mums had turned color – but not the true blue I wanted, more of a ghastly greenish blue. Still, if you want to have some fun with your kids, this is an easy way to show how water and dye move up a flower’s stem.
Everyone loves to receive the gift of cut flowers, even guys. So treat your loved one – or yourself- to fresh flowers this winter. They’re cheerful, and can make winter less oppressive for gardeners.
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