Peter Martin built 3-foot-high raised wooden beds for vegetables, to minimize bending. The bonus is that they warm up early in spring, jump-starting early crops. Bush beans flop over the sides of the raised beds for easy picking and are free of ground slugs. Raised beds are for vegetables only; flowers go into the ground […]
The fact that Thomas Gardner is a foodie is written all over his landscape. Likewise, his fondness for flowers. Merge the two, and you have an Eden where dahlias jostle tomatoes and marigolds weave into peppers, with pawpaws loitering not far away. Because Tom sees no reason to segregate his summer squash or to banish […]
Around this time of year, I start thinking about pruning my fruit trees. A few years ago, I planted a couple of Macouns, my favorite of all apples, and a Reliance peach, known to be rugged in cold climates. I still worry about mice chewing on their trunks at ground level, and then there are […]
Dating back to 1790, Bay School farm overlooks Lake Winnisquam and miles and miles of mountains to the east and north. Everyone has his or her own idea of what heaven looks like. For us, however, a certain 13-plus acres, surrounded by neighboring farms, on a ridge overlooking eight-mile-long Lake Winnisquam as well as the […]
Almost all native flowering trees can be forced to bloom indoors, ahead of nature’s schedule. As soon as buds are visible—usually by early April here in New England—branches of flowering and fruit trees such as forsythia, willow, apple, cherry, pear, peaches and honey suckle may be cut to be placed in containers of water inside […]
BEST MEAL WITH A VIEW Bascom Lodge, Mt. Greylock Reservation The 1930s lodge atop the state’s tallest mountain is a hot new sunset-dining destination. Chef John Dudek’s three-course menu, which changes nightly, might include herbed white-bean soup, grilled beef, or gorgonzola walnut gnocchi. Wine is served, and you can spend the night in either a […]
Companion planting is a time-honored, if not always scientifically proven, technique for combining certain plants with others to protect them from pests or to otherwise enhance their growth. Garden lore includes an almost endless supply of “recipes” for supposedly beneficial plant combinations, and research by scientists and gardeners indicates that many companion planting arrangements really […]
This spring and summer, it seems, has been a succession of weddings and funerals. I want the weddings to win but the funerals keep coming. One week in May I went to three funerals in six days, all at a distance so, just in terms of the driving, I felt spent at the end. A […]
Is winter the right time to prune my apple trees and blueberry bushes? — R.R., Jackson, NJ Most deciduous trees benefit from pruning while they’re dormant, so winter is a fine time to prune your fruit trees and shrubs, including apple, pear, cherry, blueberry, and currant. Some gardeners save the long, thin “water shoot” prunings […]
I felt true sadness this morning when I saw a notice in the local paper about the death of Dwight Miller, Jr., a veritable icon in the northern world of fruits and vegetables. When I lived closer to Miller’s orchard in Dummerston, Vermont, I used to go there to pick apples in the fall or […]
Welcome to the May 2008 edition of Jud’s New England Journal, the rather curious monthly musings of Judson Hale, editor-in-chief of Yankee Magazine, published since 1935 in Dublin, New Hampshire. New England’s Secret Season It’s not ever mentioned in regional or resort promotional material. Never.Get Our FREE Yankee Best New England Vacations Guide! Email(Required) However, […]
New England honey ranges from light in color and softly fragrant to dark, rich, and intense. Maple syrup isn’t New England’s only deliciously sticky homegrown product — this region is one of the country’s leading producers of honey, too. Local New England honey is worth buying for more than its heavenly taste. Supporting small-scale beekeepers […]
