Farming Chart

Why is the soil here empty in late April? Why aren’t those bulbs in yet? It’s not because we have bad luck (or bad soil). … Read more

The first thing your eye sees in a garden is color. Before using our other senses to connect with a place, color establish the mood. … Read more

The labels in the garden center confuse us. Sometimes the same common name is use for different things. Sometimes the Latin names are hard to … Read more

By MIDJUNE, the garden typically runs out of color: The bulbs that flowered in early spring have faded, summer heat has arrived, and the ground … Read more

A coconut palm will take years, not months. It takes years. Its worth planting, because you’ll get the rewards of your labor for many decades … Read more

There is A little lime tree you planted in the spring; a sapling, really. You imagined squeezing some fresh juice into cocktails or plucking them … Read more

Growing fruit trees requires a particular kind of patience; it seems as if you’re waiting on the earth to inhale. Dig the hole, plant the … Read more

Something is happening quietly in backyard orchards across the eastern United States: People are planting pawpaws, an exotic-sounding but native American fruit that tastes like … Read more

Planting a papaya seed makes you wonder what’s going on for a couple of weeks when nothing emerges. And then, boom! High up goes the … Read more

You may not notice it, but there’s lots of invisible aggression going on out in the garden. I mean: you look at your plants, right? … Read more

If you promise me A HOLLIES, it will be the hollies you get. It is a visual promise through its glossy-green foliage, bold lines against … Read more