In The Garden – Page 3 – Nancy Taylor Robson

Planting Hardneck Garlic on an Indian Summer Day

The past three days were gorgeous, like a return to spring, so my mind naturally returned to the garden — which I confess I had left pretty much to its own devices the past several weeks. I had planned to plant hardneck garlic this year as usual, but had left it kinda late. Came the hurricane, andContinue reading “Planting Hardneck Garlic on an Indian Summer Day”

Winter Squash and Roasted Vegetable Soup

My summer squash did diddly this year — I planted seeds three times and three times the critters ate the plants before they could get to any size at all. Fortunately, I managed to grow some winter squash, started from the saved seed of an Iranian and a long neck pumpkin of two IContinue reading “Winter Squash and Roasted Vegetable Soup”

Building Soils Naturally

I’m not an agronomist, and I have a feeling you’d really need to be one to properly assess this book. But I’m totally on board with the notion that you need to feed the soil and all its critters before it can feed the plants that grow in it. That’s the premise of the just-publishedContinue reading “Building Soils Naturally”

Mild Habanero Hot Peppers

The garden’s a mess, but I’m still picking the very mild habanero peppers. They’re beautiful – lime green with shiny, pleated skin. The plant’s lovely, too — about thigh-high with lime-kelly green flouncy leaves that tend to hide the many peppers they produce. The peppers are delicious. Aromatic with a distinct flavor that shines inContinue reading “Mild Habanero Hot Peppers”

Chestertown Middle School Wins Special Consideration

Sabine Harvey, Master Gardener coordinator and gardener extraordinaire, submitted the Chestertown Middle School Grow It Eat It garden she spearheaded with the kids this year to Mother Earth News’s Fabulous Food Garden contest. The garden, among about 100 (if memory serves) submitted to the contest, was grown behind the school, and provided not only someContinue reading “Chestertown Middle School Wins Special Consideration”

Bee Cafeteria

THIS is why you plant natives. Even if you didn’t appreciate the fact that native plants are a huge chunk of a healthy, well-oiled ecology, you’d let the natives that spring up uninvited stay. Because of the magic of the wildlife. Native plants bring in all those things you see on the Discovery channel, butContinue reading “Bee Cafeteria”

Sunday Cooking Returns!

Since leaving the Chestertown Spy only last week, I’ve decided I still need to write about cooking, food, gardening, and environment — to say nothing of the wider world and the art of living. So, I’m starting up Sunday Cooking again. It will begin next week — this week is temporary retirement — and I’llContinue reading “Sunday Cooking Returns!”