by Daisy | May 24, 2014 | Garden, Plants & Uses
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s almost June. If you don’t believe it either, the proof is in the ripening Juneberries. I planted three Juneberry (Amelanchier) bushes three years ago. They’ve had a slow start not being in full...
by Daisy | May 12, 2014 | Garden, Intermediate Gardening
Back in, hm, let’s check the date stamp on the photos . . . the latter days of March, I decided to dig up the madder plants that had begun to sprout and harvest the root for dyeing. The madder is some I started from seed I bought from Fedco Seeds three years...
by Daisy | Apr 24, 2014 | Garden, Permaculture
The more I guild, the more lonely the unguilded trees seem to me. In particular, my Asian pear was looking very bare. Selecting plants for a guild can be pretty simple or pretty involved, whichever way you lean. I can go either way depending on what free resources I...
by Daisy | Apr 21, 2014 | Garden, Garden Hacks
The Sweet Charlie strawberries I planted in October have grown steadily since I put them in the ground. The started blooming several weeks ago. Now they have nice, big, green berries. Sweet Charlies are supposed to be especially sweet, so sweet they’re...
by Daisy | Apr 7, 2014 | Garden, Permaculture
In permaculture, fruit tree guilds are a way of creating a miniature sustainable ecosystem in your yard. Instead of sticking a fruit tree in the ground in the middle of a field and watering and fertilizing and spraying it conventionally, a guild is humans mimicking...
by Daisy | Mar 19, 2014 | Bugs & Critters, Garden
Does a hard winter kill off insect pests? Every time there is a particularly cold winter with a lot of below-freezing temperatures, one comment I hear is from folks hoping at least it will kill off the bad bugs. By the same token, when the winter is especially mild,...
