first seed catalog

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There is something special and exciting about getting seed catalogs in the mail. My first is Fedco. Our first serious snow is falling and I have a seed catalog to read. (All I need now is a nice martini.) The Fedco catalog is wonderful to read. Tables of information. Lots of varieties. I look forward to going through all of it.
 
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dahlia tubers dug

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Since Daphne said it was as late as I could wait, I went out today and dug the dahlia tubers. They look good – big fat roots. They are now in a bag hanging on the hook in the basement where they always spend the winter.
 
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garden beds tucked in for winter

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Skippy and I walked through the community gardens today. Lots of very neatly tucked in garden beds. Many have salt marsh hay. Some plastic, some a layer of manure, some a good growth of cover crop. We’re ready. Someone recently left a note that Mahoney’s has a good supply of salt marsh hay.
 
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ornamental cabbage

 
 
I have a bunch of ornamental cabbages in the front yard that have been getting compliments from the neighbors. They’re very colorful now. There are a few compact heads I planted a couple months ago and a few big loose plants with many branching “heads” that I left in the ground since last fall. They were pretty all summer, with lots of delicate yellow flowers. I’m trying to think of other vegetables to grow in the front yard. Vegetables are so much more interesting than shrubs and flowers. Lead levels…
 
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December 3. Still a lot of green in the yard. Sweet peas, parsley, mints. And a couple flowers hanging in there – a bright pink rose bud, orange marigolds, one last peach nasturtium. I haven’t dug my dahlia tubers yet. The plants are frost damaged and but not dead yet. I like to give the tubers as much time as I can outside, mostly I’m being lazy. And the rosemary is doing fine outside, too. The warm weather is very good for my cover crops. The field peas and vetch…
 
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full cold moon

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Dec 1 was the full moon. It was finally a bit chilly for my fingers on the camera trigger. The branches are all bare now. The winter ducks (canvas backs) are on the big pond. Still no hard frost in my yard. Unusually late. We had a mild frost back in October and even a dusting of snow, but nothing since. I’m sure it will come…
 
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is paper safe for the compost pile?

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Are there any toxins in the paper or the inks that should be a concern for gardeners? This is the best reference I’ve found:GardenWeb discussion Also, lasagna gardeners use lots of paper and a nice “thread” is here. I can’t find any specific articles to cite but as far as I can tell, paper products are nutritious and safe for the compost pile.
 
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using shredded paper for compost

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I have a great new toy. A paper shredder! Its wonderful. I got the powerful model. Takes newspaper, cereal boxes, junk mail – almost anything made of paper. I’m tempted to add my bills too. I can’t wait to see the beautiful compost this will make. I’m mixing the paper shreds with my kitchen scraps (at least 2:1) in my big compost tumbler. My first batch was started a couple weeks ago and should be ready soon. I love having a simple use for paper waste. I’m turning it into…
 
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saving kitchen scraps for compost

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In previous year’s I haven’t been very good about saving my kitchen scraps for compost. This year I’m collecting it all. My sister gave me a really nice container for my counter. It has a good lid with a carbon insert. And outside the door, I keep a big covered bucket for emptying this container. (The squirrel would rather it didn’t have a cover.) When the bucket is full, it goes out to the tumbler.
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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