winter tilling

 
 
I read at LSUAg that winter tilling can reduce problem insects in the soil. Our soil is about to freeze up, so I turned a few beds that had problems last year. My sweet potatoes were badly damaged by wire worms and other unidentified things. My carrots had root maggots. (Now that I think again, the carrot problem is from flies – not a soil issue. I’ll use row cover on them next year.) But the sweet potato bed had soil problems. I won’t plant them in that same bed…
 
MORE

Skippy’s Vegetable Garden 2016 variety list

 
 
Arugula Basil, Eleonora (downy mildew resistant) Basil, Superbo Basil, Dolce Fresca Beans, green, Maxibel Beans, green, Fortex Beans, green, Jumbo Beans, pole, Wax Beans, pole, Shung Wang Chinese Beans, pole, Gino’s Italien Beans, shell, Jacobs Cattle Beans, shell, Black Turtle Beets, red, Merlin Beets, red, Red Ace Beets, pink, Chioggia Beets, gold, Touchstone Bok Choi, Mei Qing Bok Choi, Win Win Broccoli, Diplomat Broccoli, Bay Meadows Broccoli, Mini Cabbage, napa, Mini Kisaku Cabbage, savoy, Alcosa Cabbage, red, Red Express Carrots, Bolero Carrots, Oxheart Carrots, Nelson Celeriac, Brilliant Cilantro, Calypso Collards,…
 
MORE

a seed give away!!

 
 
GIVE AWAY IS DISCONTINUED – We’ve just come across information that Apple has started removing apps that offer incentives for reviews. Sorry. (1-13-2016) I have a lot of seeds that I saved from last year. Perfect for a seed give away. Just leave a comment on my calendar app at Apple or Google Play, and I’ll send a sample of seeds of your choice, until my collection runs out. Our apps really are worth trying. There’s nothing else like them on the market. Simple, easy-to-use and uncluttered, with no in-app…
 
MORE

my 2016 variety list

 
 
I’m getting my 2016 variety list together. It’s so exciting to be thinking about planting again! I can’t wait. I went through and sorted my old seeds, threw out seeds that were old. Especially the carrots and celeriac. I like to start fresh with those. Most of these seeds I have already, but I’ll still end up with a good order to place. I’ll see if I can get everything I need from one or two companies: FedCo and Johnny’s. I put a link to this list on my side…
 
MORE

get ready to plant seeds!

 
 
We have an update out for Skippy’s Vegetable Planting Calendar app. It now has 50 vegetables to select from. If you haven’t tried the app, it’s very easy to use. Select from Spring, Fall, or Winter planting season (or all three), enter your frost date, select the crops you plan to grow, and the app creates your personalized calendar. Your planting tasks will be listed by the week. It includes sowing, transplanting, and succession planting dates. It’s a cute little tool to have handy on your mobile device for only…
 
MORE

ordering seeds

 
 
I thought I’d be a bit more orderly about this process this year. I usually just order throughout the year as I think of seeds I forgot to buy. This year, I made a list of my favorite seeds – the ones I want to plant this year. I’m going through my saved seeds now to check off ones I already have. I’ll put those varieties at the front of my rubber-banded packs of seed types. Maybe I can order most of my seeds now and save on the shipping…
 
MORE

2015 garden review

 
 
I’m working on reviewing crops I grew in 2015 and listing what to do different (or the same) this year. The list is long so I posted it here: Kathy’s 2015 crops review. Once I finish this, I’ll draw up my 2016 garden plans. 2015 vegetable garden crop review Apples: My four little trees are in their second winter. I picked 5 apples from one tree last year, but the trees are all small and need to grow. They seem healthy. In the spring, I sprayed with horticultural oil. I…
 
MORE

lights for New Year’s Eve

 
 
I lit these lights in the darkness tonight In another season, we would still have sunlight We would have warm air and full gardens But now it’s the New Year and lights sparkle in the cold and darkness, It’s time to reflect and plan for new things. I very much hope 2016 is a year of peace in the world I wish 2016 would bring food and happiness for everyone. For me – I’m beginning to plan my gardens I have a nice stack of catalogs, circles here and there,…
 
MORE

how are you planning your next vegetable garden?

 
 
We need a new poll! I just got the MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) Newsletter and their top item today is about garden planning software. They site this link for 10 Best Vegetable Garden Software of 2016. Except when you get to the link, it says it was last updated in 2011. Five years ago!! I wrote to MOFGA, Jean wrote back immediately! and we agree, we need a new review of Planning Software. So, how do you do your garden planning? Me: I like to use paper…
 
MORE

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

Make your own customized planting calendar. Try out my app!
Apple/iOS

My garden this week

Browse by topic

17 years of archives!

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

Aurelia's Garden

Flickr

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."

Posts by the month

August 2026
S M T W T F S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  

 

 

 

Website by:
Verve Marketing Group

Menu