Snow. Blustery and windy. Mild and sunny. March brings the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Spring for the northern hemisphere will arrive on March 20, the vernal equinox. On this day, the sun rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. There will be exactly 12 hours from sunrise […] More
Winter arrives on December 21. The shortest day of the year. There is never a shortage of things to do in the garden, even in winter. Update your garden records from last season and review your garden design. What worked and what can be improved this coming growing season? Now is the time to plan […] More
To get a head start on the growing season, start your vegetable seeds indoors. Cold soil and unsettled weather will challenge seeds sown directly in the garden in early spring. Cool-season crops that are the easiest to start from seed indoors are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, and lettuce. Warm-season crops to start indoors […] More
Starting seed in the garden can be challenging, especially early in the season. Garden soil either too cold or too wet are the chief obstacles to germination in late winter and early spring. The solution: start seeds indoors early in the season. Vegetables that are the easiest to start indoors from seed are broccoli, Brussels […] More
February is a busy month for the kitchen gardener. In many regions, indoor and outdoor sowing and planting is underway. Some gardeners already have seeds in the ground. In the coldest regions, where there is snow on the ground, February is still the time for making plans and preparing for spring. Planting in February Snow […] More
If you haven’t started already there’s no time like the first month of the year to jump-start spring. In the coldest regions, the first weeks of January are the time to begin planning the spring and summer garden. As soon as your plans are set, get seeds ordered. In low frost and frost-free regions of […] More
August is a month of endings and beginnings in the kitchen garden. In nature, change is about. Summer will begin to fade in many gardens during August giving way to autumn and cool weather. In hot summer regions, heat may continue for several more weeks and then give way to warm but not hot temperatures. […] More
June is the month the vegetable, herb, and fruit gardens pick up steam. Spring comes to a close in June and summer begins. Complete your spring planting in early June. By the end of the month, the soil and air will be sufficiently warm for plant growth to accelerate and begin growth toward harvest. (Of […] More
Stephen Albert