Spring Preview

Count on January to deliver uncertain winter weather, post-holiday doldrums and the bills for December extravagance.  It also brings the moment gardeners have been waiting for—a chance to sit down with catalogs and websites and plan for the coming growing season.  Snow days were meant for wallowing in horticultural daydreams, spending unlimited imaginary money, and … Read more

Great Bales of Straw

For years common straw—that unassuming by-product of grain production—has played a supporting role in our homes and gardens.  It has cushioned our strawberries, keeping the fruit from rotting on the ground.  It has adorned our porches in the fall, sometimes serving as modular seating for Halloween scarecrows or faux zombies.  It has mulched our garden … Read more