Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Fruiting plants in the yard are not top of mind during these early, cold December days in New England. But while their crops are not as mouthwatering as those coveted by my granddaughters from May-September, there is a group of plants serving up treats that are just as essential and yummy to the many winged […]
For many, the growing season is over. Chilling nights and multiple frosts have done in even the most hearty of vegetables. My harvests are either drying (herbs and flower seed heads), frozen (tomatoes), or put up (blackberry/beach plum jam). But I am able to still pull fresh greens from the garden every day. And with […]
It is incredibly exciting the first time you plant something new and it delivers a fruit, flower, or vegetable you have never experienced. It’s been a while since I have felt this but this weekend my harvest (and consumption) of pawpaws exceeded my expectations. It has been a long wait. I planted three pawpaw trees […]
The tomato season was short. It was too cold, cloudy, and rainy in June for early fruit and too cold in the evenings after Labor Day for the fruit to ripen. Time to pull plants. It was a good season as my use of straw on the underlying beds almost eliminated any diseases that are […]
I miss working with my clients and the many horticultural-therapy activities I used to lead at Ann’s Place in Danbury. But every so often I get motivated to crack open my old playbook. The other day, I noticed that I had a spare half gallon of white vinegar in the cupboard as well as a […]
It’s berry season and three different types of berries, blue, black, and wine, are ready to pick. Charlotte likes the blueberries the most while Olivia finds the blackberries her favorite. They both like wineberries, often confused with raspberries, but don’t like the prickles along the stems. Regardless, they both are good pickers helping me and […]
Today we need to pull garlic from the garden. I enlist the girls to help me with this chore after letting them pick (and consume) ripe blueberries from the bushes. Sated, they are happy to assist. Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow as you just plant the cloves in the fall, drop […]
Back at home, I can see that the garden has been growing unabetted in my absence. The next few days will be spent weeding, trimming, and cutting filling large cans of the excess. I have missed the end of strawberry season, but the blueberries have started to come in. As the girls are away this […]
Blueberry season is overlapping with strawberry this year. It sneaked up on me so fast that I wound up putting up the blueberry netting at the start of the current heat wave. I found out the hard way in past years that without netting, there would be no blueberries for us to eat. For some […]
With a cool and wet Spring, I can only hope for warmer days ahead. But the damp and cold did not stop Charlotte and Olivia from harvesting strawberries on the first day of their summer with us. After a trip to the library, they were ready to attack the two strawberry patches and grab as […]