IF YOU ARE THE KIND OF GARDENER who buys vegetable seeds or seedlings (including tomato plants) from a local garden center, as I sometimes do, beware the varieties you select. Otherwise, you could very well be putting money into the hands of the wretched Monsanto Corporation. Forewarned is forearmed, right? Here is the list of Seminis/Monsanto home-garden vegetable varieties, and yes, it even includes zucchini: Read more » Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto
February 21, 2012
IF YOU ARE THE KIND OF GARDENER who buys vegetable seeds or seedlings (including tomato plants) from a local garden center, as I sometimes do, beware the varieties you select. Otherwise, you could very well be putting money into the hands of the wretched Monsanto Corporation. Forewarned is forearmed, right? Here is the list of Seminis/Monsanto home-garden vegetable varieties, and yes, it even includes zucchini: Read more » Now in Bloom, February 2012
February 14, 2012
IN DEFIANCE OF WINTER, the plants in my music room window are singing a spring song. Would you like to meet these bloomers and perfumers? Say "hello" in this click-to-enlarge photo gallery (and I hope you'll tell me what's growing in your own window garden): Read more » Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Veggie Patch
February 6, 2012
I HOPE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU. When I bought 'Early Girl' tomato seeds back in 2010, I unwittingly voted for a corporation I vehemently oppose. Which corporation? Why, the evil empire known as Monsanto. Here are a few facts about this loathsome company, along with a few ways to keep it out of your veggie patch: Read more » February 2012 Garden Chores
February 1, 2012
I ALMOST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START with the February chores, because our Northeastern winter this year has been...well, non-existent! On the downside, I worry the lack of snow could foretell a summer drought. But on the upside, my Witch Hazel, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena,’ pictured above, is in full, fragrant bloom nearly a month ahead of schedule. Is it eerily-mild where you live, too? You can let me know by leaving a comment. Meanwhile, my to-do list for the month should probably begin with "Plant Palm Trees:" Read more » What to Winter-Sow…And When
January 21, 2012
(Originally posted January 3, 2011; now updated and revised)
YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHEN, exactly, to winter-sow your perennials, annuals, herbs and veggies outdoors. The easiest answer is "now." However, to save work later on, I find it pays to plant certain seeds ahead of others. The following schedule has worked well for me: Read more » Kevin’s 2012 Events Schedule
January 18, 2012
MY EVENTS SCHEDULE for 2012 is slowly filling up, with three lectures, three garden tours (to benefit the The Garden Conservancy), plus one hands-on plant-propagation workshop. Live in or around New York's Hudson Valley? Stop by and say hello! The events: Read more » Seeds to Winter-Sow: Platycodon ‘Sentimental Blue’
January 17, 2012
IF I didn't already have Platycodon 'Sentimental Blue' in my garden, I'd certainly obtain it. In early July, this amusing creature puffs up its flower buds as if to announce "I'm here at last ...do you still love me?" And love it I do, because after these hot-air balloons (which make a loud "pop" if you squeeze them) open, they reveal the most dazzling, violet-blue stars you can imagine. Have a look: Read more » 
