Compost Smart: What's your composting setup? Bin, tumbler or open pile—or maybe even an ingenious set of three pits in the ground? And most important, how is it working? More effective composting tactics, along with other timely advice to prepare for spring, was the subject of my conversation with New York Botanical Garden instructor Daryl Beyers.
The popular course that Daryl Beyers teaches at NYBG in New York City is called Fundamentals of Gardening. And now Daryl, who has more than 25 years of professional landscaping experience besides his teaching role, has put all the fundamentals into a new book, “The New Gardener's Handbook.”
It was in its pages that I picked up some new-to-me tips on better composting and more—including the right way to water as you plant trees and shrubs; how to choose which limbs to prune off or keep when shaping and thinning; and how to rejuvenate overgrown shrubs (all at once, or in stages?).
The question “What do I do about the Asian jumping worms that are destroying my soil?” has outpaced what was the most common thing...
Nimble Cooking: Each season I ask my cookbook writer friend, Ali Stafford, what new books look exciting to her. And for spring she had...
The days are longer and the light is strengthening—triggers that don't just start to wake up our plants, indoors and out, but also get...