Monthly Archives: March 2012

Spring is Springing: Asian Pears and Asparagus

Despite recent snows and heavy rains, signs of spring continue to appear in the garden.  The 4-in-1 Asian pear I planted a few weeks back is leafing out and breaking bud.  It’s an interesting one, as each of the four … Continue reading

Posted in Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Always Be Propagating

Every weekday morning, before heading down the hill to work, I spend 15 or 20 minutes in the greenhouse, staring at the cuttings and seedlings. After this morning’s greenhouse session, I’m happy to report that the tomato seedlings are growing … Continue reading

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Adventures in Forest Gardening – Giulia Forsythe’s Visual Notes

The other day, I visited the El Dorado Center of Folsom Lake College and presented on the topic of food forests.  I streamed the talk to DS106 Radio, an open, public Internet radio station that I’m involved with, and my … Continue reading

Posted in Food Forest | Tagged | Leave a comment

DIY Plant Markers

I finally got around to a) purchasing some proper aluminum plant markers, and b) deciding that it’s silly to buy aluminum plant markers and proceeding to craft my own from a cheap aluminum pie pan.  Farewell, six dollars U.S.  Backing … Continue reading

Posted in Food Forest, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Of Giant Moths, Nanking Cherries and Sea Side Plums

Just look at this huge and handsome character!   It arrived last night, drawn to the greenhouse lights. In other news, the Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa) and Beach Plum (Prunus maratima) trees arrived yesterday from Raintree Nursery (purveyors of rare and … Continue reading

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Insects | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Layering Blackcurrants

Spent the day propagating plants.  Back in fall, I tried my hand at ground layering, a technique that involves burying part of a plant stem to encourage the plant to root in place.  Specifically, I bent a long blackcurrant stem … Continue reading

Posted in Food Forest, Fruit, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bees to the Rescue

In a prior post, I speculated that the plum blossoms would be ruined, resulting in (yet another) bad fruit year.  As I wandered the garden this morning, I was delighted by the familiar buzz of hundreds (sounding like thousands) of … Continue reading

Posted in Fruit, Insects | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

March Miracle?

Woke up to snow for the first time in months.  Not sure if this is the March miracle I’ve been hoping for – it’s been an unusual weather year, overly warm and overly dry – but I’ll take it.  Of … Continue reading

Posted in Fruit | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments