winter

25 Mar
2013
snow covering the outlaw garden

Garden stroll #16: More snow!!?? Good grief.

According to the calendar, we’re nearly a week into spring. Here in Virginia, this usually means we’re looking at sprouting peas and potatoes, blooming fruit trees and bright, warm days with temperatures in the 60s. Of course, the weather varies from year-to-year. Sometimes it varies a lot. After spoiling us ...

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3 Feb
2013
birdhouse in the snow

It’s time to plant some … birdhouses!?

It’s a perfect wintry morning. Snow flurries are drifting past the window, I’ve got a warm cup of coffee and hand, and there’s the promise of a hot bowl of Superbowl chili later today. Not bad, as far as lazy wintertime Sundays go. But, I’m not thinking about snow or ...

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15 Jan
2013
2013 garden catalogs

2013 seeds: ordered!

There’s a cold front coming. This past weekend saw temperatures in the 50s, and Monday started out almost balmy. But now it’s raining and we’re cooling off fast. Granted, this is Virginia in the era of modern climate change; things aren’t going to get too cold. We’re looking at highs ...

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2 Dec
2012
alpaca smile

Alpacas, leaves and winter prep

Have you put your garden to bed for the winter? Or, do you prefer to clean the mess away in the spring, on some surprisingly warm March day, when the sun heats the soil and you can smell the earth begin to awaken for another season of growth? I like ...

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23 Mar
2012
Starting peas indoors is a great way to get a jump on the gardening season and avoid the risk of hungry hungry slugs. This would also be a great activity for young children, because the seeds are big and easy to handle, and the seedlings sprout in just a few days.

Starting peas indoors (aka. How to outsmart those damned slugs!)

It’s come to this. I am starting pea seedlings indoors, on the dining room table. Peas. I can’t quite believe I am doing this. I start all sorts of seedlings indoors. Tomatoes and peppers? Sure. Eggplants and basil and sweet potatoes? Absolutely. But peas? Who starts peas indoors? Well, me, ...

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29 Feb
2012
After slumbering through the winter, the garlic plants are beginning to send out new growth. This mild winter might mean we will get to harvest some glorious garlic bulbs in a few more months.

Signs of spring (too early?)

28 days. That’s a typical February. And, usually, I’m delighted that the month is so short. It’s our coldest, snowiest, ickiest and least garden-friendly month. At least, it usually is. This year, February has been mild. Warm, even. I’ve spent loads of time in the garden, pruning and prepping and ...

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22 Feb
2012
Got seeds? Community seed swaps are a great way to try new vegetables, flowers and herbs.

Onions and peas and seed swaps! Oh, my…

It’s still February, but winter seems to be over for Virginia. At least, for my part of Virginia. The northern part, but not quite the suburban part. They say we could hit 70° this week. I’d call it a winter thaw, but that doesn’t seem right. It hasn’t exactly been ...

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10 Jan
2012
redtwig-in-snow

Snow on the redtwig dogwood

We finally got some snow yesterday (about an inch or so, I’d guess) and it stuck around long enough to shine in today’s bright sunlight. The whole garden looks like it’s wearing some fancy new outfit, but the redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea) is definitely the star of the show. Although ...

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9 Jan
2012
Native liatris — also called blazing star or gayflower — have become popular in homegardens, where their purple flowers bring a welcome burst of color to the mid- and late-summer garden. I left mine standing after the last frost, and am pleased with how well they add a bit of structural interest to the winter garden. The effect will only get better as the clump matures, I hope.

January sunshine

It’s been an amazingly warm winter, so far. December tied with December 1923 as the sixth-warmest December on record (only 0.6°F out of first place), and January is well on track to be warmer than average. All this out-of-season warmth is making me wish I’d planted some late spinach or ...

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