Posts tagged as:

cold-climate-gardening

How Do You Know If A Plant Is Hardy?

January 21, 2010

I was just reading Graham Rice’s musings on plants that grow in the coldest climates. He observed that the resources he consulted did not agree on which plants were tough enough to take USDA zone 2. If you’ve been gardening for any length of time (which of course Graham has), this won’t surprise you.
First, [...]

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Seeds for Cold Climates

January 14, 2010

Seeds of vegetables grown in cold climates need to have a short length to maturity and an ability to tolerate cooler than typical temperatures–day and night. You can look in any general seed catalog for terms like “short growing season,” “early-bearing,” “tolerates cool evenings,” or even the magic words, “especially bred for northern growers.”
It’s even [...]

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Some Vegetables Balk at Cool Nights.

July 13, 2009

Low of 44F this morning. Yes, this is July. No, not Siberia, or Alaska. Tomatoes prefer 55F-75F at night. Peppers will not set fruit if temperatures drop into the low 40sF. And eggplants? Pollen production is curtailed when temps fall below 55F. But we can eat peas in July!

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Mud Season Chores: Cleaning up

March 24, 2009

I hate to admit it to you Southerners, but when the snow melts, what it invariably reveals is…a mess. I’m not just talking about the dead vegetation that needs to be cut back. There’s human-made messes that ought to be dealt with, too. But let’s talk about the plants first.
Cut back and clear out dead [...]

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Mud Season: A primer for newcomers and Southerners

March 10, 2009

Mud season has finally arrived. As I have had more contact with gardeners in other climates, I’ve come to realize that certain aspects of my climate are completely foreign to them, so I thought I’d explain mud season for those who have never encountered it. It will sound pretty elementary to my fellow cold climate [...]

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Kerry Mendez, Garden Coach

March 7, 2009

After reading about the symposium and poking around her website, I was surprised I hadn’t come across Kerry Mendez before. After all, she gardens in my state, in a similar climate. Some of her gardens are featured in Gardens Adirondack Style, which I reviewed for Horticulture in 2006. I decided I needed to know more [...]

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Sixth Annual Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium

March 7, 2009

Kerry Mendez (see above) emailed me briefly about the Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium that she has organized for the sixth year in a row. Since it is focused on gardening with cold hardy plants, I thought it was worth passing on to my readers.
Besides Kerry herself, Paul Tukey, Tara Dillard, and Dr. Mark Starrett [...]

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Why rain gauges break and plants heave

December 28, 2008

It was a balmy 57F out today, a pleasant change from last week’s snow, so I took a stroll around the garden to see what I could see. I saw the new growth of sedums at soil level, and I saw colchicums emerging from the earth, way too early as usual.I also saw the damage [...]

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How do I winter over hardy plants in containers?

November 11, 2008

Not too long ago, a reader emailed me and asked,
I bought some hostas and dwarf bleeding hearts to plant. Shortly thereafter I hurt my knee and I can’t go out there and plant them. They are all planted in one gallon plastic pots. How can I safely winter them? If I put them in my [...]

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Endless Summer Hydrangea in two different climates

November 4, 2008

Recently, Chris of Backyard Gardening Blog published a timeline in pictures, demonstrating the growth of his ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas. I found it very interesting to compare his photos with the few I took. You might want to have his post open in a separate tab of your browser so you can quickly flip back and [...]

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Really northern gardener looking for a shade plant

June 26, 2008

Wyn recently commented elsewhere:
I live in zone 2 and am looking for a shade plant that is non-poisonous to pets for the north side of my fence. When I entered that info in google it sent me to this site. Lovely pictures and great info, unfortunately not really my zone. LOL.
Judging [...]

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A Garden Labyrinth

April 26, 2007

And what is retirement for, if not to make a few dreams come true? And what is a garden for, if not to satisfy the longings of your heart?
I have learned a lot from watching the garden of my best garden buddy, Bub, develop. The most satisfying garden, for the gardener and for others, [...]

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Is vegetable gardening in the Rocky Mountains possible?

April 22, 2007

Readers, I’d like your help in answering this email:
I live at 8800 ft. in the Rocky Mountains ( yes, we have had snow recently also) and want to garden. I did not get 1 tomato last summer because nights are cold.–although my flowers and herb pots did well. This year I have cut [...]

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