Non-native plants and patches of grass can have a place at your home, no matter what the internet trolls say.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/05/05/when-posting-pictures-of-your-yard-beware-of-plant-shamers/
Tomatoes, potatoes and peppers are among them.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/04/28/mg-potted-veggies-tktkt/
There are 3 basic types: sugar snaps, snow peas and shelling peas. Fresh from the garden, all peas are peerless (though garden asparagus gives them a run for their money).
Things will be different in the Atwell's vegetable garden this year. Among other things, the couple is eager for bell peppers that get enough sun to actually ripen.
Anybody who wanders by is free to pluck fruit from the trees and shrubs at Mt. Joy Orchard in the city's Munjoy Hill neighborhood.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/04/07/volunteer-to-help-portlands-public-orchard-grow/
As our Maine Gardener column turns 20, writer Tom Atwell reflects on how gardening has changed.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/03/31/happy-anniversary-tom/
The process takes some time but is straightforward.
Submit an application for one of three $1,500 scholarships for students and teachers seeking to learn more about organic and sustainable farm systems.
Many annuals, and perennials, too, are easy to grow from seed directly in your garden.
Raymond native Justin Terry moved to Paris a decade ago and now runs a Japanese restaurant there that specializes in ramen.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/03/15/local-boy-makes-good-in-the-gastronomic-capital-of-paris/
Born as the humble food of farm laborers in Valencia, it was cooked over an open fire in the field with whatever ingredients were easily at hand.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/03/10/paella-wasnt-always-a-delicious-dinner-party-trick/
Late winter/early spring is the perfect time to repot houseplants.
Bonus: Bring any branches you trimmed from flowering shrubs and trees inside and arrange in vases. Be patient, and in a few weeks enjoy beautiful blossoms.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/25/tips-for-springtime-pruning/
No need to be regimented inch by inch and row by row. Inject a bit of free spirit into your gardening style as a way to use up old seeds and discourage pests.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/18/add-a-little-chaos-to-your-garden/
To a bird, a grub, a nymph, a slug, a maggot all just spell lunch.
Barracuda, a project of universities in Maine and Vermont, gathers and shares data.
Gas stoves have come under criticism for their impact on the environment and people's health. Can we induce you to change?
But they don't go far enough, as homeowners probably won't read them. It's the plants and animals in your garden that will suffer.
Pansies have figured out how as a response to the dire drop in pollinator numbers, but self-pollination produces weaker plants.
Columnist Tom Atwell is hopeful that in 2024, gardeners are doing more to help the environment. But climate change is beyond our (individual) control.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/01/14/a-look-at-gardening-trends-for-the-new-year/
Now he knows about them in fact.
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/01/07/he-knew-about-the-shoreland-zoning-laws-in-theory/
Don't sweat the small stuff, columnist Tom Atwell vows to himself, but do play a part in fixing the big, ominous environmental picture.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/31/sorta-kinda-gardening-resolutions-for-the-new-year/
A blanket of snow not only makes winter berries pop, but it protects plants underneath from the cold.
Come winter, a Maine gardener's gaze turns inward.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/17/houseplant-inventory/
Bonus: You may find a good Christmas gift for someone on your list.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/10/its-the-shopping-season-so-get-a-head-start-on-seed-shopping/
That's also the name of a nonprofit that is helping gardeners do just that.
Our columnist reports back from the French wine-making regions of Burgundy and Champagne. Sorry, Maine, we're not there yet.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/11/26/grape-growing-in-the-big-leagues/
Ireland's National Botanic Gardens include more than 20,000 plants.
Flowers, seed heads, pumpkins, mushrooms, leaves and more all make for beautiful decor inside your home.
Blame the lack of sun and heat for the uneven blossoms and lackluster vegetable production.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/11/05/the-garden-season-has-ended-and-the-report-is-not-great/
Dazed and confused, or maybe just stressed, trees and shrubs that normally bloom in the spring are blooming this fall.
Marta McDowell's 'Gardening Can Be Murder' looks at examples of where the hobby appears within this genre.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/10/22/in-many-murder-mysteries-gardens-provide-the-plot-twist/
The trees have had to cope with the triple threat of pests, disease and too much rainfall.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/10/15/not-a-great-year-for-oak-or-apples/
But don't be overzealous. Left standing, many garden plants offer food and shelter for birds and other wildlife.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/10/08/its-time-for-fall-garden-cleanup/
Cleaning up trees and shrubs should top your to-do list. The rest will depend on the time of year.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/10/01/how-to-prepare-your-yard-and-garden-for-the-next-hurricane/
Skip the canning and the pickling. Sometimes the simplest way to preserve the harvest is to do nothing at all.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/09/24/take-the-lazy-mans-route-to-saving-the-fruits-of-your-labor/
Over the years, trees grew, invasives invaded, and grasses spread far and wide. Now, the Haney Hillside Garden is being restored.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/09/17/a-garden-at-coastal-maine-botanical-gardens-gets-a-refresh/
This is the season for planting bulbs. When the snow starts to melt, their cheerful blossoms are the first sign of spring.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/09/10/fall-is-coming-that-means-its-time-to-think-about-spring/
The plentiful blooms make a powerful argument for late bloomers. But the tomatoes, sigh, are taking their own sweet time.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/09/03/in-early-september-how-does-your-garden-grow/
The many gloomy days this summer have added to phloxes' bright, pretty charm.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/27/good-ole-reliable-phlox/
Shallot be an unfamiliar allium it the garden this year? The Atwells say yes.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/20/guide-to-growing-shallots/
Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk sells topiary and teaches classes in how to train and prune plants into stylized shapes.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/13/give-your-garden-that-certain-je-nais-se-quois-with-topiary/
The Mahoosuc Land Trust is using gardening as a way to encourage conservationism.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/06/bethel-land-trust-connecting-people-with-their-own-backyards/
A bird bath finds new use as a planter for succulents.
Seasonal, local, organic, etc. But the key lesson columnist Christine Burns Rudalevige has to convey about being a sustainable cook and eater? Stay flexible.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/07/30/one-last-piece-of-advice-be-flexible/
Crookneck yellow squash can take the place of zucchini in any dish, and you might find you prefer how it tastes.
Strawberries were a bit of a disappointment, the raspberries came early, and the blueberries are looking good - fingers crossed!
Therapeutic horticulture can help people recover from illness, medical events like strokes and heart attacks, and mental health challenges such as PTSD.
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/07/16/gardening-just-what-the-doctor-ordered/
Cook and refrigerate a big batch at the start of the week. When dinner time comes, no need to turn on the stove to make a cooling summer salad.