The only way to grow Kaffir lime in a cold climate is in a pot, either forever staying inside the house or moving it in and out when the weather permits. In a warmer climate, when Kaffir lime is grown in the ground, it’s a mid-size tree that can grow to 25 feet high and 6 feet wide. But it can adapt to live in … Continue reading Repotting Kaffir Lime
Another couple weeks and I can start germinating tomatoes and chili peppers inside the house. We live in the northeastern part of the US, roughly USDA Zone 6, so we have around 6 months or less of warm weather to grow our vegetables. If we don’t start the seedlings in the house around the end of March there will not be enough time for them to bare … Continue reading Fish Pepper
A Good Head Start We installed a cold frame in our vegetable garden in order to have some fresh vegetables in winter. We did get some cold loving vegetables like Chinese Broccoli, Swiss chard, kale, carrots and mustard greens. Several times the vegetables inside wilted from the cold when we couldn’t get access. In the middle of winter when snow piled two feet up … Continue reading Spring Vegetables
Started Seedlings We’ve been bombarded with snow storms every week for the last three weeks and still have plenty of snow on the ground as a result. The temperature dropped back to winter levels again after a warm stretch in February. But it’s time to start germinating seeds for a new season, especially those that need more time to grow, bear fruit and ripen. I … Continue reading The Growing Season Begins
Way To Grow We are back from a few weeks of vacation on the other side of the planet. It was nice to be disconnected from the internet. Please don’t take offense. I love reading the blogs I follow but sometime we need to disconnect from technology and appreciate what’s around us. Anyway, we stoped at this temple, Wat Khun-Intha Pramul, to take a look … Continue reading Marvelous Melon Tunnel
Growing Vertically We devote only a small part of our backyard for vegetable gardening and I’m always looking for a way to add more plants and increase productivity in the existing space. Though we have put a deer fence up around our backyard, we still have to put a low fence around the vegetable garden. If we don’t, there would be nothing left. Deer cannot … Continue reading Maximizing Space
The Trellis Experiment I know it’s the middle of January but I also know that plant and seed catalogs start pouring in. Many of us comb through them and get that gardening itch. Like it or not, winter is a time to think about the next planting season, at least for me anyway. Looking back to see what worked well and what was a failure. … Continue reading Growing Tomatoes
Plant Them Now I use a lot of garlic in cooking and like to try various types of garlic. Supermarkets don’t offer any real varieties of garlic and hardly provide any information about the origin of the garlic they sell. I want to know where the garlic comes from because any roots, bulbs and rhizomes will usually absorb whatever is in the soil and store … Continue reading Growing Garlic
…With A Cold Shoulder I took the day off from work yesterday and the weather was on my side. Still plenty of snow on the ground but the temperature had soared to nearly 60°F. The honeybees should have been out and about now with a temperature this high, but alas, none to be seen. So I decided to inspect one hive. Intrinsically I knew I … Continue reading Spring Has Sprung
With Snow On The Ground We had around two feet of snow last Tuesday and most of it is still on the ground. The daytime temperatures are hovering between 30 and 40°F which isn’t helping to melt it. Today is the official first day of spring but outside, you would never know it. It’s more like ‘Hello spring, where are you?’ to me. Crocuses, Hellebores and … Continue reading Hello Spring
Petals and Wings 