Editors' Musings
April 5, 2010
Some of the most interesting plant containers are ones that were not originally intended for the purpose.
A few I months ago I bought supermarket salad greens in a clear, shoe box-size plastic container, with a separate lid, and, after eating the contents (which, oddly enough, were packed in a cellophane bag), resisted bringing the container to the recycling center because it seemed there just had to be some way I could reuse it …
The other day, it came to me: I punched a few holes in the... more
April 1, 2010
I'm planting a small organic vegetable garden this year. My goals: enjoy healthier and better-tasting veggies, show my young child where food comes from, and save money!
I just took a class at a local organic farm. Here are the basics of what I learned. Perhaps you'll find these pointers helpful!
Overall
Pay closer attention to the soil (versus the plant). If you prepare the soil with “organic matter” such as compost and manure, your soil will feed the plants the nutrients they need.... more
March 15, 2010
Spring has arrived! With longer days and warmer weather, the birds are starting to sing, the buds are blooming, the sap is running, and the brooks are starting to flow.
As all of nature wakes up, I feel the same urge to get myself moving! There’s something about spring that makes us all itch not only to get outside, but also to get our bodies in motion—busy and active.
How about you? Are you getting outdoors and active? Working on your garden? Walking more often? Fishing? Playing ball with your... more
March 2, 2010
I have made a decision this year to have a small, thriving vegetable garden but to try to save money gardening where I can.
I have already bought my seeds at an outlet store at a 40 percent discount. These are good, name brand seeds packaged for this year. I’m splitting the cost with a neighbor, as one package contains enough seeds for both of us.
I’m also starting everything from seed this year: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and broccoli, to name a few.
I have saved last year’s black plastic... more
February 18, 2010
Winter of 2010 sure brought some wild weather! Did you experience any unusual weather this winter? If so, we'd love to hear from you.
One reader from the Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, area reported 12.5 inches of snow on February 11! In Washington, D.C., the city buckled under an early February blizzard dubbed Snowmageddon; according to one report, the area received five times more snow than balmy southern Ontario. As of this writing, Washington's National airport has received record snowfalls of... more
December 22, 2009
December 12, 2008
This morning, we woke up to huge crashing sounds. (My husband later compared the sounds to road-side bombs.)
We rushed over to the window. An enormous tree was falling right before our eyes. Our stunned eyes took in an otherworldly view. There were fallen trees in every direction. The branches were covered in an inch and a half of ice. The entire world was frozen.
Suddenly, the wind whipped through the forest and we heard more exploding sounds. A tree cracked in half. A... more
December 1, 2009
There's a large maple tree that lives next to my house. It's been a trouper, in spite of old age, ice and wind storms, woodpecker holes, squirrel nibblings, a canker wound, and a barbecue grill rack nailed to one of its limbs (for some unknown reason). I often look out to see how my old friend is doing, and this time I noticed that it is graced with a single vertical stripe of moss growing on—you guessed it—the north side.
This lead me to wonder, is it true that moss only grows on the north... more
September 24, 2009
Welcome October! For your enjoyment, I’ve posted this beautiful poem by Robert Frost. In it, he urges nature to slow down—before the leaves fall and the chilly weather begins!
“October” by Robert Frost
(from A Boy’s Will, 1913)
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem... more
June 11, 2009
In August, the blueberry bushes here in New Hampshire overflow with berries. Birds love them and so do most of us. If you don't have a bush nearby visit a local farmers' market.
Blueberries are native to North America, and are one of the few truly blue foods on earth. For centuries Native Americans gathered “star berries” (the blossom end of each berry forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star) from forests and fields and ate them fresh or dried them for later use. The dried blueberries... more
June 11, 2009
A few weeks ago, I had a surprise one morning when I opened my mailbox to put in a letter. Inside were dozens of medium-sized black ants busily tending a nursery of a hundred or so cream-colored eggs.
Well, thank goodness for the Internet! I quickly scanned the Web to see if anyone else had this trouble, and sure enough, quite a few people did. They had recommended some courses of action and I tried several, just in case. Whether it was one method in particular or the combination of all that... more
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Your Old Farmer’s Almanac editors occasionally share our reflections, advice, and musings—and welcome your comments!
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