Not only are there invasive plants, we also have invasive animals. If you see a group of worms near the soil surface that move quickly and have milky-white bands, they are probably Snake Worms from Korea and Japan. An annual species, they emerge from cocoons and are fully mature by mid-summer. You may also notice…
I was thrilled to learn recently that the native rose mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos, is returning to the shores of the Charles River! This plant is reclaiming space once taken by the invasive purple loosestrife. Now that the release of a beetle that eats the loosestrife has been successful in our area, native plants like this can return…
Keep up with harvesting vegetables and herbs Pick yourself a bouquet Pull any spent summer crops and sow seeds of spinach, arugula, kale and lettuce for fall harvesting Sow cover crops this month on any bare ground in the vegetable garden Order seed garlic for planting in October Continue to weed and deadhead Keep watering…
Diana Shomstein We’re thrilled to announce that Diana is joining our staff of full-time Crew Supervisors this month. Diana had farm training and work through The Farm School in Athol and the Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester. She came to us to learn ornamental plants. Diana has quickly shown her talent and skill with our daily…
Jeff Berardi Jeff trained as a photographer at the Hallmark School of Photography and worked as a professional photographer for many years. At the same time, he developed his own gardens at home. His artistic eye has made him a natural pruner and editor of plants! I find that Jeff has a quick way of…
This reprint from the National Gardening Association will strike a chord with anyone out there who planted a “Pandemic Edible Garden” this spring! See the August To-Do list below for other helpful hints. Read here.
We’ve already assembled a list of gardens ready for fall planting or some renovation. But it’s not too late to schedule a consultation for your own garden. Now is the ideal time to assess the situation and design plans for improvement. Please contact Kimberly, kimberlykuliesis@pumpkinbrookorganicgardening.com, or our Designer, Deanna Jayne, deanna@pumpkinbrookorganicgardening.com, for your appointment. Fall Planting…
One of my favorite times on the garden calendar is ordering bulbs for spring bloom. That time is now through Labor Day! In fact, we had a lull in plant buying activity a few weeks ago, so we’ve already placed preliminary bulb orders based on notes and conversations from last spring. Let’s add to these…
What to do when your beautiful spring garden suddenly has a large empty space in August? Here are some perennial pairings that I’ve discovered over the years to hide declining foliage and gaps in the border. Lupinus perennis and Lobelia siphilitica Let the native lupine foliage “ripen” like bulb foliage in order to photosynthesize. The lupines will…
Lift, divide and replant tall bearded iris New bearded iris can be planted now through early October Keep new plantings and containers well watered (see summer watering tips) and let PBOG know if you need our help due to town watering restrictions Weeds are gigantic now, so keep up with hand weeding and top off…