Library gardens update
We hope you have enjoyed watching the library’s new gardens come to life this spring and summer and stay interesting even as they begin to shut down for the winter.
Putting the garden to bed
This year, in late November, we are still enjoying the colors of autumn and the last treats from the vegetable garden. This is uncharacteristically late even for the Champlain Valley.
Fall rhubarb care
Are you one of those people who loves rhubarb pie, cake, sauce and even preserving rhubarb for off-season use?
Preserving your garden harvest
Talk about a fast-moving train. Does it seem autumn is approaching at speeds not seen before?
Springtime ephemerals in our New England forests
As we continue to practice social distancing to avoid the coronavirus, I think daily how grateful I am to be living in Vermont, and in Charlotte in particular, where most of us can walk out our doors for fresh air and a closer look at the natural world around us.
It’s time to get out in the garden
May! It’s here with its wonder and beauty of colors and fresh aromas, bird song and hope. It also brings chores as one of the busiest months in a gardener’s life. The much appreciated rain we’ve had made everything jump with growth and reminded us we need to get busy.
Who’s in the garden?
It seems pretty crowded out there if you’re familiar with all the popular cultivars in commerce today. Ever wondered who all those people named in plant circles really are?
Thanks to the garden
Did the garden understand what a tough year 2020 was going to be for us humans?
Clean your room
Well, we all knew it was coming. High 70s last week and some snow in the forecast for this week.
The bounty from the “year of the tomato” needs to be put away. Sauces, freezer, dehydrating or wall paper. Lots of other veggies as well. What a bounty. Don’t forget the Charlotte Food Shelf.
Garter snakes in your garden
When I was growing up near Buffalo, New York, I had a friend who loved snakes, and we would…
2018 Charlotte Seed Library now open
The Charlotte Library is happy to announce the opening of our 2018 Seed Library and invites both experienced and new gardeners to become members. The project is intended to encourage and support our community’s home food producers and seed savers.
Accidental Pastor – In Raina’s Garden
I first set out to write about Raina’s garden for the gardening column in the last issue of the paper. Fortuitously there was not enough space that time to include the piece and we needed to table it for a few weeks. And too, I needed time for my thoughts to marinate and the universe gave it to me.
Coming soon to your neighborhood: Spring!
The natural world is awakening. March entries from my garden journal prepare me for the vicissitudes of the month, when lions and lambs interact frequently. From 1998: Snow cover generally gone since early February. Huge snowstorm on March 22. In 2001: Town Meeting Day Storm cancels Town Meeting and dumps 30 inches of snow on Burlington, fourth greatest snowfall on record. Also three snowstorms after March 25!
In The Garden
With snow falling and icicles dripping, what’s a passionate gardener to do in the depths of February? It’s still a bit early for seed starting. The houseplants have limited needs right now. I have a suggestion: there is something I’ve found invaluable for years now and want to encourage you to try. Do you have a garden journal? How about a compendium of your special plants? I actually have both, and they are not as time-consuming to maintain as it would seem.
Shelburne Garden Club holiday potluck brunch
The Shelburne Charlotte Garden Club will hold its annual holiday potluck brunch on Tuesday, December 12, at the Shelburne Methodist Church. At 10 a.m.