Organic Gardening

The Easy Way to Grow Raspberries

December 23, 2017 by Susan Vinskofski 8 Comments

I guess it’s part of my personal philosophy. I work hard, but I don’t see the point of doing a job a certain way when there’s an easier alternative. So, I don’t dry dishes, because they’ll dry themselves in the dish drainer. And I take the easy way out when it comes to growing raspberries.

Raspberries, and other thorny bushes like blackberries, are brambles in the Rubus genus. They are perennials, but their branches (or canes) live for only two years. First year canes are known as primocanes, and second year are called floricanes.Continue Reading

How to Grow, Harvest, and Cure Garlic

August 18, 2017 by Susan Vinskofski 1 Comment

How to Grow Garlic

Here in the northeast we grow hardneck garlic – one of the easiest to grow plants in our garden. We plant in the fall, mulch deeply, and except for harvesting the scapes, we pretty much ignore it. Generally by the end of July or early August we have large, beautiful heads of garlic to harvest and cure.Continue Reading

Storing Vegetables: 10 Garden Vegetables That Store Well

May 26, 2017 by Susan Vinskofski Leave a Comment

In our early years of gardening, we were able to eat fresh from our garden all during harvest season. Sure, there were often extra tomatoes to can, or broccoli to freeze, and even enough carrots to over-winter in the garden. The size of our garden has increased exponentially over the years and the goal now is to eat vegetables from our garden all year long. Yes, even fresh vegetables. Storing vegetables properly is essential.Continue Reading

Lasagna Gardening – an Easy and Productive Way to Garden

April 21, 2017 by Susan Vinskofski 24 Comments

Lasagna Gardening Builds Soil

I was heavily influenced by Ruth Stout in my early years as a gardener back in the 70s. She advocated a style of gardening that was no-dig and heavy on mulch so that weeding was eliminated. As the mulch decays, it builds soil, and more mulch is added.

In those early years, I continued to hand dig my garden, but I did take Ruth’s advice and mulched heavily. Our gardens were productive.

But for the past 8 years we’ve taken our garden from good to great with a style of gardening that improves on Ruth Stout’s work. Continue Reading

Heirloom, Hybrid & GMO Seeds: What’s the Difference?

March 3, 2017 by Susan Vinskofski 11 Comments

When did gardening get so complicated, so . . . controversial? So full of decisions? Should you buy hybrid or open-pollinated seed? What is an heirloom seed? Does it matter which company you purchase from? Must seed be organic? And what about GMOs?Continue Reading

Book Review: The Suburban Micro-Farm

November 27, 2016 by Susan Vinskofski Leave a Comment

It’s always fun to get to check out a new book before the rest of the world sees it. And The Suburban Micro-Farm by Amy Stross was no exception. This gardening book really does cover it all, and there is plenty for both the beginner, and advanced gardener.

If you are living on a small plot of land, you’ll really appreciate Amy’s years of experience and wisdom in getting the most of every inch of your property. She’ll teach you how to build your soil, and to grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs.Continue Reading