composting Archives - A Way To Garden

less work, healthier soil: no-dig gardening, with charles dowding

margaret — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:17:07 +0000

PROMISES OF LESS WORK with more garden productivity often raise my suspicions as perhaps sounding too good to be true, except when the subject is no-dig gardening. The no-dig method of caring for our vegetable beds, which Charles Dowding has popularized, is not just good for maximizing output while minimizing labor, but also of great benefit to the soil and the greater environment. I learned more about how to get started from Charles. Charles Dowding is often called the guru of no-dig gardening, which he practices today in his organic market garden in Somerset, in South West England. He began experimenting with no-dig in 1982 and, over the years since, in his many books and in person and online teaching, including his massive YouTube channel, Charles has brought countless people into the no-dig fold. His most recent book is “No Dig: Nurture Your Soil to Grow Better Vegetables With Low Effort,” about making and managing a vegetable garden without tilling. Plus: Enter to win a copy of “No Dig” (affiliate link) by commenting in the box near the bottom of the page. Read along as you listen to the January 30, 2023 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using […]

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a smart approach to soil care and compost, with annie novak

margaret — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 22:03:44 +0000

DO I NEED a soil test? And what kind of amendments should I be adding to my vegetable beds or containers to get things off to a good start? And how can I fine tune my composting this year to optimize results? Those are some of the timely questions I covered with Annie Novak, manager of the Edible Academy at the New York Botanical Garden. In a world where we often focus on what product we can add, as if there is an instant solution, Annie says this: “If you take a step back and think about how the natural world works without your influence, and then as many lessons as you can derive from that toward your own practices in your garden, you’re going to be a much better gardener.” Less is often more. Annie is also founder and director of Growing Chefs, a field-to-fork food education program, and co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Plus, she wrote “The Rooftop Growing Guide” (affiliate link). Annie will be one of the expert presenters at the upcoming Workshop Experience Weekend, May 7th and 8th, in the Hudson Valley of New York that I’m helping organize. Read along as […]

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fall garden tips, from cleanup to composting to fig-tree storage, from lee reich

margaret — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 15:50:02 +0000

WHAT ARE THE forward-looking steps in your fall garden routine—the most important tasks you take now to get your garden tucked in, that really focus on success next year? Over at the part-farm, part-garden of Lee Reich in the Hudson Valley of New York State, his emphasis is on building soil health, and also on stashing his tender potted figs, so they’re primed for another productive fruiting season in the year to come. Lee Reich has degrees in horticulture, soil science and chemistry, and is the author of many books, including the just out one called “Growing Figs in Cold Climates” (affiliate link). He’s a long time no-till organic gardener, and an expert pruner, and a grower of many unusual fruits, and someone I’ve turned to for advice for my own garden countless times over many years. He offered some tips to help us tuck in smarter–and also some on mixing your own potting soil, if you are seeking alternatives to peat-based mixes. Plus: Enter to win a copy of Lee’s new book by commenting in the box farther down the page. Read along as you listen to the Oct. 25, 2021 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using […]

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