Category: Organic Gardening
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9/4/2026 – My Compost Bins Get a Makeover
Just a few days ago, I blogged about the construction of my two new compost bins. As I mentioned then, one of the reasons I care so much about composting is the quality of the finished product. There is something especially satisfying about knowing exactly where your compost came from and what went into it.…
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8/21/2026 – New Compost Bins
The old pallets that made up my compost bins were about ten years old. After a decade of exposure to the elements, the wood had finally reached the end of its useful life, it was badly rotten, and the entire structure had to be rebuilt from scratch. So, I got rid of the old pallets,…
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08-05-2026 – Giving a Young Fig Tree the Best Possible Start
When watering a newly planted fig tree, direct the water away from the base of the trunk. In fact, this is good practice for any tree. In this case, the fig tree came in a two-gallon pot, so after planting it in the raised bed, I watered it around the imaginary circle created by the…
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6/29/2026 – Heat Wave Alert for Fig Growers!
For those of us in the Northeast, the forecast for the next 10 days is calling for hot daytime temperatures, warm nights, and very little rain. I won’t even mention the fact that just a few months ago, we had a very cold winter. Your fig trees are going to be working overtime. During hot…
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Moving an Unknown, but Prolific, Fig Tree
For a variety of reasons, this fig tree needed to be relocated, but the primary issue was sunlight, or rather, the lack of it. The original location simply did not provide enough direct sun for the tree to truly thrive. As every fig grower eventually learns, figs absolutely adore sunshine. The tree has now been…
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Green Portland Cuttings and New Friendships
Let me tell you a story that’s been quietly ripening for about six years—like the best kind of fruit. It all began on a family trip to Portland, Oregon. We stayed at a cozy hotel nestled in a charming neighborhood, full of strollable streets and local shops. Just around the corner from where we stayed,…
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Notching test was successful
Do you know that you can induce budding in a fig tree by notching above a node? This technique is commonly used to encourage a latent or dormant bud to break and grow into a new branch or shoot. How Notching Works: For Fig Trees Specifically: Tips for Success: If you’d like to reach out…
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Spread spent coffee grounds around your fig trees!
I recently blogged about NPK (Ref 1, Ref 2), which stands for Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), the three essential nutrients that are the backbone of any good fertilizer. In fact, these three numbers on a bag of fertilizer represent the percentage of each nutrient, in that exact order. For instance, a 5-5-5…
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My Figgies Get A Gentle Introduction to the Great Outdoors
On Monday, March 10th, 2025, the forecast promised a warm 60°F day, and I knew exactly what I had to do—it was time to take all my figgies outside for their first taste of fresh air and natural sunlight. Most of them, nestled in their plastic cups, had been thriving indoors—pushing out lush green leaves,…
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Always Be Ready
I was in New Paltz, New York, today for some business, and it was freezing cold. Naturally, I stopped at Starbucks and ordered a Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher! Yes, you read that right—it was freezing cold outside, and I ordered a frozen drink with, brace yourselves, extra ice. Why, you ask? Well, it’s a…