Category: Organic Gardening
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Green Portland Cuttings and New Friendships
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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
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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!
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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
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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
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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…
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Getting Hay to Winterize Trees and Raised Beds
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Here I am transporting three bales of hay from the Orange County Arboretum for our suburban garden. I first received permission from the Arboretum officials in charge to make sure I wasn’t stealing. By the way, I buy all of our vegetable seedlings from them every year because they offer such high-quality varieties. I also…
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Wood Chips for your Garden
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I found this amazing mountain of wood chips off Route 208 in Orange County that has been sitting there unattended for a couple of years. Well, I go there once or twice a day with four buckets and a pair of gloves. I fill the buckets and take them home, where I use them to…