Category: Grandpa’s Garden

Success in the garden, as in life, is more about attitude than accomplishment. The harvesting is only a small part of the process, and is an indicator of how well you have been growing your soil. Everything picked is replaced by another planting, or a new  handful of mulch, with the intent of adding more nutrients back into the soil […]

I talk about mulch in the garden a lot because I find it is so important to a successful garden. The more you mulch your garden the less work you will find that you have to do, and the better your plants will do. Pine needles, wood chips, and bark are good mulches for your garden pathways because they are slow […]

My town has a garden waste pick up day if it is bagged and curbside. I call it “free mulch day” and help myself. I’ve been known to rake my neighbors lawn for their leaves or rake leaves in the woods because once you get a humus rich soil you want to keep feeding it, and putting down layer after […]

One of the keys to a successful garden is paying attention to the soil. By building good soil the plants will thrive with much less time investment on your part. Focus on the soil year round and your garden will reward you year after year. The dark , rich, loamy soil of a forest is accomplished over time by the […]

Start putting mulch around your summer plantings like melons and squash to keep the moisture in the soil. It will prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes too. I used my bolted lettuce plants around my Swiss chard, and bolted spinach plants along my bean row. Straw is an excellent mulch also. Lawn clippings and leaves are also good. Anything organic […]