Blog: Musings on the Earth, Mindful Living, and our Connections

Regeneration

Regeneration

“It’s All About the Soil.” So reads the headline for a website discussing regenerative agriculture.

I’m torn between fear and possibility. Evidence of climate change worsens every place we breathe. I read several summaries of the most recent UN report on the climate crisis in which Antonio Guterres declares a “code red for humanity.”

Yikes. …

Read More
A 2020 Vision: Green Up

A 2020 Vision: Green Up

One of the subjects In the Gardens has posted on from time to time involves the changes occurring in our climate and our natural world. This is a topic that is becoming more front and center for us as we hear more about rising temperatures, expanding …

Read More
It’s Spring at In the Gardens!

It’s Spring at In the Gardens!

Spring is springing! I don’t know about you, but I thought it would never arrive. We’ve been seeing parsley now for awhile, even pushing through the snow, but today its delicate frills have been joined by greening-up sage leaves, red-veined sorrel, onion spears, lots of green...

Read More
Mindfulness in the Garden

Mindfulness in the Garden

This weekend I had the opportunity to lead a session at the 2018 Good Food EXPO, a conference for all things garden, farming and fresh food related. It was my fourth year at the conference. The first year I attended, I met a young man – a high school student – named Lucas Zeidner. We...

Read More
#MyGivingStory—The Power of Compassion

#MyGivingStory—The Power of Compassion

The following is a story I submitted for this year’s #MyGivingStory, in recognition of some of the roots (no pun intended!) of In the Gardens. Parts of this story have been shared before, but here it is in its most updated form. Vote! #MyGivingStory is a storytelling contest created by the #GivingTuesday organization to foster...

Read More
Planning Your Garden Part 4: The Fall Garden

Planning Your Garden Part 4: The Fall Garden

In the last few weeks, we have harvested lots of fruits and veggies, and some plants have completed their season. The garden looks different. There are big pockets of emptiness, soil with nothing growing in it. Harvesting turnips, beets...

Read More
Planning Your Garden, Part 2: Flowers and Veggies Together

Planning Your Garden, Part 2: Flowers and Veggies Together

I recently learned something about why it’s great to plant certain flowers near specific vegetables. I knew a few basics: that marigolds deter pests and sweet alyssum is great next to your kale, broccoli, collards and other brassicas. But why? Well, let’s start with marigolds. And note that there are different varieties of marigolds. You can grow the average size, from about 18-24 inches high, or you might prefer, as I do, the dwarf size. These grow up to about eight inches high and make great borders, because they don’t take up a lot of...

Read More
Planning Your Garden, Part 1: Companion Plants

Planning Your Garden, Part 1: Companion Plants

“I planted peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and zucchini,” a neighbor told me. “The tomatoes aren’t growing at all, and the cucumbers are really struggling. How do you get your vegetables to grow so full and productively?” I hear these questions often. There are some basics...

Read More