Category Archives: Hansel and Gretel’s Forest Garden

In Japan there is a custom called shinrin-yoku, a.k.a. a visit to the woods to feel better about everything, a.k.a. forest bathing. And all this time you thought you were hiking! Turns out you were taking a bath, right there … Continue reading →

This week I planted 53 food-producing perennials. I dug 53 holes and invited 53 dormant root systems to wake up and make a new life for themselves right here in my back yard. After that I stood up and massaged … Continue reading →

Remember how last summer I sheet-mulched the lawn to turn it into garden soil? Well check out this gorgeous dirt! It’s crumbly and moist and eager to feed lots of new roots. The recipe was cardboard, compost, straw and leaves, … Continue reading →

At 7 AM this morning it was a cool 25 outside, no lie. That’s it, I thought. We are kaput. I’d spread ratty old towels and quilts over the seedbed, but how were mere textiles supposed to withstand twenty-freakin-five degrees?? … Continue reading →

The last two weeks have been so sunny and hot that no one could help but prance around in tank tops and hot pants, flinging seeds at the ground as though this were Florida. Spring was running a temperature. I … Continue reading →

All weekend I’ve been memorizing seed catalogs and nursery websites, obsessing over what to buy for this year’s garden and where to plant it all. In a fit of especially high-pitched mania I ordered a variety of tomato that costs … Continue reading →