by billthorness | Mar 20, 2018 | Gardening
This morning, on the first day of spring, I took a walk through my garden, considering how to celebrate the occasion. One look at the planting bed I prepared yesterday gave me the answer: spring starts with the soil. The cleared soil is ready for planting if it’s warm...
by billthorness | Mar 3, 2018 | Gardening
Early this morning, I saw frost on my neighbors’ roofs, and a light smattering of it on my lawn. And my birdbath water had a very thin layer of ice. Should I be worried? Ice in the birdbath If I have planted any vegetable seeds outdoors that are now breaking through...
by billthorness | Jan 21, 2018 | Gardening
part 4 of 4 on seed catalogs Have you ever had a big dinner with extended family, perhaps at Thanksgiving when all the nice dishes are brought out of the cupboard, and discussion has turned to the history of the antique serving bowl being passed around? It’s the kind...
by billthorness | Jan 15, 2018 | Gardening
part 3 of 4 on seed catalogs The rough-hewn wood of a wide field gate shields a broad garden of gently sloping rows ready for planting. Beyond are border herb and flower beds, white fence posts against a dark, protective tree line, and a beautiful sunrise peeking over...
by billthorness | Jan 8, 2018 | Gardening
part 2 of 4 on seed catalogs The year has begun with a series of slate-gray mornings and frosty nights. Even though the winter solstice is behind us, I still feel a bit boxed in by these short days, and a familiar sense of restlessness that comes from not spending...
by billthorness | Jan 2, 2018 | Gardening
part 1 of 4 on seed catalogs Sometimes desire is a tiger caught by the tail. It whips you around and sends you tumbling, arms outstretched. But in the coldest winter time, coasting through the short light of the after-holidays, it does not have to fill you with hot...
