Weeds in gardens are competitors, vying for light, nutrients, and space with the desirable plants. As such, the weeds must be removed.

There are many ways for gardeners to make compost. You could spend money on elaborate compost tumblers and bins. However, there are far less expensive ways to create this valuable organic material.

If you have a patio, a doorstep, or just a windowsill, you can have a vegetable garden. The solution is to grow vegetables in containers. All that is needed to get a garden underway are some containers, soil and seeds or transplants.

In columns of the past few weeks I have discussed the pleasures and learning experiences that come from gardening. However, I must admit there are some frustrations as well. Often these frustrations relate to whimsical weather, something about which we have little control. Nevertheless, I can often work around the problems that it causes in our landscape and garden.

The late and legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, once said: “Mistakes are lessons by which we learn. When you learn the lesson, forget the mistake.” That quote has stuck with me since I first read it many, many years ago. I certainly have learned many lessons from my mistakes but it hasn’t stopped me from making mistakes, despite good intentions.

One of the pleasures of gardening is the opportunity to experiment with new plants or new techniques.

While on the subject of vegetable gardens and planting, I have often heard that St. Patrick’s Day is the traditional planting date for peas in New England. The theory is that sowing peas then will guarantee a harvest by the Fourth of July. Frankly, I have never been able to plant peas as early as March 17th.

This has been a winter of yo-yo weather. What does this mean for plants in the landscape?

In my mind, this is a time of year for observation and decision-making. As to observation, it would seem that the flowering season is over; ye…

Is it really October or did someone flip ahead a page on the calendar? Normally, daily low temperatures at this time of year would be in the 40 F – 45 F range, and given that the average date of first frost for much of the area is around Sept. 20, we are experiencing an unusually mild start to fall.