February is the month of waiting, when the garden feels paused between what was and what will be. Outside, the beds are still locked in Winter’s grip, and the sky seems content to linger in shades of gray. Yet, inside the gardener’s mind, the season is already stirring.  READ MORE 

After more decades than I care to count—let’s just call them “mini decades”—I’ve come to accept a hard truth about myself: I have purchased thousands of seedlings.  READ MORE 

So, you’ve decided to give your garden a spa day and treat it to some fertilizers and lime treatments. But before you start showering your soil with goodies, let's take a moment to chat about DIY soil testing–because your garden deserves to know its own DNA, right?  READ MORE 

Plants have feelings, just like people. So what happens when you feed one plant with compliments and another with negative remarks?” asked the Swedish company IKEA.  READ MORE 

That’s ‘Spring’ the season, not ‘spring’ as in a body of water (which would HAVE to be wet or it wouldn’t BE a spring, come to think of it…) whose contents when packaged in small, cheap, toxic plastic containers retail for more than gasoline ...  READ MORE 

The unmistakable aroma of rosemary instantly conjures images of sun-drenched hillsides, crackling hearths, and hearty meals shared with friends. With its needle-like leaves and piney scent, rosemary has long been associated with comfort and tradition.  READ MORE 

"Why don't you go and see Elisabeth Woodburn?," my husband used to say whenever I needed cheering. When I did, it always worked. She died on this past November 18, and gardeners and garden-book lovers all over the world will mourn her.  READ MORE 

A couple of Februarys ago, I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder. People told me that hip surgery is the easiest to recover from, knee surgery next easiest, and shoulder surgery the hardest.  READ MORE 

February has a way of lingering, gray and unhurried, as though Winter itself is reluctant to loosen its grip. The snowbanks along the driveway are crusted and weary, the sky seems permanently softened by clouds, and the garden rests under a blanket of cold that feels both protective and endless.  READ MORE 

If there is one piece of wisdom that has guided both my gardening and my cooking, it’s this: begin with the end in mind. It’s the same advice I’ve heard from the gardeners who supply the great French and Italian restaurants I’ve visited from New England to California.  READ MORE 

If you’ve ever heard a cucumber squeak, you already know they have personality. No, really—pluck one off the vine on a warm afternoon and give it a little rub. That faint squeak? That’s the cucumber saying, “Thank you for noticing me. I worked hard on this one.”  READ MORE 

Every gardener has that one plant they fall head-over-trowel for. For some it’s basil. For others, dahlias. But for me—and for a passionate legion of GreenPrints readers—it’s the inimitable, irresistible Cherokee Purple tomato.  READ MORE 

He opened his chubby fist and showed me what he had found: a tiny, grubby potato no bigger than a cherry. I smiled and told him what it was, promising to cook it just for him. Normally, he turned up his nose at “tatoes,” but when dinnertime arrived and that same boiled potato appeared on his plate, he ate it without hesitation.  READ MORE 

Spring is in the air, and you know what that means—it’s time to dust off the gardening gloves and make way for the real MVP of backyard treats: strawberries! Few things in life compare to plucking a sun-warmed berry straight from the vine and popping it into your mouth. It’s a little burst of sweet-tart magic that reminds me why I bother with weeding in the first place.  READ MORE 

Sometimes life gives you lemons—or at least, you think it does. It all started with a little seed from the bottom of my morning teacup, a tiny pip I couldn’t bear to throw away. Without much thought, I set it on my kitchen windowsill to dry.  READ MORE 

I have a T-shirt that reads, “This is the Dawning of the Age of Asparagus.” It always gets a few chuckles, but I wish I had one that said, “Dancing with Marigolds.” For me, marigolds are guardians of the garden, bright and unpretentious, protecting every patch of vegetables—even my beloved asparagus.  READ MORE 

In the heart of the picturesque town of Evergreen lay a forgotten gem—an overgrown garden hidden behind a weathered cottage. Known as Serenity’s Nook, the garden was once a sanctuary of rare and mystical flowers, rumored to possess magical properties.  READ MORE 

If you’ve ever swerved to avoid a pothole while shouting, “Forsythia is blooming—Spring has arrived!” then welcome, dear friend, to the elite (and slightly distracted) club of plant lovers. Here, road signs and speed limits are mere suggestions when the landscape is bursting with blooms.  READ MORE 

I’ve long celebrated Groundhog Day on February 2, not because I rely on a furry rodent to predict the weather, but because it marks the midway point between Winter’s longest nights and the glorious season of Spring planting. However, my enthusiasm for groundhogs has been tested—especially when one particularly bold garden thief made himself at home in my vegetable patch.  READ MORE 

My hands ache, bone-deep pain spawned by prolonged exposure to frigid air. Moisture frosts my eyelashes and stings my cheeks. I scan the vicinity for my husband, but he's gone. "Coward," I mutter. I warm my fists in my pockets, then bend back to the task. Fingers numb, I keep dropping the toothbrush. I probably shouldn't blame him, but I can't help it.  READ MORE 

If you’ve gardened for more than a season or two, you already know this truth: no matter how carefully we plan, the garden always has the last laugh. Some days it rewards us with beauty and abundance. Other days, it delivers stories so ridiculous they become family legends.  READ MORE 

Welcome to Garden to Table Journeys, a collection of romantic dinner recipes designed to warm your hearts and feed your souls this February.   READ MORE 

This Tuscan Bean and Tomato Stew comes from the tradition of "cucina povera," or the peasant cooking of Italy, where fresh, local ingredients were used to create simple yet nourishing dishes.   READ MORE 

Every winter, when the Boston chill settles in, Gail and I find ourselves escaping to warmer shores. Last year, we made our way to Saint Martin, landing just in time to celebrate Valentine's Day on the island.   READ MORE 

Gail and I have traveled the globe, each destination offering its own special charm, but nothing has captured our hearts quite like Paris.   READ MORE 

When Valentine’s Day rolls around and Gail and I find ourselves at home, we’re often torn between dressing up and heading out to one of the wonderful restaurants nearby or staying in and cooking together.   READ MORE