September arrives in the garden with one foot in Summer and the other firmly planted in Fall. The tomatoes are still trying to convince me they have plenty of time, the zucchini are producing as if Winter is a myth, and I’m wandering around with a basket wondering how I’m possibly going to eat all these peppers. But the mornings are cooler, the shadows stretch a little longer, and there’s that unmistakable hint of autumn in the air.  READ MORE 

Every gardener knows the feeling. One day in August you’re begging a tomato plant to produce. Then suddenly it’s September and you’re standing in the kitchen wondering whether the neighbors will stop answering the door if you show up with one more basket of produce.  READ MORE 

A journey through the autumn herb garden, harvesting herbs and preserving summer's herbal bounty for the winter months ahead.  READ MORE 

The rake is an astonishingly versatile implement. Its uses are legion. Permutations of it are employed to collect cranberries, clams, salt, sand, hay, and poker chips. In Zimbabwe, it's the instrument of choice for feeling out land mines. The Apollo astronauts took one to the moon.  READ MORE 

I grew pumpkins this year. Yes, I know. I did it, anyway. Life just doesn’t seem as sweet when you only do things that make sense. My column(s) would have to actually be about gardening if I only did things that made sense. Pumpkins are lots of fun to grow. And, everyone together now: “We can always use the eggs!”  READ MORE 

Watermelon is not just a staple of warm-weather gatherings; it’s also a nutritional powerhouse packed with health benefits. While its juicy, sweet flesh is a beloved treat, the healthful qualities of watermelon make it a standout among its melon relatives.  READ MORE 

My brother's birthday is in the autumn. He celebrates it with first visits to the beach, anticipation of summer, delight in spring. The children, he tells me, are looking forward to the long, hot holidays and their traditional Christmas barbecue.   READ MORE 

Oh, she’s dead. She is dead. I mean, she’s had her cantankerous moments before. Those times when she wouldn’t start no matter what. The days when she sputtered around all weak like she’d never get down to any real work.  READ MORE 

On one hand, it's absolutely gorgeous. The air loses that heavy Summer humidity and somehow smells cleaner. Mornings are crisp enough that I can finally carry my coffee into the garden without breaking a sweat before I reach the tomato bed. The mosquitoes seem to have found someone else to annoy, and the goldenrod and asters are putting on one last spectacular show.  READ MORE 

Every Fall, when pumpkins start showing up on porches and kitchen counters, I think about my father. Not because he was especially sentimental about pumpkins. Quite the opposite. My father believed in using things.  READ MORE 

Every gardener has that one crop. The one that goes from “Wouldn’t it be nice to get a few?” to “Why are there seventeen more on the counter?” For my father, that crop was cucumbers. And unlike some gardeners who panic at abundance, Dad viewed excess harvest as opportunity.  READ MORE 

Every gardener has that one crop they promise to plant less of next year. For us, it was always tomatoes. More specifically: San Marzano and Roma tomatoes. Every Spring the conversation sounded rational. “We don’t need quite as many this year.” Then planting day arrived.  READ MORE 

I swear I saw it coming—the day the squirrels finally declared war. It began with a tomato. Not just any tomato, but the tomato—a plump, sun-warmed, red marvel I’d admired for weeks. I had plans for that beauty: a little basil, a slice of mozzarella, maybe a drizzle of olive oil.  READ MORE 

After 45 years of marriage to my wife, Marilynne—an avid gardener with more ideas than a seed catalog—I’ve learned that the best fertilizer for a good marriage is patience, humor, and a willingness to dig the occasional extra hole.  READ MORE 

Elaine and I make our home in Golden Valley, Minnesota—just five miles from downtown Minneapolis, yet our backyard feels like the edge of a nature preserve. Behind us lies a ribbon of woods and protected wetlands.   READ MORE 

Picture this: Philadelphia suburbs, land of soft pretzels, hoagies, and endless debates about the “real” Jersey tomato. Folks will drive miles down winding farm roads just to snag crates of Jersey corn, peaches, and tomatoes. But me? I know better. If a tomato is cold to the touch, it’s destined to taste like damp cardboard.   READ MORE 

Borrowing the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnet 43, I ask: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” And though she penned them for a beloved, I feel they apply just as well to my garden.  READ MORE 

Whine. Whine whine whine. The puppies were whimpering downstairs. I squinted at the clock: 6:02 A.M. Ugh, I mused. Maybe they will go back to sleep. I closed my eyes. The whimpering continued.   READ MORE 

It’s the tail end of summer, a liminal time like dusk and dawn when things are neither one nor the other, but for an instant both at once. The air is still and breathless, our brains sluggish and limp; the simplest tasks are beyond us.  READ MORE 

I began homesteading during the 1950s. As a member of the “make it do or go without” generation, I quickly developed into a compulsive seed saver. Over the last 40 years, many of the flowers growing in my gardens have come from seed scavenged from roadsides, old foundation holes, or other people’s gardens.  READ MORE 

Garden cats get a lot of attention, and they deserve it. But that's no reason not to mention that wonderful, often underappreciated companion, the Garden Dog.  READ MORE 

Small potatoes—that’s how I started out. The next thing I knew, I had progressed—just like that—to a full-blown case of garlic fever. Unpleasant as it is to reveal personal problems, I’m sharing my sordid tale in the hopes that recounting my downfall may help save others.  READ MORE 

In the tranquil hours between dusk and dawn, where the veil between reality and the mystical grows thin, lies a sanctuary of tranquility and wonder—the Garden.  READ MORE 

Embark on a delicious journey through the sunny fields, bustling markets, and cobblestone streets of France with our Garden-to-Table Journeys: French Recipe Collection.   READ MORE 

On a picturesque riverboat journey from Avignon to Lyon aboard the charming SS Catherine Deneuve, we discovered that the real heart of French farm-to-table cuisine resides in the lush fields and bustling markets of Provence.  READ MORE 

Gail and I have always adored quiche Lorraine. It’s been a steadfast favorite in our home, whether as a breakfast treat, light lunch, or elegant appetizer.   READ MORE 

Gail and I have always been fans of French onion soup, but nothing could have prepared us for the version we discovered during a serendipitous lunch stop at a quaint bistro along the Rhône River.   READ MORE 

When Gail and I travel, we aren’t just sightseeing—we’re taste-seeing. Food is the lens through which we experience new cultures, and Lyon, the culinary capital of France, offered an irresistible opportunity to learn hands-on.   READ MORE 

As our riverboat journey ended, Gail and I spent a few blissful days exploring the old town of Lyon. Wandering through its winding streets, we soaked up its rich history and vibrant culture, but—being us—our quest inevitably turned to food.  READ MORE