Notes from the Garden: Reflections and Observations of an Organic Gardener - Hardcover

A hands-on gardener, Henry Homeyer gives practical advice on how to garden -- whether building a hot box, transplanting peonies, defeating the deer, planting ginseng, growing ladyslipper orchids and shiitake mushrooms, or keeping the birds out of the berry bushes. Each month covers a range of topics relevant to the season: starting seedlings, edging and mulching, gardening with children, getting rid of invasive plants, pruning, putting the garden to bed, growing houseplants. His 72 short reflections and observations will interest amateur, dedicated, and armchair gardeners alike, especially those living in zones 3-5, the climatic belt that includes New England and runs across southern Canada and west to the Rockies. Homeyer grew up in the 1950s learning about organic gardening from a grandfather who used manure tea and compost, not 10-10-10, herbicides, and DDT. For him, organic gardening is not a political position, but a commonsense approach to having the best soil and the healthiest plants. An unusual feature is Homeyer's interviews with other gardeners. Meet Joe Mooney, the aging wizard of turf at Fenway Park. Spend an afternoon in the garden with Jamaica Kincaid. Learn more about the White House gardens from chief horticulturist Dale Haney. Or marvel at Marguerite Tewksbury, an 85-year-old organic gardener who single-handedly runs a farm stand, drives her 1950 Ford Ferguson tractor, and weeds her 6,000-square-foot vegetable patch with a full-sized rototiller.