Meet Lori and Doug, two of our favorite long-time customers and friends. Our skillful and talented guy, Eric Denice, built them some beautiful raised beds and they've been busy planting. Check out what's sprouting in their garden. These photos are from a few weeks ago, and we are updating them as we find time....so stay tuned to see more of this great progress.
I think some incredible meals will be coming out of this garden and kitchen this summer. Keep checking in to see the changes!
Meet Lori and Doug, two of our longtime customers and friends. Last year, they visited the greenhouses repeatedly, making large purchases of vegetable plants, it seemed every day. I finally asked them if they were starting a small farm, and they admitted that they were having some problems. Apparently, everything kept turning black and dying. This does not usually happen to our plants, so I offered to visit their garden, which happens to be on the way home, and they happen to have very nice wine to offer, so it seemed like a win-win. Lo and behold, their beautiful garden site was also the low lying spot where their entire property drains. The plants were sitting in standing water (remember all the rain last year?) and were drowning. I advised them to just start over, sad as that is, because there was just no way to grow in that site.
They asked us to help them build a big beautiful raised bed garden, so we set our expert carpenter and all around handyman, Eric Denice, to the task. Here's what they created together.
In the fall, Lori and Doug planted garlic, which is now growing beautifully, and each week, they come in to let us know what they are up to and we help them pick out plants that are appropriate for the weather. It has been such a fun project and we are grateful to Lori and Doug for including us!
Please keep checking back for updates as we chronicle the progress of this great garden and its people.
This mother's day is especially important to me, because for the first time in four years I actually get to be in the same time zone with my mom! We get to celebrate our birthdays and holidays together this year, to make dinner dates and plan our gardens and do all the things we missed so much, and I feel so grateful to have her back in Vermont. Sometimes, just like the Joni Mitchell song, we don't realize how important things (or people) are to us until we don't have them around. So here's to the time we get to spend with our moms, and the chance to say thanks for their boundless love and for being just amazing.
This year we're pulling out all the stops to spoil the moms in our world - with a new play area to entertain the kids, with gooseberries, currants, hazelnuts, and quince (plus all the traditional favorites), with rose bushes and strawberry baskets, herb planters and gift cards, three new greenhouses, and too many flowers and vegetables to name. It is truly a gift to work in a place so filled with beauty and life, and to see people enjoying it is the icing on the cake.
Happy Mother's Day!
It always feels like there is a huge buildup to opening our retail area, and it's so satisfying to see it finally being enjoyed again. Our amazing staff has been working so hard and has gotten us off to a great start! There are lots of new additions to retail this year - there are three new greenhouses open to the public, Eric is creating a cozy new area complete with benches, a sand pile for kids and raised demonstration beds, and we have lots of new trees and shrubs for turning your yard into paradise. The first step to creating a cozy outdoor space is to enclose it. Our quick and skillful jack-of-all-trades, Eric, is building us a simple and beautiful fence to make the space more comfortable.
Given that our spring has been pretty mild over all, many gardeners are eager to get in the garden and plant a little earlier than normal. While the temptation is huge, it is also a good idea to remember that a hard frost can still come anytime in the next month or so and the ground is not all that warm. So what can go in the ground now? Lots of cold hardy vegetables and herbs are ready to go including onions, broccoli, cabbages, kales, mustards, boc choi, and more. It is best to harden off the plants for a few days before transplanting them - this means letting them get used to the cold, the wind, and the direct sunlight. Most of our plants will come to you already hardened off, but other nurseries may not take care to do that, so it is best to do it yourself. You can also use some row cover to create a small micro-climate for the young plants. We use hoops made out of 9-gauge wire to hold up the fabric off of the plants. This will give the plants a breathable, water permeable house to grow under during their initial weeks in the garden. The growth rate will be about double the rate of plants grown without row cover.
You can read more about hardening off here.
Another great thing to plant now are crops you direct seed and that can germinate in cold conditions - spinach, carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, scallions, peas, and fava beans.
If you have a spot in your garden that you are not going to use this year, you might want to consider spreading some cover crop seed. this will help ensure that the soil is fed during it's fallow period. The cover crop is essentially plants that are grown just for the soil's on going health. For cold weather sowing, you might want to try a cow pea and vetch mixture or oats or an annual clover . This will smother out weeds and add lots of organic matter to your garden.
Spring is never boring at Red Wagon! We've always got lots of exciting things going on, and this week was no exception. We had a terrific open house (our apologies to those who arrived after the sticky buns ran out!) and our amazing retail crew filled the retail greenhouse with happy young plants. Think spring!
From Lily: Gardening has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. And with one constant seems to come another… Garden Critters.
We all have our stories. The deer strolled though and ate the tops off all the baby beets. The woodchucks chomped cabbage heads in half. The neighbor’s horse got loose and stampeded the entire garden. Rascally raccoons destroyed the corn crop in the night. The squirrels had family feast in the blueberry bushes. Robins pulled out every bean sprout as they emerged from the earth. I’m all for sharing the harvest, but come on. This past spring was the last straw. I watched my own dog eat the asparagus shoots right out of the ground!
It was time to build a fence.
To install my own fence seemed like an unappealing and daunting project. I was intimidated. I like freedom, ease, and of course beauty in the veggie garden. Alas, I had to make moves. Precious asparagus was being robbed. There was no time to waste. Honestly, the dog was the main motivator. My biggest worry was that my quickie fence would be an eyesore. The final product has turned out to be nothing of the sort.
My garden comrades and I made construction choices with installation time, simplicity, and expense in mind. We decided on very basic materials that were easy to procure. Cedar posts for the corners and the entrance; installed with a borrowed posthole digger. Wooden grade stakes as the perimeter; one every 5-ish feet, pounded in with a mallet. Coated wire fencing with small holes at the bottom to keep out little critters and large holes at the top which is eye pleasing. We paid a little extra for this but I’m glad because the design is truly easy on the eyes (visually I’m not a fan of chicken wire). A staple gun came in handy to attach the fencing to the grade stakes. Lastly, a very simple wooden frame was constructed with the fencing material as the gate.
The fence has given the garden a sense of place and boundaries. It is no longer just a plot plowed out of the lawn. There is now a container to hold all the ideas, inspirations, and plans for the garden. In only a few hours we transformed the space! This year I hope to incorporate the fence more into the planting scheme of the garden by creating a narrow bed along the edge. The fence is a built in trellis. Why not plant annual climbing flowers! My favorites of course: Sweet peas, Cobaea, and Painted Lady Runner Beans.
I’ve also been dreaming up a project to build a solid gate. A gate that is structurally sound and provides an identity to the garden. Entrances hold an opportunity to set a scene, create a mood, transition from one thing to another. They are the first impressions of a space. When you pass through a gate or doorway you have the chance to leave behind what you don’t need: a chance to step into the present.
Here's some inspiration for gates and fences…
The rollercoaster ride of spring at Red Wagon is in progress! We had a glorious day potting up perennials last week outside in the sun. Fortunately the plants are oblivious to the chilly weather this week, putting up lots of new leaves and enjoying the cozy conditions in our greenhouses. And you can too! Come to our open house this Sunday, April 1st from 9am to noon and soak up some sun, pick up some adorable plants for your table or windowsill, check out the calves next door and talk to our great staff about your gardening goals! Check out the photos below to see what we've been up to...
It's official! Production is well under way and the weather seems to agree that it is indeed spring. And, in keeping with the spring tradition of new beginnings, we've got lots of fun new toys to play with this year! Check out the photos below to see what's new at Red Wagon this year...
Here's to another great season!
~ Sophia
Perennials: Angelica, Catnip, Chives and Garlic Chives, French Sorrel, Germander, Anise Hyssop, ‘Munstead’, 'Grosso', 'Provence' Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Mint, Oregano, Rue, Sage, Winter Savory, Sweet Woodruff, French Tarragon, Thyme, Valerian Annuals: Artemisia (self seeds), Basil, Chamomile (self seeds), Chervil (self seeds), Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Feverfew (self seeds), Lemongrass, Marjoram, Papalo, Parsley, Red Shiso, Rosemary, Summer Savory
Some herbs can be kept as houseplants over the winter. Some that do well are rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, and parsley. It is always nice to have a few pots of these in the kitchen to snip into bowls of soup, salads, scrambled eggs and roasted vegetables and meats. You can dig them up out of the garden in the fall or just grow them in pots all summer that you then bring into the house once the temperature drops.
Red Wagon grows a number of plants that make good houseplants. The characteristics to look for are a tolerance of shade, a preference for hot conditions (such as tropical plants), and plants that are annuals (do not require cold winters). Some great choices are:
Virtually all plants will bloom longer if you deadhead them. Picking lots of blossoms encourages the plant to branch and so you get more. I’ve had especially good luck with these varieties: Heliopsis (False Sunflower), which sometimes blossoms for 10-12 weeks in the fall Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) – 6-7 weeks Monarda (Bee Balm) - 8-12 weeks Coreopsis - 8-12 weeks Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) ‘Luxuriant’ - 10-14 weeks, Feverfew – 8-12 weeks if you let new plants grow and cut back the old ones
How much time do you want to spend weeding? If you love to weed as I do, you don’t need to mulch. However, mulching will save 80% of weeding time, so most people are happier with a mulched garden. Use a fairly thin layer (2-3 inches) and put a thinner layer on in subsequent years. Mulching also conserves water. Make sure the soil is moist before mulching because the mulch sometimes inhibits moisture from getting to the roots.
There are a few simple keys to keeping hanging baskets looking good. The first is proper watering - not too much, and not too little. A good method is to gently lift the plant in the morning. If it lifts easily and feels light, water thoroughly (until water runs out the bottom). If the pot feels solid and heavy, water lightly. If the pot feels very heavy, do not water it! Overwatering is a very common mistake. Check the pot again at the end of the day and water if it is light.
The next key is fertilizing. Hanging baskets usually have lots of flowers and therefore require lots of fertility. Watering every other week with liquid fertilizer (such as fish emulsion) will keep them looking good. We like Neptune's organic fertilizers, though synthetic fertilizers like MiracleGro are more rapidly available to the plants if time is of the essence.
The final key is pruning. If you’ve done proper watering and fertilizing and the plant starts looking leggy or overgrown, give your hanging basket a good haircut to get rid of its unhappy foliage and fertilize it. Within a few weeks it will be nicely filled in with new leaves and flowers. Transplanting into a larger container is also a good method of refreshing the plants.
Decide what you'd like to grow and eat, considering the space requirements and growth habit for each. Vine veggies like cucumbers and squash can be planted on the periphery to spill out onto a lawn and not crowd the other plants; or they can also be trellised.
Give tomatoes at least 3 square feet, eggplant and peppers 2 square feet. Also, consider rate of maturity; plant lettuce in one area, then after harvesting, plant beets or herbs. Planting a few edible flowers, such as nasturtium or gem marigold gives the raised bed a flower planter look. For ease of maintenance, make sure space or a path is made to reach all of the plantings.
Plants in a raised bed tend to yield more than plants in the ground because their roots are in lighter soil that is easier to grow in. It is important to only use good quality top soil and compost in the raised bed. The bottom layer can be filled with some rotted horse manure and yard waste like leaves and grass clipping.
Choose varieties that do well in smaller spaces and keep re-using the space once you harvest something. Small patches of green beans can be replanted multiple times, a small trellis with a few snap peas can be a nice addition that leaves room for summer lettuce or fall broccoli. Just keep in mind that a few plants that are well cared for will yield as much as many plants that are poorly cared for!
The ideal method for growing asparagus is to prepare the area at least one season in advance by tilling and planting a cover crop to suppress weeds. This will help reduce stress on the asparagus plants during their first few years, ensuring a healthier and more vigorous crop. A cover crop turned into the bed also increases the organic matter in the soil which is good for the plants. Since asparagus is a perennial that can last for many years, choose a well-drained site that can be dedicated to asparagus for the foreseeable future.
Asparagus is usually grown by tilling an area and then digging trenches 6-8” deep and 3-5’ apart. The crowns (roots) are placed in the trenches 8” apart for narrow spears and 14” apart for thick spears. Cover the crowns with 1-2” of soil and fertilize heavily with compost or other phosphate-rich fertilizer. Add soil to the trenches three times during the next few weeks until the soil is mounded somewhat to avoid water pooling around the plants. Keep the plants hand-weeded and fertilized until midsummer, then mulch heavily with straw or leaves to suppress weeds. The asparagus “ferns” should be allowed to grow, since they feed the plants, then cut back after they die in the fall. A moderate harvest is usually possible the first year after planting, followed by full harvests every spring thereafter.
Red and black asparagus beetles are nearly always present in summer and can be treated with organic pesticides but are better removed by hand to minimize harm to the plants. Just drop the beetles and larvae into a can of soapy water to kill them. Larvae can also be killed by gently brushing the ferns with a soft broom - they die quickly after falling to the ground.
Although asparagus is not quite as simple to grow as annual crops, it is well worth the effort! Fresh, juicy asparagus spears are unrivaled in texture and flavor.
Mid-August is rolling around, and with it comes some vegetable planting possibilities that will feed you late into autumn and early winter. This is a great time to clean out some of the garden beds that have finished producing and replant them with some fresh crops for late season harvest. Here are a few options that you might want to consider incorporating into your later summer gardening routine.
A note on flea beetles and row cover. Flea beetles are little, black and jump around on your plants while making tiny little holes. They love anything in the brassica family - cabbage,broccoli, arugual, mustards, collards, etc. Row cover is a white fabric used to keep out insects and/or to warm up the soil and air around the plants. It does not hurt to use row cover to speed things along and to keep out the flea beetles. Broccoli - seed a small amount directly into garden beds, or buy transplants up to mid-August. If you are direct seeding into a garden bed, remember to thin or prick out and replant the broccoli babies so that they have proper spacing (15” or so). Cabbage - same as broccoli. Choose shorter day varieties. Seed packets usually list the days to maturity for all crops. In early August, you can usually get away with planting a 60 day cabbage that will be ready in early October. Kale - this is a great time to put in a few more kale plants or seeds, they will size up before snow flies, and will withstand lots of wintery weather. The good thing about kale, is that once it is full grown, it will just stand around in the garden waiting to be picked. It does not get “too old” or bolt (jump into seed production mode). This makes it a great early winter crop and a joy to harvest under snow fall. Collards can be treated this way as well. Arugula - a nice addition to salads, this tender green with a mustard-like flavor is also a great survivor of cold temperatures. It can withstand many hard frosts and will continue to add a little spike to your salads well into November and December. You can put row cover on it to keep away the flea beetles and to give it a little extra protection from cold winds that can dry it out. If it starts to turn a little purple in the colder temps, don’t worry about it, it is still fine to eat. This is just a symptom of not being able to absorb phosphorous in cold conditions. Turnips - a short season salad turnip can still be sown in August. I like the Hakurei variety from Johnny’s. It is delicious raw in salads, sliced thinly or finely diced, or sauteed in a little butter with fresh herbs (winter savory makes a special appearance at my house, often in this dish in particular). People who think they hate turnips will just be shocked when they taste these buttery slices that just melt in your mouth. Spinach - in the first half of August, it is a good idea to plant a large patch of spinach. It will germinate in the cooler night time temperatures (spinach does not like to germinate in the heat) and will last a long time in the field in the cool temperatures of October and early November. Carrots - fall carrots are best seeded right around July 4th. This gives you a chance to do an early batch of carrots for late spring, early summer eating, and then a second (or third) batch for fall eating. Fall carrots are considerable sweeter than spring seeded carrots and are definitely worth the trouble. Boc Choi - this is another crop that does really well in the cooler temperatures of fall. It is not a heat lover, and therefore should only be planted in April and May and then again in mid to late August for fall harvest. This benefits from row cover if you have a lot of flea beetle pressure. There are quite a few different versions of boc choi, and if you like the crunchy texture and delicate flavor of this crucifer, then please consider trying baby boc choi, red boc choi, or full sized boc choi. While it is easier to start with plants, it is certainly possible to direct seed this crop. Beets - fall time beets are sweet, tender, and do not have that “dirt” taste of beets grown in full summer heat. Last planting date for fall beets is around August 10th. They should be direct seeded in the garden and then thinned to one plant per 2 to 3 inches. You can space the rows 10 to 12 inches apart and fit about 3 rows in an average bed with a 4 ft width. The greens are tasty too, and the little delicate plants you pull out when thinning are a great addition to sauteed greens, soups, or even salads if very young.
Cilantro and Dill - these herbs can be planted directly in the garden from seed as late as mid-August. They grow well in the cold, and actually prefer it. The cold slows them down and prevents them from going to seed. Plant a good sized patch since you can harvest the plants well into December. They can take a frost, a snow fall and still will bounce right back.
Mustard Greens - these can be planted just like arugula. See instructions above.
Radishes - are a great addition to the late season garden. They can be planted right up to early September, and will maintain a high level of quality right up until it snows.
Lettuce - you can direct seed certain varieties of lettuce for fall harvest. Some do better than others in the cold. I like to plant Merveilles des Quatres Saisons and Tango for their beauty, taste, and cold hardiness.
Parsley - this herb can take very cold temperatures, so make sure, in mid-July or so that you have a nice patch of this going into fall and later summer. If this is an herb that you use frequently, it does not hurt to plant two or three different patches over the course of later April to mid - July. It is a slow grower, so after mid-July you can only plant it from transplants, not seed.
August is rolling around, thundering ahead, and with it comes some vegetable planting possibilities that will feed you late into autumn and early winter. This is a great time to clean out some of the garden beds that have finished producing and replant them with some fresh crops for late season harvest. Here are a few options that you might want to consider incorporating into your later summer gardening routine.
Broccoli
- seed a small amount directly into garden beds, or buy transplants up to mid-August. If you are direct seeding into a garden bed, remember to thin or prick out and replant the broccoli babies so that they have proper spacing (15” or so).
Cabbage
- same as broccoli. Choose shorter day varieties. Seed packets usually list the days to maturity for all crops. In early August, you can usually get away with planting a 60 day cabbage that will be ready in early October.
Kale -
this is a great time to put in a few more kale plants or seeds, they will size up before snow flies, and will withstand lots of wintery weather. The good thing about kale, is that once it is full grown, it will just stand around in the garden waiting to be picked. It does not get “too old” or bolt (jump into seed production mode). This makes it a great early winter crop and a joy to harvest under snow fall. Collards can be treated this way as well. A note on flea beetles: It does not hurt to use row cover to speed things along and to keep out the flea beetles. They are little biting insects that make little holes in the leaves and generally slow down a plant’s growth by stressing it a bit. All vegetables in the brassica family are susceptible to flea beetles - broccoli, kale, cabbage, mustards, arugula, collard greens, and boc choi are all in this family.
Arugula -
a nice addition to salads, this tender green with a mustard-like flavor is also a great survivor of cold temperatures. It can withstand many hard frosts and will continue to add a little spike to your salads well into November and December. You can put row cover on it to keep away the flea beetles and to give it a little extra protection from cold winds that can dry it out. If it starts to turn a little purple in the colder temps, don’t worry about it, it is still fine to eat. This is just a symptom of not being able to absorb phosphorous in cold conditions.
Turnips
- a short season salad turnip can still be sown in August. I like the Hakurei variety from Johnny’s. It is delicious raw in salads, sliced thinly or finely diced, or sauteed in a little butter with fresh herbs (winter savory makes a special appearance at my house, often in this dish in particular). People who think they hate turnips will just be shocked when they taste these buttery slices that just melt in your mouth.
Spinach
- in the first half of August, it is a good idea to plant a large patch of spinach. It will germinate in the cooler night time temperatures (spinach does not like to germinate in the heat) and will last a long time in the field in the cool temperatures of October and early November.
Overwintered Spinach - overwintering means keeping a vegetable alive through the winter for spring harvesting and eating. Not all vegetables can survive our VT winters, but the few that can include spinach, parsnips, leeks, garlic, and parsley. Spinach for early spring eating (mid to late April) should be sown in the first two weeks of September. Once it germinates, allow it to grow without harvesting or touching it. You can eat a little if you want, but ideally you will leave as much of the plant in the ground as possible. Once very cold weather hits, in early to mid-December, you can protect the spinach under a layer of straw, or leaves, or a few layers of row cover. In the spring, as soon as the ground has thawed out, remove the layers of protection and you will see the spinach come to life, long before any other plants begin to stir. This is such a delicious treat for early spring and really worth the trouble. A future post will be just about overwintered vegetables, so if this is something you have been wanting to try in your garden, check back here in a few days!
Cilantro and Dill
are good herbs for fall planting since their cold-hardiness is unmatched, and it will give you something to add to autumn salsas, salads, and pickles. Just sprinkle some seed into a shallow trench, press them in, and lightly cover with soil. The planting depth is very shallow here, just 1/4 inch or so. One of the most common problems with crops seeded directly into garden soil, is that they get planted too deeply. Remember this basic rule of thumb: the seed needs to be planted only 2 times deeper than its own size. Cilantro and dill will live until the first snow! They thrive in the cold. They are true soldiers of season extension.
Let us know if you feel inspired to try your hand with some of this season extension - we love to hear about it!
It's getting to be that time in the season when there's more time for fun projects - the vegetable garden is in, and with the exception of weeding and succession planting, one can finally delve into the beauty and creative freedom of flower gardening. And just in time, as if by magic, the first rudbeckia unfurls its yellow petals, the astilbe raises its frothy plumes, and the daylilies unpack their sweet blossoms as if to say, "I'm out in the world now! Come play!" Our perennials look more dazzling than ever (and with our sale, they're also a steal)! If you'd like to learn about perennial selection and maintenance, our resident gardening expert, Hope Johnson, will be teaching a free workshop at our greenhouses on Saturday, July 16th from 9-11am. Come with your gardening questions, hopes, and dreams!
We still have lots of beautiful annuals for tumbling over window boxes, making bouquets, twisting into braids or brightening a veggie garden - whatever suits your fancy!
