August 1, 2023

Starting Vegetables from Seed for a Fall Harvest

Gardeners, think ahead - mid-to-late summer is the best time to start seeds in order to extend the harvest window into autumn.

Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we always try to maximize the productivity of the gardens. Yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, started seed trays of Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, romanesco, and kale - all considered brassicas, or cole crops - a genus of plants in the mustard family whose members are informally referred to as cruciferous vegetables. The seeds will remain in the greenhouse until they’re mature enough to be moved to my new vegetable garden. And then next season, we'll have another bounty of delicious, organic vegetables.

Enjoy these photos.

July 31, 2023

Picking Garlic at the Farm

Here at my Bedford, New York farm, late July is garlic picking time - when the bottom leaves of the plants start to die back and turn brown, but the top leaves are still green.

Knowing when garlic is ready to pick can be tricky. If it’s harvested too soon, the cloves are small and underdeveloped. And, if done too late, the clove heads begin to separate, making them more vulnerable to decay. Garlic is divided into two categories - the supermarket variety, softneck, which produces long-lasting bulbs with many cloves around a soft center stem, and hardneck, which are noted for their stiff central stalk, fewer cloves, relatively short shelf life, and intriguingly complex flavors. All our varieties are from Keene Garlic, a family-owned farm in Wisconsin.

Enjoy these photos.

July 29, 2023

Planting Holly in My Maze

My garden maze continues to evolve with each row of interesting plantings. It now includes a section of holly, Ilex, an evergreen shrub with dense, glossy, foliage.

Earlier this month, the wholesale nursery, Monrovia, sent me a large assortment of beautiful plants including 21-holly shrubs. I knew these specimens would make excellent additions to my maze, located in a lush pasture just outside my Winter House. I instructed my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, where they should go, and he and Pete went right to work - measuring the space, marking the rows, removing the sod, planting the holly, and top dressing with mulch made right here at the farm. I started planting this course one year ago with a variety of different hedges, espaliers, and trees, and I am happy to report, we've completed about a third of the three-acre space and it looks great.

Here are some photos, enjoy.