This time of year all gardeners are busy weeding. And let's face it, few enjoy this gardening chore, but we all know those pesky weeds will grow and grow.
To cut down on some of the weeding, I regularly lay down a two to three inch layer of organic mulch over all the beds. Spreading mulch discourages those weeds from growing by depriving them of sunlight and air. Mulch also has other benefits - it insulates the soil to protect plants from extreme temperatures in summer and in winter, gives the beds a finished look making them very neat and tidy, and because I make my own mulch here at my farm, I know it is filled with nutrients, which improves the overall health of the plants.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Fortunately, I am able to make lots of mulch, and compost, right here at my farm. During the course of the year, my outdoor grounds crew amasses large amounts of organic debris – felled trees, branches, leaves, etc., but none of the material goes to waste. It is either repurposed quickly as milled lumber or made into mulch and compost.
Once a year, I call in a tub grinder and crew to grind all that organic matter. It is done in a back field of my farm. This photo was taken in February.
And after all the material is put through the grinder – not once, but twice – it is a beautiful pile of fine mulch.
This is all weed-free organic matter and contains horse and chicken manure – all usable in the garden beds.
This week, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, is mulching the herbaceous peony bed.
He carries wheelbarrows full of mulch and drops them in between the rows of peonies.
Once all the needed mulch is dropped down in piles, Chhiring rakes it evenly throughout the beds. It is a tedious process, but always well worth the effort.
Nearby, my living maze is already well dressed with a layer of mulch.
And do you know the difference between mulch and compost? Mulch and compost are not the same. They are both used to help the soil, but they have different applications and benefits. Mulch is applied to the top layer of soil to help control weeds, retain moisture, and regulate temperature, whereas compost, which is broken down over time, provides essential nutrients and enriches the soil structure.
Here, mulch is also dropped in small amounts and then spread evenly under each plant.
This maze looks especially healthy because the plants are well fed, well watered, regularly mulched, and the soil is consistently amended.
Recently, all the beds on my Winter House terrace were given a fresh top layer of mulch. And do you know… mulch can even deter some pests and insects.
In addition, the barberry and boxwood were recently pruned and groomed, another important gardening chore.
The hedges around my pool were mulched. On the inside of my pool fence, I have this tall hedge of purple columnar beech trees, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ – a splendid tree with deep-purple foliage.
The hedge continues all around the pool, disguising the fence. On the other side of the fence, a hedge of two dark-colored burgundy-black leafed specimens – Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ shrubs.
Down by my large run in paddock, the hydrangeas and hostas beneath the Osage Orange trees, Maclura pomifera, were also given a new layer of mulch…
… As were the sycamores, continus, and hydrangeas in this allée in my middle hayfield. With this organic mulch, heavy soils are better equipped to hold water and resist compaction – reducing any erosion and runoff.
This is one side of the Japanese snowbell allée leading to my tennis court. It is made of Styrax japonicus ‘Marley’s Pink Parasol’ and the taller Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light.’ This allée has also been nicely mulched. Another good benefit of mulching is that it serves as a barrier or visible marker to limit possible damage by other equipment such as mowers and trimmers.
Just beyond my chicken coops is a hosta garden filled with hundreds of bold, green, gorgeous hostas. They are planted beneath the shade of these majestic dawn redwoods, Metasequoia.
This entire area was also mulched. I have many dawn redwoods around the farm. They are among my favorite trees. They grow faster than most trees and need only occasional pruning to keep them looking their best.
And here is a section of freshly mulched tree pits in my orchard. When mulching tree pits, be sure to pull the mulch away from the base of the tree trunk and not up against the trunk. Too much mulch will suffocate and kill the tree. Remember, “bare to the flare”, which means nothing should ever be above the tree’s flare – the point where the tree stops widening at the bottom. Using mulch around the farm is a wonderful way to beautify the gardens and to give back to the earth.
In early summer, my gardeners and I plant lots and lots of pumpkin seeds - many from our favorite seed companies, and some from interesting and tasty fruits I’ve enjoyed over the years. Pumpkins grow on vines, which means they take up a lot of space. I always plant my pumpkin patch in a roomy area that can accommodate a large crop of big, colorful specimens. This year, I decided to grow my pumpkins and winter squash in my vegetable garden. Most varieties take between 90 and to 120 days to grow. We still have a few weeks to wait, but everything is growing so nicely.
Enjoy these photos.
I decided to plant this year’s pumpkins in a new and interesting place – in front of my hornbeam hedge all around the inside of my vegetable garden. This photo was taken in July before the plants had really started to vine. I instructed my outdoor grounds crew to put down a strip of weed cloth to keep the vines and fruit from touching the grass and soil.
From one gate to the other on one side, I planted pumpkins. On the other side I planted winter squash. Pumpkins and winter squash are both edible fruits from the Cucurbita species. Pumpkins are a type of winter squash that are generally round with thick skin and sweet meat.
Once planted, everything started to develop so quickly. Pumpkins and winter squashes prefer fertile, well-drained soil and a sunny location – this vegetable garden is a great place where the plants can be well tended.
Pumpkin and winter squash leaves can look very similar – large, lobed leaves that grow on hollow stems. They are roundish in shape, and often have serrated edges, and are typically dark green in color, but may be light or grey-green, depending on the variety.
Leaves can also be marked.
Here is the patch now. It has grown quite a bit – one can hardly see the black weed cloth because of all the growing vines. It is still too early to harvest, but everything looks great.
It will be time to harvest when the vines and leaves wither and die back – these need at least eight or nine more weeks.
The large leaves cover most of the cucurbits as they form, so it is hard to see the beauties underneath.
But under the leaves, there is lots of evidence of growth.
Pumpkins and winter squash are good sources of nutrition. They are low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber. Plus, they are loaded with vitamins A and B and potassium.
These pumpkin vines are already finding their way through the fence. Every plant seems to be healthy and robust.
Right now, there are lots of growing winter squash in different shapes, colors and sizes.
Winter squashes have thick, tough shells that protect the sweet, rich tasting flesh inside. Always pick winter squash that’s heavy for its size. The stem should also be intact, firm and dry. These will be so delicious when they’re ready.
I get seeds from various seed companies, but I also save seeds from specimens I’ve enjoyed over the years.
Here is another young and small winter squash in bright yellow.
Squash has been grown in North America for 5000 years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere, but today are grown all over the world – except Antarctica.
Tough skinned winter squash can last several months in storage as long as the fruits are protected from cuts, scrapes and dents, and are kept in a cool, dry room with good air circulation.
Pumpkin vines can grow as much as six feet per day and can get as long as 30 feet. On each vine are green tendrils that help to anchor the vine and protect it from the wind. Squash stems are also thick, but much lighter and softer.
Pumpkin flowers are large orange or yellow-colored blooms that grow on the long vines and produce pumpkins. Both pumpkin and squash blossoms can be eaten and have a mild, sweet flavor.
The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’ which means large melon.
I am very pleased with how well the plants are doing in these garden beds. I am looking forward to a great big harvest come autumn.
My large half-acre vegetable garden just keeps on giving…
Tree pruning and grooming continues here at my Bedford, New York farm.
As the owner of many gardens, groves, and allées, I am constantly looking at all the trees, making sure they are in perfect condition. Pruning is one of the biggest and most important gardening tasks. Not only does pruning improve the overall health of the plants, it also prevents disease, and encourages better growth. Recently, my resident tree pruner, Pasang Sherpa, turned his attention to an area I call my "Christmas Tree Field" - a large space where I grow more than 600 evergreen trees - rows of Frasier Fir, Canaan Fir, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, and others. They were planted in 2009 and over the years have grown so beautifully.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This photo was taken in June 2013, four years after I first planted all these trees in a back field adjacent to my compost yard.
By 2015, the trees had grown several feet tall.
Here they are in February 2019.
And this is how they look now – it’s amazing how much they’ve grown. Every tree is so lush and green.
But walking through the rows on the inside of the trees, it was clear many of the inner and lower branches were not getting enough light. Many of the branches grew bare.
And many of the branches died.
So Pasang went to work, cutting all the Ds – dead, diseased, damaged, and deranged or those branches that crisscross or rub against each other causing abrasion.
Pasang uses his hand tree saw carefully cutting from the bottom branches up.
Pasang cuts just outside the branch collar, which is the slightly swollen area where the branch and trunk meet.
It is important to always use sharp tools whenever pruning so that the cuts are clean. Dull tools are difficult to use and could even damage the tree. A straight, clean-cut promotes quick healing of the wound and reduces stress on the specimen.
For small branches, Pasang is able to use his pruners.
As branches are taken down, they’re gathered and placed into tidy piles, so they can be cleaned up easily and quickly. After the job is done the crew will chip the branches and use the wood chips as top dressing in another area of the farm. Everything is always reused, repurposed or recycled when possible.
There are a lot of branches cut from these evergreens, but already there is more light and air circulating through the rows, and one can see more clearly underneath the trees.
Pasang is doing what is called “limbing-up” the trees and removing any low inner branches that block sunlight or disturb an open and airy appearance.
Adan helps to move the branches that are cut down. My crew always works in teams, so there is always help for every project.
Remember, this is what it looked like before – dark and overcrowded.
… And this is how they look after. Pasang cleared the entire space.
One can now walk in between every row.
This view is the center row looking all the way down. One can see end to end. It’s just gorgeous. Thanks Pasang.
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