“The retreat brings people together, builds community in the forest, gets participants outside and off their screens, and uses nature sustainably to heal and inspire minds and souls,” stated Great Mountain Forest Executive Director Michael Zafros. Retreat registration closes on July 30.
The Seed Saver’s Exchange offers many ways of procuring heirloom flower and vegetable seeds and books to learn about seed saving, starting plants ahead of the growing season and gardening.
Usually, leeks and the cabbage family survive uncovered until the end of November and beyond. Parsnips left in the ground through winter are prized as a spring treat after the ground thaws.
Good garden hygiene in the fall is preparation for a healthy start in the spring. Clear dead, dying and weed plants before cold weather discourages the effort.
The garden has thrown off its snow blanket and frost-hardy vegetables are growing despite occasional nighttime temperatures in the 20’s when the top layer of earth freezes solid.
In the first of her biweekly columns about growing and gardening in the Berkshires, Judy Isacoff writes: "Stars, the sunlit moon and planets circle the expanse of frozen, fertile ground during these long nights. There’s the sense of a night shift at work underground."
Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body's detoxification system as do the other members of the brassica family –- broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprout.
