How to Upcycle an Old Bed Base Into a Cold Frame

This heirloom grain, together with the skilled knowledge and forced labor of West Africans and their descendants, made South Carolina very, very rich. From 1720 to the outbreak of the Civil War, rice was the most economically valuable crop for this state. White landowners, who thought rice would do well in the low country, themselves lacked practical knowledge of rice cultivation. Instead, they paid a premium to slave traders to capture and transport laborers from the well-established rice region of West Africa to Carolina. During the 18th century, many enslaved people brought into Charleston came from this rice-growing area. These people and their descendants created the Gullah-Geechee culture in the low country.

Since then, it’s all about: Stock up or be left pumpkin-less! (Haven’t I heard this before? It’s nearly the same story as this one from the “Los Angeles Times” in 2009, even quoting the same Libby’s spokesman.)How about this D.I.Y. remedy: Go buy a couple of ‘Butternut’ squash at the farmers’ market (or the supermarket, even) and make filling, putting extra batches of cooked, pureed “pumpkin” in the freezer while you’re at it to satisfy subsequent craving–or for  use in soup or bread or gnocchi.A Hubbard type (warts and all) will

Despite living in Nova Scotia, writer Niki Jabbour is a year-round vegetable gardener, coaxing harvests out of every manner of season-extending device imaginable, from cloche to full-on polytunnel. She’s the award-winning author of books that include “Veggie Garden Remix” and “The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener.” And she’s back today to talk cold frames, one of the tactical approaches in “Growing Under Cover” (affiliate link), a book that helps us not just lengthen the season, but also outsmart pests and increase productivity. (Above, at Niki’s, a cold frame full of carrots in fall that will be tucked in to harvest gradually in winter.)Plus: We’ll have a book giveaway. Enter in the comments at the bottom of the page.Read along as you listen to the January 4, 2021 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify or Stitcher (and browse my archive of podcasts here).cold-frame

Just before Christmas, Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS, wrote to ask if I would be RHS Hampton Court’s Iconic Horticultural Hero for 2023, which was both shocking and flattering in equal measure! Because of that, I was able to design a garden for the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

I repurpose a pair of mouldy old terracotta strawberry pots into two gorgeous succulent pots planted with a mixture of drought loving sedums and Sempervivums.

A garden with a restrained planting palette can be so exciting and atmospheric. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of the white garden. The limitations of choosing plants of a single colour means you can focus your attention; in fact there are so many plants out there that if you don’t have some sort of guiding principles when you set about designing your garden, you will soon be lost and overwhelmed with options.

In the well-to-do town of Bedford, New York, there are a few givens: there are apple orchards and quaint bed and breakfasts, cute bakeries and amazing antiques shops and, of course, many grand estates complete with rolling green lawns and well-hedged gardens. Perhaps most impressive of the latter belongs to the doyenne of the domestic, Martha Stewart.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Mapping your vegetable garden before planting helps

A former AIB banker-turned-gardener says he feels “like a five-year-old getting presents” after winning a major award as well as a prestigious gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

Sometimes a person’s path in life is determined early, even if a few detours should pop up along the way.

The BC Home + Garden Show is back in full bloom with expert advice on building, gardening and whipping up tasty dishes in the kitchen. Also on hand will be vendors showcasing renovation products and the latest innovations.

My friends at The Heritage Company, an architectural salvage/ antique store in downtown Kalamazoo did it again. Instead of passing on a lonesome sleigh style headboard, they purchased it from one of their pickers with me in mind.