Maine Gardens and Gardening - Reeser Manley

Peas among first crops needing to be planted

"Got your peas in yet?" So far it is a question asked in jest, a poke at the impatience of gardeners. more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 3/12/10 | 364 views

One out of every three bites of food you eat depends on insect pollination. In the garden, you depend on pollinators, mainly bees, for success with tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, summer and winter … more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 3/6/10 | 106 views

Lack of birds due to winter garden visitor

We lost the birds in Marjorie’s garden this winter. They were there in the beginning, a flock of 30 goldfinches in drab winter dress taking every perch at the porch feeders just before the big … more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 2/27/10 | 92 views

New gardeners need help choosing vegetable varieties

When it comes to choosing the best carrot variety to grow in your garden, the last place a first-year gardener needs to go is a seed catalog — or at least most of them. more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 2/20/10 | 201 views

It’s ‘Gigante’: soccer ball-size kohlrabi

Talk about kohlrabi Last week’s column on kohlrabi spawned several e-mails, among them a message from Allison Keef. She and her husband, Ralph, have been gardening on 5 acres in Hermon since … more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 2/13/10 | 464 views

Diversity is key to planting vegetables

Last week, reading about the importance of plant species diversity in ecosystems, it occurred to me that biodiversity is also an important consideration in planning the vegetable garden, that the … more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 1/30/10 | 269 views

Winter tests commitment to composting

With both Marjorie and Lynne away, only the two old dogs were with me in the garden on Saturday morning. My list of weekend chores, created over coffee while waiting for the sun, began with “MT … more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 1/23/10 | 477 views

Eastport garden an example for all

I have gardening in raised beds on my mind these winter days. We are planning a schoolyard community garden in Eastport at the high school where I teach and where barely buried ledge leaves little topsoil in which to garden. more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 1/16/10 | 366 views

Way to enjoy a garden in winter

There was a brief moment, only for a few hours, when snow worked magic in Marjorie’s garden. It was early in the morning and early in the storm, the day before the big blow. I awoke to a landscape … more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 1/9/10 | 310 views

Shoppers need guide for buying, planting trees

Gardeners will be planting more trees than ever this coming spring as we try to make a difference in the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. more

By Reeser Manley
Special to the NEWS | 1/2/10 | 338 views