Welcome to The Garden!

The Garden at 485 Elm grows along the North Branch of the Winooski River, a mile north of the city of Montpelier. On July 10 and 11, six to nine inches of rain fell, swelling the rivers and inundating the city and surrounding streets of homes and businesses....

Carrots have tiny seeds. Without surgical precision in planting, carrot jungle happens. The more carrots the better, right? Except if they're too crowded, they don't have room to grow into long, thick carrots. They'll be small, stunted carrots, some of them twisted...

"Celebrating" might not be the best word, but gardeners who tackle garden pest management are enthusiastic. Tomatillos attract three-lined potato beetles. They're easy to spot, but they're fast and hard to catch. The pest team leader recommends H20 gloves, one of...

The first big bundles of garden food for donation are on their way to Just Basics Inc., the Montpelier Food Pantry. Growing a giant garden together means each bed is super productive. A box of chives produces a lot of chives, far more than even twenty-plus gardeners'...

We use row cover, a.k.a. low tunnels, to protect seeds and seedlings while they mature and gain strength. Garden fabric like this holds in moisture, protects against too much heat or cold, and keeps out insects who would eat the little plants. We uncover greens when...

Horseradish grows outside the garden fence. It's one of the few crops that deer, woodchucks, and others never bother with. Others are lemon balm, other mints, garlic, and onions. Horseradish best harvested in the spring and early fall. Brush off the dirt, and the root...

The first step in planting potatoes is selecting the seeds. Seed potatoes are just potatoes that have started growing alien-looking tendrils and eyes. The more exciting looking, the more desirable for planting. Gardeners cut up the potatoes so that each piece has...