Garlic: Planting for the Future
Garlic is a very special crop. It's delicious, healthy, easy to grow, high yielding, and far less expensive than purchasing organic garlic. Stored properly, it will last a very long time. Most gardeners have enough for the entire year, even when giving some away....
What else is growing at the garden?
Last Big Harvest of the Season
Every season, the garden grows a few "boutique" crops. They might cost the garden more to grow, in garden hours, in soil nutrition needs, or all of they above. They don't always yield huge harvests. Some seasons, such as the year of the peanut-growing experiment, they...
Gardeners Welcome Back UVM Service TREK Team
Every year, we excitedly await their arrival. Once again, the University of Vermont Service TREK Farm and Food team transformed The Garden at 485 Elm. As always, UVM Service TREK team members arrive ready to rock. The team turns the garden waste windrow downhill. The...
Gardeners Who Quick-Pickle Together . . .
. . . have a wonderful time and eat delicious food. On a perfectly beautiful day, gardeners harvested, prepared, and quick-pickled fresh garden crops. Just about any vegetables and fruits can be pickled, and today gardeners demonstrated that. When you have apples and...
A New Gardener This Season Is Many Gardeners
Each spring, neighbors interested in gardening here visit for a garden walk-and-talk. It it's not completely snowed under, we walk the garden together. One visitor asked about joining the garden and bringing her students regularly. She said they usually have hands-on...
The Power of Flowers at the Montpelier Area Senior Center
A few small rows of flowers evolved into hundreds, then literally thousands of seedlings. Susan Gerretson joined the garden in early 2020 and has been the garden's Flower Lady since 2021. Remember what that time was like? The garden needed Susan and her passion for...
Tick Talk: Scary Facts, Practical Prevention & Solutions
Tune in for a garden talk with Tanya Crawford-Stempel, a Vermont Department of Health nurse supervisor. Even those of us who'd been following the news about tick-borne diseases and following recommendations learned tons. YouTube video link below. Here's a a smidgen of...
June 27 – Tick Talk: Protect Yourself from Tick-Borne Disease in Vermont
Learn how to prevent tick-borne disease and enjoy Vermont’s outdoors safely! When? Saturday, June 27, 10–11 a.m. (Rain Date: Wednesday, July 1, 5–6 p.m.) Where? The Garden at 485 Elm What? A free presentation to keep you safe in the time of ticks and tick-borne...
Don’t bug the potatoes. (But do debug them!)
Potatoes are reliably successful and delicious garden crops. There's labor, but it's not the hardest food to grow. Planting potatoes is a big group effort, and harvesting is a whole group event—all very satisfying! The stretch of time between potato planting and...
Seedlings in the Earth
Hot weather means it's Solanaceae time! Gardeners planted cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, ground cherries, tomatillos, chili peppers, basil, rosemary, parsley, and brussels sprouts. Gardeners plant tomatillo seedlings grown at Red Wagon Plants and purchased from Guy's...
Flower Power Team Gathers Steam
In addition to vegetables and herbs, the garden grows flowers in profusion. Gardeners love tending, harvesting, and taking home the beautiful blooms. The flower crop is worthy for its own sake. Flowers also make wonderful companion plantings with food crops. Marigolds...
