An almost full moon

It would have been a great time for a full moon hike this month. The moon has been glorious - luminous and glowing over the last few evenings.Tomorrow night, it's full. Temperatures are moderate now, but they could have just as easily been overly cool and chilly. And the nocturnal symphony is largely...

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Final evening sounds

Coming home from the grocery store this evening, I heard some of the final evening songs of fall -- whether they're crickets or tree frogs, I'm not sure. We had a good freeze on Saturday night, so I was surprised to hear them, although the warm temperatures before (and after) have buffered the dip in temperature.The moon is already luminous in the evening, even though not full until Thursday. ...

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late November vegetables

November greens have been a high point of an otherwise quiet gardening period, distracted by dog-sitting and coursework.The Hakurei turnips continue to amaze me. Even unthinned, they've been remarkably productive (and tasty!)Without a hard frost, the arugula has continued to flourish -- it's remarkably...

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Thanksgiving harvest

 "Nantes half " and "cosmic purple" carrots Happy Thanksgiving!We're headed down to south Florida to celebrate the holiday with my daughter and her husband. My contributions to dinner come from the garden. I planted most of these veggies on Labor Day and wrote about in this post: Fall Edibles....

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Ginkgo fall colors

a luminous ginkgoFrom my study window, the ginkgo under the power line corridor is amazing right now -- both from the study and our bedroom.  We planted it almost 20 years ago, so it's tall now.  And beautiful this year.view from my st...

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Sustainable Gardening Program on Sat. 11/17

I'll be giving a presentation on Sustainable Gardening on Saturday 11/17 at the Lyonia Environmental Center. 2150 Eustace Ave., Deltona, FL 32725 in Volusia County. My co-presenter Jim McCuen will speak after my talk with more specifics on the best native plants for your landscape.Go to the...

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Hakurei turnips

LW harvesting turnipsI've been ridiculously pleased with the turnips in my raised beds in the mountains.I'm not sure exactly when I sowed the seeds (my search for blog posts about turnips resulted in this array of disparate thoughts about turnips and other greens), but it was sometime in late summer.There...

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Green Gardening Matters!

Last month the Blog Action Day theme was "The Power of We." I wrote an article for the Florida Native Plant Society, which was published on the October 15th that talks about how much can be accomplished when members of a group like FNPS works together and with other groups."It's easy to see how...

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Fall's ebb and flow

It was cooler today, and with the time change, it's now dark earlier in the evening.Happily, in late afternoon, light streams into the living room and dining room, as the sun is lower in the sky as fall progresses, so it was lovely to spend time there late today. My study is in shadow by then,...

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Fall greens and peppers

I'd figured that the vegetables in the mountain beds would have been frosted by now (it was supposedly below freezing last week). But an unexpected weekend found flourishing greens (unconsumed by woodchucks or other herbivores) and a final crop of ripe peppers, most 'Pizza' - a favorite thick-walled...

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Interpretation, gardening, and programs

In my trajectory as a garden educator, interpreter, and teacher, I've found a couple of basic truths. (I had a lovely experience this morning doing a program for 20 graduating Master Naturalists).It's not about the information, rather it's about connection.It's about engagement, not content.It's not about what you know, but how you teach.And taking advantage of teachable moments, where ever they happen...

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