Forced sterilization in human societies belongs to the realm of dictatorial dytopias, but in the garden it is routine, casual practice.  Ever since the evolution of sexual reproduction in plants hundreds of millions of years ago, we can only guess at the vast amount of plant energy spent in the pursuit of a more varied and […]

  I am doing a lot of weeding in the garden these days and realizing that one of my favorite tools for soil cleanup is the one I came equipped with from day one…my hands.  Working with another favorite, a stout Japanese hand cultivator fashioned from heavy-duty metal that takes a wicked edge, I follow up […]

Everyone knows that the two basic tools of the gardener from time immemorial are the watering can and the hoe.  This year I am tossing away the watering can, at least at one of my gardening spots, and entering the strange world of water-free growing.   I know you are thinking this when I say […]