I love the flavors of spring. In 2007 Barbara Kingsolver wrote Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, a wonderful account of eating only local food – and in season. She and her family decided to grow as much of their own food as possible, and to say no to strawberries in winter or any food flown long distances any time. That meant no oranges or bananas, which made the onset of the rhubarb season all the more special for them. I agree.

I’m not as rigid as Kingsolver – but I approve of the principles involved. I store, freeze and preserve much of my food for winter use, but I do buy winter lettuce when I really crave it, and enjoy grapefruits and oranges from time to time. I am lucky that Long Winds Farm in Thetford, Vermont produces fresh organic tomatoes 10 months of the year so I can occasionally supplement my stored tomatoes with fresh ones in winter. And I buy coffee and wine that’s not local, though I believe she did, too, on occasion.

Good King Henry

Still, it’s important to me to eat locally and seasonally. Now, as fresh veggies are growing in my garden and in my woods, I am relishing the treats they provide me. I am gathering ramps and fiddleheads from my woods. I am picking rhubarb, sorrel, chives and Good King Henry from my garden. Early lettuce from my garden is just around the corner, my early parsley plants are ready for a little pinching and asparagus is waking up.

Ramps

About 5 years ago I started digging ramps from a huge patch in the woods, taking 50 or so each year and transplanting half of those into my own woods (and eating the rest)  Ramps are also called wild leeks as they are in the same garlic-onion -leek family. They send up 2 or 3 broad leaves that are about 6 inches long and form a nice small bulb about the size of a clove of garlic.

Ramps grow well in moist forests with mature trees, often under maple or beech trees. I wanted some in the woods near my house so that I could go dig a few just before dinner without taking a hike. I tried to match the light and soil conditions when I replanted them. I also looked for the other plants that grow with them in the wild (such as trillium) to guide me. Since I grow trillium, I knew I could grow ramps, too. I discovered that ramps are slow growing, and slow to form a large patch. That means you should never take large numbers if wild harvesting them. And of course, you should ask the property owner. I like to sauté the leaves and bulbs as part of a vegetable stir fry.

telltale ridge on stem of Ostrich fern

Fiddleheads are another spring treat for me. These are the coiled tips of the ostrich fern (Matteucia struthiopteris). Although I harvest mine in the wild, my local food coop sells them, too. In the coop there is a warning saying that one should boil them for 10 minutes to remove toxic substances before eating. Baloney, I say! I sauté them in olive oil with garlic and sometimes add a few almond slivers or morsels of walnut. Delicious. Boiled for 10 minutes they are tasteless mush.

My favorite (and most knowledgeable) author on the topic of wild harvested food, Sam Thayer, writes in The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting and Preparing Edible Wild Plants (www.foragersharvest.com) that fiddleheads from the ostrich fern are not toxic whether cooked or not. He notes that proper identification of the fiddleheads is important. He explains that all ferns produce fiddleheads as they unfurl, and that two other ferns, cinnamon fern and interrupted ferns are sometimes mistakenly eaten. They’re not deadly; he’s eaten them and reports they are bitter and unpleasant – and should be considered unsafe.

Thayer writes, “A 6-year old, once shown the difference, could get it (the identification of ostrich ferns) right a million times out of a million. Cinnamon and interrupted fern fiddleheads are thickly covered with wool and lack the deep groove running the length of the stem.” But the best part of his chapter on fiddleheads is his revelation that the stem, not just the curled tip, is edible. He cuts the stems when 12 to 28 inches tall and cooks the entire stem. He says never to take more than 2 stems per plant (out of 6 or so) to avoid stressing the ferns.

Sorrel

Sorrel is a lemon-flavored perennial green I grow. The French make it into a creamed soup, but I like it best in a salad. Look for plants in the herb section of your garden center, and plant in full sun and rich soil.

Good King Henry is a spinach-like plant that I steam like spinach, though it has more substance than spinach when cooked. Seeds are sold, but buy plants if you can find them – the seeds are difficult to germinate. Interestingly, it is in the same genus as the plant that produces quinoa, a grain often used by the gluten intolerant.

If you have a chemical-free lawn, you can harvest dandelion greens, too. Pick before they bloom, and learn how to dig and prepare them from an old-timer.

Henry doesn’t consider himself an old-timer, but his most recent book, Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast: A Hands-On, Month-by-Month Guide, has an article on how to prepare dandelions. Go to www.Gardening-Guy.com for information on his book.

I love spring. Winter is relatively austere time in the garden so I relish the bounty of spring all the more. Over the years I have tried growing most flowers that will provide color in March, April and May. Below are some of my favorites.

First to bloom are the bulb flowers that begin the spring show in March. I have thousands of snowdrops (Galanathus elwesii), squill (Scilla siberica), glory of the snow (Chionodoxa luciliae). These are followed in April by crocus, daffodils and early tulips. I cut even the smallest blossoms to bring inside and place on the kitchen counter in a vase. Almost all the bulb plants are good cut flowers. I plant bulb plants every fall, and recommend top-dressing them with organic fertilizer after they finish blooming each spring. 

Then come the early perennials, starting in April and continuing on into May. One of the first, and easiest to grow, is called lungwort. The unattractive name comes from the leaves, which some unfortunate person decided looked like lungs – complete with spots on most varieties. I prefer to call them by their Latin genus, Pulmonaria, which is more melodious.

Pulmonaria will grow in sun or shade, wet or dry. They spread by root, creating large low-growing colonies. I once had a gardening client who considered them invasive, though I do not. If they overstep their welcome, I find they pull fairly easily with my favorite weeding tool, the CobraHead weeder, which gets under them easily. The small flowers come in shades of blue, pink, peach and white. They don’t do well in a vase, so I don’t pick them.

Hellebore

Another spring favorite of mine is the hellebore, sometimes called the Lenten Rose. Hellebores are among the earliest to send up shoots of flowers and hold those flowers for several weeks. Each flower stalk stands 12 to 15 inches tall and supports new leaves and bell-shaped flowers that are rose to purple in color, or sometimes green and white. Like the Pulmonaria, they do not last well in a vase.

Primroses bloom early, and come in a wide range of species and colors. I have at least 6 different species in bloom now. One of my favorites has no common name, only going by its scientific name, Primula kisoana. Because its species name starts with “kis”, you can call it the kissing primrose – even if no one else does (except me). It has bright magenta-colored flowers that stand just a few inches above the light-green leaves. It is not very well known at nurseries; I found mine at Cider Hill Gardens in Windsor, VT (www.ciderhillgardens.com).

Primula Kisoan

An endearing quality of Primula kisoana is that it spreads by root – but never runs over another plant to establish new territory. Primroses, in general, are form clumps but spread by seed. Some, like the candelabra primrose (Primula japonica) spread very vigorously by seed if the conditions are right for it. That one stands up over two-feet tall, but blooms much later, usually in June. But P. kisoana spreads fast if the soil conditions are right. One plant can grow to cover 1 to 2 square feet in a season. They like rich, dark soil with a slightly acidic pH.

Most primroses grow well in light shade or morning sunshine and prefer moist soil. Primula kisoana, on the other hand, will grow in dry soil, too. I have observed that one of the best places to grow any primrose is under an old apple tree. The soil and light there generally is perfect for primroses.

Although it is contrary to the law to dig up wildflowers and transplant them to your property, many good garden centers are now propagating and selling them. In nature, most spring wildflowers grow in the dappled shade of a hardwood forest. They send up flowers and leaves before the trees have leafed out, and disappear soon after the forest becomes shady. Among my favorites are the trilliums, bloodroot, and hepaticas – though there are dozens of other species.

Bloodroot are so named for the red juice that oozes from the roots if cut. I’ve read that Indians used it for dye. The leaves come up wrapped like a cigar around the flower stalk. Each simple white flower stands 6 inches tall. The blossoms open on warm, sunny days and close up at night or on chilly days. They spread by root to form nice clumps. I also have some double bloodroot – the flowers resemble small white double peonies. The flowers are probably sterile, as they keep on blooming much longer than the singles. Most flowers stop blooming once fertilized, having done their work.

Common Red Trillium

White Trillium

I have three species of trillium: the ordinary maroon one (Trillium erectum), the white one (Trillium grandiflorum) and the yellow one (Trillium luteum). All will grow in light shade or part sun and prefer rich, dark soil. The New England Wildflower Society (www.newfs.org) sells all three – and many other fine wildflowers at their headquarters, The Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA.   I bought my yellow trillium from them. In addition to its flower, it has handsome mottled leaves.

So visit your local garden center soon to see what early spring bloomers they offer, and try something new. You’ll be glad you did.

Henry Homeyer is a gardening consultant and the author of 4 gardening books. His Web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com.

April has been a busy month for most gardeners because it has been warm and sunny. Our flower gardens and trees have woken up early, allowing us to do tasks we might, in other years, put off until May. Here are some jobs I‘ve been working on – and you should be, too.

Adjustable Rake

Raking the lawn. Always one of my least favorite jobs, it needs to be done if you want a good looking lawn. But really, there are only 2 places where it’s critical: First, remove the piles of sand and gravel dumped along the edge of the driveway by the snowplow. Your lawn will suffer if they aren’t removed. Second, harvest the soil pushed up by moles in the lawn. I collect the soil from those piles and use it as fill dirt. The rest of the lawn? Any dead leaves will be chopped up by the lawnmower and disappear – and add some nice organic matter to your lawn’s soil.

Daffodils

Raking the flowerbeds. This I enjoy. I love seeing what plants have come safely through the winter, what is waking up and sending forth shoots. I rake carefully, so as not to break off the growing tips of peonies or other delicate flowers. I start with a rake to clean up around a clump of shoots, and then bend over to gently “rake” the clump itself with my fingers. I use an expanding lawn rake with a telescopic handle. I can adjust the width of the rake from about 7 inches to about 22 inches, allowing me to rake carefully in-between plants. I found the rake locally at my feed-n-grain store.

Pruning.  I’m mostly done with this spring task, but I’m still tweaking apple and pear trees as I walk around the property with a holstered pruner on my hip. Recently I cleaned up lots of root suckers –shoots – coming up around the base of a crab apple tree. And I shaped up my roses, cutting back long, lanky stems to create nicely rounded plants.

 I just finished pruning my grapes. They need to be cut back severely each year, as they would get too unruly if I didn’t. They produce grapes on new growth, which is stimulated by pruning. I have a 2-wire system on the south side of my barn and prune back to thicker, older canes and the 6-inch spurs that I allow to grow off them.

Planting. At this time of year my garden soil is usually cold and wet. Not so this year. I have planted seeds for carrots, beets, parsnips, scorzonera, salsify (all are root crops), parsley, spinach and greens. Peas could be planted now, though I have decided to skip them this year. I also have transplanted little lettuce plants and other interesting greens that I started indoors at the end of March, including chicory and mesclun. Some folks I know have already planted potatoes, but I wait until June.

I believe (but cannot prove) that planting potatoes in June helps to reduce problems with potato beetles. I like to say they’ve already gone to my neighbors’ potatoes, so avoid mine. But who knows? I watch for the beetles and pick any I find early on, so (hopefully) few produce a second generation.

That same technique works on slugs: control them early to prevent big outbreaks later on. I use an organic slug control product, Sluggo, which is iron phosphate covered with slug bait. Iron phosphate is a naturally occurring mineral that is said to be safe for pets and wildlife – and approved for organic gardeners.

Last fall I neglected to work on my blackberry patch, so I’ve been cleaning it up now, along with help from my intern, Gordon Moore. He cut out all last year’s fruiting canes (which die after bearing fruit). The patch has gotten to be 10 to 12 feet across, so we created a path down the middle of it by pulling out plants as needed. Then we pinned down a 2-foot wide strip of heavy landscape fabric (using landscape staples) and he covered it with a 2-inch layer of chipped branches I got from an arborist.

I weeded the patch and top dressed it with organic fertilizer and other minerals including green sand and Azomite. Green sand provides extra potassium and micronutrients from the sea. Azomite is a brand- named product that contains a wide array of finely ground rocks to provide micronutrients. After adding those minerals, we spread chipped branches around the plants, too.

To keep the blackberries from flopping over when laden with fruit, I have a 2-wire fence on the outside. The lower strand is 30 inches off the ground, the upper is 60 inches. Gordon and I tightened up the fence, which had gotten floppy. Along the center walkway I tied canes to 5-foot grade stakes as needed. It’s a huge improvement! (There’ll be no more need for blood transfusions after picking berries.)

Merrill Magnolia

Finally, I spend time right now admiring my flowers. My Merrill magnolia tree has been spectacular and fragrant. Shad bushes, a native plant (Amelanchier spp.), are in full bloom now- both the planted ones and those at the edge of the road and field. All my daffodils – early, mid-season and late – bloomed at the same time this year, so I am picking them and bringing inside to enjoy. I hope you will find time, too, to slow down and enjoy your flowers.

Henry Homeyer is a life-long organic gardener and the author of 4 gardening books. His Web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com

Organic Gardening (not just) in The Northeast
A Hands-On Month-by-Month Guide
by Henry Homeyer (Bunker Hill Publishing, Piermont, N.H.)
From the Vermont Country Sampler

With local strawberries about to come on the market many gardeners might be wishing they had planted their own, but when and what kind? Look no further than this well-written and informative but often amusing book that makes gardening a year-round adventure whether your ‘green-thumb’ is best suited for vegetables, flowers, shrubs, or trees. For strawberries, Homeyer advises the day-neutral or ever bearing variety that can be harvested all summer long as well as a fall crop, too. “All strawberries hate weeds, so mulch like crazy,” he advises. The author started gardening as a toddler more than 60 years ago, but only started writing about the “gardening magic” 10 years ago. Some 500 articles were written since then; and as he says, his favorites and those of his readers were weeded out for this book.

As for weeds in your garden, he recommends pulling a few every day. “Make it a habit like brushing your teeth.” As a journalist, Homeyer has the knack for finding people with good gardening stories to tell.

An example was finding Joey Klein of Plainfield, VT at the Tunbridge World’s Fair where he won a blue ribbon for his 18-inch long organically raised carrots. Joey attributed his success with carrots to weed control, proper watering, and raising them in soil built up with organic matter from cover crops (oats, peas, barley) that are mowed and ploughed into the soil.

For growing giant pumpkins, the author checks out a 225-pound prize winner grown by Karen and Steve Cutter of Cornish, NH, who share their secrets on how to produce such a wonder, grown from Dills Atlantic Giant seeds. A remarkable story is also told about Bill Shepard of Thetford, VT, who decided that over the course of his life he would create an arboretum, which would not only please him but would nurture wildlife.

Bill today has 30 species of trees growing on half an acre of land surrounding his house. The arboretum cost very little as family and friends gave him seedlings that were generally 12–24 inches tall. The first tree he planted was a thornless honey locust. More unusual trees include beaked filbert, mountain maple, and hackberry, as well as shrubs including witchhazel, elderberry, pagoda and red osier dogwood, blueberries and hobblebush.

Chapter headings invite the reader to learn still more. Some examples: Compost Tea; Weeding 101; Watering 101; Standing Stones in The Garden; Saving Seeds; Growing Garlic; Hoes and Wheelbarrows; and Growing Bananas and Other Unusual Plants from Seed. This is an exceptional book as it not only includes excellent technical advice, but captures the joy and fun of the growing season, and the people who make it happen.

Organic Gardening

List Price: 17.50

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Organic Gardening (not just) in The Northeast by Henry Homeyer is available at bookstores for $17.50 or can be ordered from Bunker Hill Publishing, 285 River Rd., Piermont, NH 03770. (603) 272-9221. www.bunkerhillpublishing.com.

The Green Garden

The Green Garden and its cover: Grace won over Green. It is going to be a classic look. I liked the original but perhaps more for the conceit than the result so all’s well, author’s happy, one less moving part to worry about. Here it is:

Belle

The color proofs for Belle: The amazing Astonishing Magical Journey of an Artfully Painted Lady. They are everything we wanted and have been packed off to the author before going back to the printer with a few minor comments. The printer in Hong Kong is getting restless and wants to know how many to print. Scary stuff – overstocks and too many returns loom through the haze of enthusiasm and optimism. Ordering paper has also become an issue what with all the Japanese paper mills disrupted by the crisis over there. Have to tell them this week. The calculator is getting hot. Here is where the adventure starts (in the book I mean).

Sometimes the moving parts move about of their own accord. Next year we are publishing a monumental (in more ways than one) study of English Armor in the 15^th century: The Armour of the English Knight (note the English as opposed to American spelling, noblesse oblige!). Author now wants the book split into two volumes and to publish volume two first. Makes absolute sense if you know what I mean. There’s more to this than meets the eye.

“Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen,

Our bending author hath pursued the story…”

As the Bard opined, but we digress. We will return to this in time!

At the risk of extending the moving part metaphor to breaking point my desk and computer screen can look like a mechanic’s bench as I try and resist taking a monkey wrench to an awkward contract or over-inking a sales blurb in red marginal screams.  I work in piles of paper old style. It is the season for Fixits as we move into full gear for the fall list.

As in the wall list above the bench:

Intro to our web catalogue not strong enough: Fixit

Contract for our amazing The Very Scary Monster has scary clause: Fixit

Sales need sales material yesterday: Fixit

Two more bookshops want events with Henry Homeyer for his Organic Gardening (not just) in the North East: Fixit. Can’t: Henry’s boondoggling down the Grand Canyon for some Travel Magazine. Alright for some…(note to self: remind him to Tweet next time)

Rep’s Tipsheet for one of the fall titles has gone missing: redo from scratch argggh!

You get the picture…

Publishing has a thousand moving parts and far more than the day moveable type was invented (1040 AD by Bi Sheng in China) which makes it difficult at times to keep one’s eye on the Big Picture. We are publishing a marvelous children’s book about two butterflies and their adventures in The National Gallery in DC and things are coming together. They have an education department second to none and they like our book. That’s a big detail. A small detail would be my regret at not mentioning the author’s previous job at the National Portrait Gallery in the jacket flap copy. I hope the NPG book buyer will overlook the fact and indulge us.  Mr. Wyeth, our rep in DC, will no doubt berate us though. It would have made a good talking point for him.

A Green Garden

The author of our forthcoming The Green Garden has e-mailed a mild protest about the type on the cover, doesn’t like it and nor do her friends.  Small details on covers tangle us up. Is type chosen for image, for sales, for beauty, for composition or at random? It’s a typeface designed to indicate our author’s impeccable green credentials and note the recyclable, eco-friendly feel we thought we had created. Watch this space.

The big picture is tangled up too in all the small details of e-book publishing that we are about to dive into. Our two Vermont authors are about to get the treatment so watch out for Henry Homeyer’s Organic Gardening: published whole and in part (Print $17.50 Whole e-book $9.95 and $1.00 each for 12 monthly bits). We thought of publishing Willem Lange’s Dream of Dragons verse by verse at a dime a stanza but opted to push out the whole lot at $10.95. Big picture? I think e-books are essentially unshelvable and therefore will never replace the serendipity that our minds demand from books. Small detail? Folks are nuts about e-books by and large (in both senses of the word) so here we go!

from the Back Room at Bunker Hill

Henry Homeyer

Henry Homeyer, “The Gardening Guy”, is a freelance writer, garden designer, and consultant. He lives in Cornish Flat, NH and writes a weekly gardening column for the Valley News and other newspapers in Vermont, Maine,New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

He is the author of Notes from the Garden (now out of print), The New Hampshire Gardener’s Companion, and The Vermont Gardener’s Companion (Globe Pequot Press). Henry writes a weekly column that appears in 12 newspapers throughout New England, and is a regular commentator on Vermont Public Radio.

“Winter is the time to get caught up on reading for me, now that the garden is pretty much put to bed. This is also the time for buying gifts for loved ones, so I’d like to share with you my idea of what needs to be in the New England gardener’s basic library – and why. The first section is for everyone, followed by a section that applies to gardeners with specific interests. And if a writer does one book you like, check out others by the same person.”

Books for every gardener: The Vermont Gardener’s Companion or The New Hampshire Gardener’s Companion, Notes from the Garden: Reflections and Observations of an Organic Gardener, Insect, Disease & Weed I.D. Guide: Find-It-Fast Organic Solutions for Your Garden, Making Things Grow: A Practical Guide for the Indoor Gardener, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques, The Pruning Book, and The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible.

References and More Technical Books: Armitage’s Garden Perennials: A Garden Encyclopedia, Botanica: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Over 10,000 Garden Plants and How to Cultivate Them, The New England Wild Flower Society Guide to Growing and Propagating Wildflowers, Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses, he Gardener’s Palette: Creating Color in the Garden, Stone in the Garden: Inspiring Designs and Practical Projects, Fruits and Berries for the Home Garden, Annuals for Every Purpose: Choosing the Right Plants for Your Conditions, Your Garden, and Your Taste, The Inward Garden: Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning, Allergy-Free Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping, The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist, Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants, and The Organic Lawn Care Manual.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Organic Gardening

List Price: 17.50
Sale Price: 14.86
Savings of 15%

Organic Gardening (not just) in the North-East is organized around the calendar year, starting in March and continuing through the year with timely advice. Henry Homeyer’s book is packed with information you won’t find elsewhere: how to sharpen your pruners, use a screw driver to test for compaction in the lawn, build a welcoming cedar arbor as an entrance to the garden, grow ladyslipper orchids or Himalayan blue poppies, prune apple trees, grow a giant pumpkin, even how to start a date palm from a grocery store date and build a small stone igloo to delight grandchildren. Eccentric, eclectic, and entertaining, whether you are a beginner or a veteran, this book has something and more for you.

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Organic Gardening

Available Now

List Price: 17.50

Sale Price: 14.86
Savings of 15%

DESCRIPTION

Organic Gardening (Not Just) in the Northeast is organized around the calendar year, starting in March and continuing through the year with timely advice. Henry Homeyer’s book is packed with information you won’t find elsewhere: how to sharpen your pruners, use a screw driver to test for compaction in the lawn, build a welcoming cedar arbor as an entrance to the garden, grow ladyslipper orchids or Himalayan blue poppies, prune apple trees, grow a giant pumpkin, even how to start a date palm from a grocery store date and build a small stone igloo to delight grandchildren. Eccentric, eclectic, and entertaining, whether you are a beginner or a veteran, this book has something and more for you.

ENDORSEMENTS

Michael Dirr, author of Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs – The book represents a life well lived, kindness to the earth by treading softly, and a philosophy of sharing its bounty without reservation. This is a classic by which future books on the subject will be measured.

Paul J. Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual – Henry Homeyer’s writing and advice have become an indispensable fabric of the Northeast landscape, as comfortable as your crusted leather boots and gloves, and as reliable as your grandfather’s spade with the old ash handle. This book won’t stay on the shelf; it will reside in the potting shed or on the garden bench. The advice, like the gloves, will be well worn, but it will never wear out.

Edward C. Smith, author of The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible - Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast is a delightful book. It’s full of good, solid gardening advice that challenges traditional thinking, and there’s also whimsy. The essays are like potato chips—you can’t read just one at a sitting. If you like to garden, you’ll like this book. If you love to garden, you’ll love it.

Sydney Eddison, author of,best-selling gardening books, including Gardening for a Lifetime – Homeyer has written an honest, enthusiastic, hands-onorganic gardener’s delight of a book. The tone is friendly and straightforward, and his stories involve real-life gardeners. He introduces readers to gardening friends as diverse as Tasha Tudor and Ray Magliozzi, and to members of his own family.

REVIEW

Noel Valdes, the Cobrahead Blog - We knew little of what is referred to as “Lawn & Garden” in the worldwide marketplace before we started CobraHead.  But we soon learned that if you can make garden writers familiar and happy with your products, there is a chance they might mention them when they write, and possibly the Lawn & Garden industry might notice, too.  So we’ve promoted CobraHead products earnestly to garden writers and it’s been a very smart move. click here for full review

Vermont Country Sampler – “All strawberries hate weeds, so mulch like crazy,” he advises. The author started gardening as a toddler more than 60 years ago, but only started writing about the “gardening magic” 10 years ago. Some 500 articles were written since then; and as he says, his favorites and those of his readers were weeded out for this book. click here for full review

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Paperback: 264 pages 15 b&w illustrations
ISBN-10: 159373090X
ISBN-13: 9781593730901
Language: English
Dimensions: 6 x 9

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Henry Homeyer

Henry Homeyer is a UNH Master Gardener, and the author of three other gardening books who has been writing a weekly gardening column for newspapers in the Northeast for over ten years. He was the New Hampshire/Vermont associate editor for People, Places and Plants magazine for nearly as long. He broadcasts on VPR and teaches a course in Sustainable Gardening at Granite State College.

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• Author: Henry Homeyer
• Tour: Henry Homeyer’s Book Tour
• Date: Saturday, December 10th 2011
• Time: 2:00pm
• City: Henry Homeyer in Fairlee, VT 05045
• Venue: Chapman’s Store
• Address: 491 Main Street
• Venue phone: 802-333-9709
• Country: United States
• Age restrictions: All Ages
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