THREE BEAUTIFUL QUINCES
/0 Comments/in Flowers, Fruit/by Lee ReichTwo Hardly Edible Quinces
A lot people wonder about eating those orbs hanging from quince bushes. After all, everyone has heard of eating quinces, even if few people — these days, at least — have actually tried them.
In most cases, the answer to the question about whether you can eat the fruit depends on how hungry you are. The reason is because most of the “quinces” that you see are what are called “flowering quinces” (Chaenomeles spp.), grown mostly as ornamentals.
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FEAR NOT, COMPOST MAKER
/0 Comments/in Soil/by Lee ReichToo Many “Don’ts”
Pity the beginning gardener who dares to read about how to make compost. (Please dare to read on, in this case, even if you are a beginner.)

Compost, good stuff for your garden
What novice could not be intimidated by the complicated instructions often given, as well as alleged. Or what about the need for exotic or hard-to-find ingredients. When I was a novice, I read too many British gardening books and almost tossed in my pitchfork and gloves in despair trying to find soil for my compost pile. Yes, soil!
True, soil is almost everywhere. But Read more
WHY NOT PLANT
/11 Comments/in Gardening/by Lee ReichI Don’t Go With My Gut
No doubt about it: Fall planting of trees and shrubs goes against my grain. Fall is when I feel like closing down the garden, gathering the harvest, and snuggling plants in for the cold months ahead. Spring is when the urge to plant becomes irresistible, when I want to contribute to the symphony of colors and scents of that season.

More mulch needed
In fact, though, fall is in many ways the better time for planting from the point of view of a tree or a shrub. Many nurseries dig bare root plants in the fall Read more



