Author Archive for Henry Homeyer
Henry Homeyer is a lifetime organic gardener living in Cornish Flat, N.H. He is the author of four gardening books including The Vermont Gardener's Companion. You may reach him by e-mail at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or by snail mail at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746. Please include a SASE if you wish an answer to a question by mail.
Henry Homeyer: winter is coming, time to start blanching
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Like a conscientious squirrel, I put away food for the winter in August and September. I freeze and dehydrate lots of vegetables, and store some in my cool basement. Here are some tips on ways to save food for later. I grew about a dozen kale plants this […]
Henry Homeyer: Daffy the corgi’s most fitting flowers
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Daphne mezereum was the registered name of my corgi, Daffy, who passed away on Aug. 25 of this year. Born in 2006, Daffy was my constant companion who was always ready for an adventure or, especially, a meal or snack. When her back legs gave out, she figured […]
Henry Homeyer: Beauty of a glorious hydrangea
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC When I was a boy, I always took note of cemeteries as we drove by. I’d lost a beloved grandfather, the original Henry Homeyer, and my mother’s mom. I was taken with a shrub or small tree in cemeteries that I called either “the snowball bush” or the […]
Henry Homeyer: Re-wilding your lawn
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Tired of mowing your lawn, but afraid to stop? What would it look like, and what would the neighbors say? I was on a panel discussing “re-wilding” the lawn on New Hampshire Public Radio recently. Here are a few of the points we discussed. First, a lawn is […]
Henry Homeyer: 3 plants to vehemently avoid
A note from Henry: In a recent article about tomatoes, I mentioned garlic and onions in my sauce, but it has been pointed out to me that sauce with those ingredients needs to be cooked in a pressure cooker at 240 degrees for 10 minutes to avoid botulism. By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC […]
Henry Homeyer: tomatoes, your garden’s royal family
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC If I could only bring the seeds of one plant with me when exiled to a distant island, I would bring tomato seeds. Tomatoes are the center of much of my cuisine from soups and stews to sandwiches and salads. They are tasty raw or cooked, are healthy […]
Henry Homeyer: Perennials that love moisture
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I am lucky. Even though my property is relatively small – just over 2 acres – I have all the possible growing conditions a plant could want: wet, dry, sunny and shady. And I’m willing to try almost anything that will survive 20 or 25 below in winter. […]
Henry Homeyer: beyond the perennials, unique ways to make your garden your own
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC My garden is the place I go in times of sadness, worry or stress. It makes me feel better. I took a few moments one morning recently to really look at what was in my garden to see what made it so special. I saw that in addition […]
Henry Homeyer: A Midsummer Night’s Flowers, Shakespeare’s lesser known work
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC It is mid-summer now, and my garden is full of gorgeous flowers, some finishing up their display, others just beginning. Here are some I love and what I do to make them happy. The first flowers I see when I walk out my front door are poppies. Annual […]
Henry Homeyer: your humor may be dry, but your garden shouldn’t be
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC June, for most of us, was a very dry time. When weeds and established perennials started to droop, I knew it was time to water, and I did. But watering done well takes time. And watering done poorly wastes a lot of water, or doesn’t do the job. […]
Henry Homeyer: Roses are red and… easier to grow than you think
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I love roses, but avoided planting any for a long time. They had a reputation for being fussy. I thought they would attract Japanese beetles, and carry black spot and other diseases. In recent years I have been enjoying growing roses and find that modern breeders have come […]
Henry Homeyer: first steps in designing your garden
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Let’s say you have just purchased a house and want to create beautiful gardens. How should you begin? I recently visited Gordon and Mary Hayward, both garden designers, at their home in Westminster West, Vermont. Their gardens are as nice as any private gardens I have seen, and […]
Henry Homeyer: warding against pests and diseases
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC My gardening grandfather came over from Germany around 1910. He was an organic gardener, perhaps because there were few chemicals sold to kill bugs and diseases back then. He gardened the old fashioned way: hen manure for fertilizer, hand picking to keep potato beetles under control, and a […]
Henry Homeyer: Tea at 10 feet, garden parties amid a pandemic
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC In these times, garden parties are few and far between. But if you practice social distancing (tea at 10 feet) and wear masks as needed, you can still share your garden with others. And despite all the hoopla about how people are gardening more, we all still have […]
Henry Homeyer: Everything’s coming up clovers
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Let’s face it: most of us do not have a lawn that looks like the grass on a major league infield, and I for one, don’t want one that does. Most professional ballfields are doctored weekly with chemicals: fungicides, herbicides, fertilizers, insecticides. They are cut very short, and […]
Henry Homeyer: Dividing and conquering your flower garden
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I spend a lot in plant nurseries. At $10 or more a pop, it is easy to spend a hundred dollars quick as a blink. But I’m also a firm believer in dividing my perennials so that I don’t have to spend so much. Once you have established […]
Henry Homeyer: Uncommon veggies to become acquainted with
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging, but if it will grow in Cornish Flat, N.H., I’ve probably tried it. Scorzonera? Sure, once, but I was not enthralled by this long, thin root. Peanuts? Once, didn’t get many. Gilfeather turnips? You bet. Many of the things I […]
Henry Homeyer: To plant or not to plant? That’s the timely question
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Some folks in my part of New England plant seeds in the ground on Mother’s Day and seedlings on Memorial Day weekend. Not me. Others use Mother Nature’s clues: plant spinach when the forsythia blooms, potatoes when the leaves of an oak are the size of a mouse’s […]
Henry Homeyer: Wildflowers for these wild times
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC I love wildflowers. Right now several species are blooming in my woods, and others are on their way. They are a demure smile before the serious romance of summer blossoms in the main gardens. But after winter, they are loved as much as the bodacious peonies and brilliant […]
Henry Homeyer: Let’s get the dirt, on dirt
By Henry Homeyer ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC As we move from dreaming to planting, we all want to offer our plants the perfect soil. This leads some gardeners to buy a big bag of 10-10-10 and sprinkle it heavily on everything. For others, manure or compost is the answer to increasing soil productivity and plant […]
