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: Can you protect plants against the deep freeze?
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC We’ve had some very cold weather recently. And although I hear gardeners at the post office or country store complaining about the cold, the weather has been normal for this time of year. It’s January, after all, and it’s supposed to be cold. It’s even good to have […]
Henry Homeyer: A year in plants, tried and now true
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC 2017 was a good gardening year for me. Although we had some rainy times, some hot and some dry times, overall the weather was conducive to good plant growth. As usual, I tried a number of new things, and here they are: In the vegetable garden I grew […]
Henry Homeyer: Paperwhites & amaryllis make for easy indoor blossoms
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The winter months can be a bit depressing for me. As a gardener there is very little to do, and my supply of colorful flowers indoors is limited. I combat this by buying cut flowers and getting flowers to bloom in pots or dishes. Two of my favorites are […]
Henry Homeyer: pruning and pollarding, techniques to keep you busy
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC This is a time of year when little is happening in the garden. Weeds either have been pulled, or won’t be – until next spring. I’ve cut back most flowers, both perennial and annual. The ground is starting to freeze and we’ve had some snow. It’s a good […]
Henry Homeyer: Build your own cold cellar
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ihad a banner year for root crops this year, and storage is a problem. For the past few years I had been storing root crops in a spare fridge, or in an old 25-gallon crock with a plywood lid in my cold basement. This year, I went back […]
Henry Homeyer: Berries, boughs and ferns for the winter home
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC This is the dark time of the year. The sun sets early, and is often obscured by clouds dripping rain and snow. For that reason, I string bright lights on trees outdoors, decorate a tree indoors, place candles in my windows – and lots more. I buy cut […]
Henry Homeyer: Holiday gifts from and for the garden
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC By the time you read this, Black Friday has passed us by. I know that some people stand in line that day, starting before the sun comes up to get special deals on electronic games and various widgets, but I have never done so. And won’t. My loved […]
Henry Homeyer: Keep your home bright with flowers through winter
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Each fall, around this time, I pot up daffodils, tulips, crocus and other bulbs for indoor blooming. It takes a long time for bulbs to establish roots and get ready to bloom, come spring. The sooner you do so the better, as most bulbs need three to four […]
Henry Homeyer: The many pros of taking an extra step with your perennials
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Now is a good time to divide and transplant some of your perennials. I recently dug up and moved Shasta daisies, Siberian iris and snakeroot (Cimicifuga spp). Most perennials can be divided in either spring or fall. However, experience is the best way to know what season is […]
Fight off insects with nature, not chemicals
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC As an organic gardener, I am always looking for ways to minimize the chances of pests or diseases in my garden. I don’t use fungicides or insecticides, even those that are all-natural and are approved for use by organic farmers and gardeners. I want it all: tasty veggies […]
From summer garden to winter table: storing your harvest
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC This was a good gardening year with adequate rain and adequate sun. I have enough food from the vegetable garden to sample some every day, for the rest of the year. Eating something from my garden every day is a bit of an obsession, but not all that […]
Little bloomers grace the garden in fall
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Frost was late this year. It was nearly mid-October before we had a hard frost, one that murdered the zinnias and blackened the basil. For me, hard frost is a day to mourn a little, to spend a few moments missing the summer that passed, for the tomatoes […]
Plant garlic now for a delicious summer harvest
FROM THE EDITOR: The Chester Telegraph is happy to welcome gardening expert Henry Homeyer to our family. You’ll be able to read his column beginning today and every Sunday morning hereafter. By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Growing garlic involves less work than anything else I grow. There really are only three steps: plant […]
