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: starting at the seeds, now we’re here
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I hate to be the one to give you bad news, but some seed companies are already running out of seeds. Don’t panic: there are, in fact, plenty of seeds out there. And if one company doesn’t have your favorite tomato or zinnia variety, chances are that some […]
Henry Homeyer: the importance of eating organic
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I have been growing vegetables organically all my life. I use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. I don’t often think about the reasons I do so, any more than I think about breathing – it’s just something I do. I recently picked up a book written by Maria […]
Henry Homeyer: Helping your plants to survive the winter
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC If you are like me, you buy new perennials, trees and shrubs every year. Most plants sold locally are hardy, but not all. It’s good to know the “zone hardiness” of plants before you buy them, and how the zone maps work. In a nutshell, the colder the […]
Henry Homeyer: Lessons from ‘A Guide to Nature in Winter’
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC This is a good time to be outdoors exploring the fields and woods. There is so much to see that will be buried in snow later on. But you may ask, what is there to see? Trees, winter weeds, animal footprints, signs of insects, shelf fungi on trees, […]
Henry Homeyer: Looking back at 2020
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC This past year was a tough one for many of us: isolation due to Covid-19, political turmoil, employment interruptions and more. But in the garden, it was pretty good, overall. It was a very dry summer, but that meant that there were fewer fungal diseases on my tomatoes […]
Henry Homeyer: How to make your cut flowers last
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Snow is finally here in Cornish Flat. The cardinals and blue jays are providing a little color to an otherwise unremarkable world. The sun is lurking behind gray clouds, and on a good day we get nine hours of light. I really do miss the colors of summer. […]
Henry Homeyer: the last of your vital pre-winter chores
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Our gardens are put to bed for the winter: Veggie stalks are pulled and composted, perennials are cut back, weeds pulled, leaves raked. Everything is a snug as a bug in a rug. But I’m not done quite yet – and you might have a few chores to […]
Henry Homeyer: natural ways to feed the birds
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC By now many of us are providing seeds to the neighborhood birds. Of course the seeds we provide are just a part of the diet of a wild bird. It’s important to grow a diverse selection of native trees, shrubs and perennials to help provide shelter and nesting […]
Henry Homeyer: Holiday gifts for your gardener
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I love everything about the holiday season, from the lights, the carols, the cookies and more. It’s a good antidote to the news and to the gray and chilly weather. Last summer many gardening necessities sold out as so many people were quarantined at home and took to […]
Henry Homeyer: Ensure your trees survive and thrive
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I have to admit that I see many fewer volcanoes of mulch snuggling up to trees in public places. I think the word is out, at least with municipal workers, that trees can be damaged or killed by over-exuberant mulching. But among homeowners, I’m not so sure. Let’s take […]
Henry Homeyer: Stop deer from dining on your garden
(Editor’s Note: Due to a technical glitch, Henry’s column was delayed until today.) By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing Winter is near and, for most of us, so are the deer. They need extra food now to get ready for winter, and some of what they eat – green leaves and grasses– are not readily […]
Henry Homeyer: Giving thanks
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC I think it’s important to take time to count my blessings. I try to set aside time each day to reflect on how grateful I am for living the life I do. And on a sunny afternoon near Thanksgiving I like to sit outside and reflect on everything […]
Henry Homeyer: blooming blossoms, but take it indoors
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC November is the gloomiest month of all. It’s cold and raw, but usually without enough snow to XC-ski on. It rains nearly every day, or seems like it does. The garden is put to bed, or if I‘ve neglected to do something, it probably won’t happen until spring. […]
Henry Homeyer: October’s prospering veggies
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Granted, I have a vegetable garden mainly so I can have fresh, succulent tomatoes from July until some time in October. But I’ve grown all vegetables that will grow in our climate, I think. Now in late October, my saved tomatoes are all eaten, but I am enjoying […]
Henry Homeyer: It’s time to plant your garlic!
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC When I was growing up, my mom served meat and potatoes nearly every night. Our vegetable was peas or cooked carrots, and once a week or so we had an iceberg lettuce salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots with dressing from a bottle. So I don’t really know […]
Henry Homeyer: October blooming trees, shrubs and flowers
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Summer has faded and gone. Autumn’s bright foliage does compensate, somewhat, for the dearth of flowers, but a few of my trees, shrubs, and several perennials bloom in October. I treasure them, let’s take a look. Starting in early September, but varying greatly from year to year, my […]
Henry Homeyer: the art of Japanese pruning
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A few weeks ago I traveled to Shin Boku Nursery in Wentworth, NH to attend an all-day workshop on Japanese pruning techniques. Many of the techniques are useful to any gardener. The workshop was organized and taught by Doug Roth, the publisher of Sukiya Living magazine, a journal […]
Henry Homeyer: Prepping for the great indoors
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Most of us bring our houseplants outside for the summer. Now is the time to bring them in, or get them ready to make the move. It’s also the time to put herbs that you’ve had in the ground all summer into pots and get them ready for […]
Henry Homeyer: plant now, blossom later
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Now is the time to buy your bulbs for spring blossoms. Winters in New England are long, cold and snowy, so by March I’m ready for spring. Most years I have bulb flowers pushing their way up through mushy snow and fallen leaves in early March, delighting me […]
Henry Homeyer: bedtime for the garden
By Henry Homeyer ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Big yellow school buses are on the road again; or at least a few of them. Tree leaves in the swamps are turning red. Frost and cold weather are sneaking up on us. This year I resolve to get my garden put to bed early so that I […]
