Category Archives: Vegetables

The Snow Storm

Posted on February 10, 2013 by

The National Weather Service and New York Times have authoritatively harrumphed that the recent winter storm does not in fact have a name, “Nemo” having been chosen for ratings purposes by those for whom weather is mere entertainment.   As gardeners, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold Frame, Cooking and Eating, Kale, Photos, Seen From the Battery Rooftop Garden, Weather | 5 Comments

Sandy

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

Your correspondent returned to lower Manhattan today, fearing that, like Icarus, he had dared to fly too high, to grow food where nature did not intend, and that he would find his presumption rewarded with a thorough smiting at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blueberries, Broccoli, Chard, Cold Frame, Fruit, Kale, Ornamental Trees, Photos, Weather | 13 Comments

Dead or Alive?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

The sharp blade slices through the skin, flesh and vascular tissues with ease.    Pressure in the vascular system collapses.   Almost immediately senescence – a genetically regulated process which leads to the death of cells and organs – begins.  Individual cells … Continue reading →

Posted in Apples, Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Cooking and Eating, Eggplant, Green Beans, Kale, Lettuce, Parsley, Peaches, Spinach, Urban Agriculture and Food Policy | 3 Comments

Finally, a professional

Posted on October 12, 2012 by

BRTG hosted an event recently where the sponsor engaged Peter Doyle of Peter Doyle Photography to take photographs.   With Peter’s permission I thought I would share some of his work with readers of this blog who, for two years, have patiently … Continue reading →

Posted in Blueberries, Chard, European Pears, Guests, Herbs, Photos, Seen From the Battery Rooftop Garden | 3 Comments

Awesome

Posted on August 2, 2012 by

In the world of ornamental horticulture, perhaps because of the pervasive influence of our British cousins, etiquette demands a certain reticence when discussing one’s own garden.   Pausing with guests before a spectacularly rare and difficult Tricyrtis, one might be allowed … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian Pears, Berries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Chard, Fruit, Grapes, Malabar Spinach, Nectarines, Peaches, Photos, Strawberries, Tomatoes | 1 Comment

Rats on the roof!

Posted on July 6, 2012 by

No, not the dreaded Rattus rattus or any of its vile kin, but the wonderful Rat’s Tail Radish, or Raphanus caudatus: I have fed the seed pods of this plant, which looks like a cross between a green bean and a snap … Continue reading →

Posted in Chefs, Cooking and Eating, Legumes, Photos, Root Vegetables | 3 Comments

Contrast

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

We all know what a powerful thing it is to take man out of the city and into nature.   When an urban hipster – adapted to the ecological and cultural niche of Chelsea or Greenpoint – spends a week in … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Non-edible Bulbs, Ornamental Plants, Peaches, Photos, Rhubarb, Seen From the Battery Rooftop Garden | 1 Comment

Over-winter

Posted on April 10, 2012 by

This morning I picked some baby kale leaves from the enormous over-wintered kale shrub and some older leaves from the over-wintered sorrel, gave them two stirs in hot oil, and added two fresh eggs.   The result was so outstanding that your … Continue reading →

Posted in Carrots, Cooking and Eating, Herbs, Kale, Soil, Weather | 2 Comments

What zone is this?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

One of the first things that gardeners learn is their plant hardiness zone, a helpful construct of the USDA based on the expected low winter temperature.   Plant and seed catalogs helpfully tell us the coldest zone in which a plant will … Continue reading →

Posted in Alpines in the Secret Garden, Chard, Kale, Ornamental Plants, Photos, Secret Garden, Weather | 3 Comments

Purple Haze

Posted on November 4, 2011 by

No friends, not the Jimi Hendrix song, and not the potent variety of Cannabis sativa ssp. sativa.  We’re talking carrots here.  It is November 4, with one only one more day of daylight savings time remaining, a snow storm and … Continue reading →

Posted in Carrots, Photos | 4 Comments