2009 has been one extraordinary year in the history of American gardening. As if on cue, a panoply of developing trends all pointed towards the garden, opening the gates to the most dramatic resurgence in American gardening since the Great Depression. First and foremost, the current economic slump has proven an effective recruiting tool for […]

This growing season at Fordhook has been frightening. Normally, I expect a couple of monsoon like periods, a few days in late May, and another few days in late July and a couple in late August, max. However, for 2009 the reverse has been true. The only normal days have been, all combined, about one […]

Here in the Northeast, we’re experiencing the coldest, wettest and darkest summer in recent memory.  The tomato crops of many farm and home gardens have been decimated by a disease that thrives on just this sort of weather.  The disease is late blight, caused by a water mold named Phytophthora infestans.  The severity and incidence […]

Once introduced, Americans invariably inquire what business you’re in. While foreigners find the question a bit crass, it’s second nature to us.  The question reflects our work ethic on the one hand, and our democracy on the other: it’s not who you are but what you do that defines you.  We mean business. When you’re […]

“You seem to think because you got chicken to go you’re in luck”                                           -Gordon Lightfoot, ‘Seven Island Suite’                                           I’ll never forget Mike Bloomfield’s memoir (‘Me And Big Joe’) about travelling and performing through Arkansas and Missouri on a tour with Big Joe Williams, the legendary bluesman and composer of ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’.  […]

At one time—mid 20th century—the rose fought with the marigold for the position of National U.S. Flower.  The rose won in the 1980s, due to its huge lobby which has since disappeared into the Colombian jungle.  Mr. David Burpee, our founder’s first-born, vigorously championed the marigold, even recruiting the great orator, gardener and Illinois native […]

MIDSUMMER MIXES We’re proposing planting varieties both of edibles and ornamentals in a relatively tight space, so that “the lambs will lie down with lions”. Create a design for these midsummer, or hot climate cultivars of vegetables, herbs, perennials and shrubs, annuals and small fruit. They’re selected for their tidiness and harmony when planted “ensemble”. […]

 “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” -Psalm 34/35 When I visited rural Pakistan in 2003, I noticed that there were very few overweight people.  On the contrary, most were skinny, including the elderly.  At first I thought I was seeing the effects of poverty.  Then I learned from NGO officials that the average […]

Solomon was a great king, but not a gardener. It turns out that, after all, there is an infinitude of new things under the sun. This is the essence of innovation and evolution, and the antithesis of tradition and the status quo. Thus, Darwin was, perhaps, the truest of all prophets. While I’ll never stand […]

I heard Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak talk about research a few days ago.  In the anxiety surrounding the retirement of Steve Jobs, he responded to the reporter’s query about the possible uncertainties of new product timelines: “Oh, everyone at Apple works very far in advance—way into the future—like 1 to 1½ years!” Apparently, agriculture and […]