A Better Garden Tiller
I like the versatility of my BCS two-wheel tractor with all the different implements it can operate, but if I were shopping for a dedicated garden tiller, I would certainly [...]
Thomas Christopher, Ranter Emeritus
Two-wheeled tractors – the most useful and versatile tools of all
The most useful, and versatile, gardening tool I own is my two-wheel BCS tractor. This Italian-made tractor was designed for small farms in hilly areas areas where riding on a [...]
On making a stone wall and borrowing scenery
Even in New England the snow is melting and soon I will be confronted with what the winter – and the plow truck – have done to my stone walls. [...]
Snow as Poor Man’s Fertilizer
As I contemplate the task of plowing the driveway, I find it hard to see anything appealing in last night’s snowfall. It seemed to me that we already had plenty [...]
Learning to recognize animal tracks
Garden wildlife reminds me of teenagers – the critters eat distressingly huge meals then typically leave without communicating about what they have been up to. Except in wintertime, when they [...]
Kiss Your Ash (Trees) Good Bye
That’s what the Massachusetts state forester told me – the emerald ash borer is on the loose in southern Berkshire County where my wife and I have our 130-acre woodlot [...]
Back to the Future with Sustainable Lawns
What is cutting edge in the field of sustainable lawns? Much of it is forgotten lore from the late 19th/early 20th century, I have been discovering. I came upon this [...]
Novel ecosystems vs. urban wilderness
I’ve been thinking about a symposium (“The Changing Nature of Nature in Cities”) I attended at the New York Botanical Garden in November. The topic of the symposium was “novel [...]
My Favorite Turfgrass? Sheep Fescue!
Enhancing biodiversity is fundamental to transforming lawns from the polluted green deserts that they now are into the sustainable, environmentally constructive landscape features we desire. For that reason, in my [...]
Plant Ideas Needed for Biodiverse Lawn
Biodiverse Lawn Guest Post by Tom Christopher (before he became a regular) Like other members of the Lawn Reform Coalition, I believe that the contemporary model of lawn [...]