Megen Hall

Nestled in a fertile river valley in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, my daughter and I have been breathing new life into a sweet old farm stand. I’ve finally been given the opportunity to put into practice all that I have been learning for the past 10 years as I worked my way from farm to farm, learning from our...

When dreaming of an ideal garden, one often imagines a neat and orderly, well-weeded and organized garden, not necessarily an overgrown forest, right?  Well…in some ways a forest can set a great example for your garden.  Biodiversity is nature’s very organized plan for mixing things up.  The wide range of plants and animals found in natural fields and forests can...

In an era where food security is becoming a growing priority, having access to affordable and nutritious food all year, say in your basement or pantry, is becoming increasingly important to many families, including my own.  Canning, lacto-fermentation, and freezing are all great ways to preserve the harvest, but storing produce “as is” is by far the most simple and...

Whether you are breaking new ground or an experienced gardener, making a detailed plan can help you to make the best use of your space, prioritize your crops, and maximize your harvests.  While I love my wheel cultivator and swan neck hoe, my most precious garden tools are my planting map and calendar.  Without them, I would be lost.  There...

Looking forward to a scrumptious spring salad again? There’s nothing quite like the first-of-the-season homegrown greens for flavor and freshness.  Warmer weather is right around the corner in most regions, so it is time again to begin planning for those early greens.  Our selection of early spring greens features varieties hardy enough for early spring sowing, and of course, don't...

To some, starting seeds indoors seems intimidating, but with some simple techniques and inexpensive start-up supplies, you can easily build a seed starting workstation and get your favorite varieties started indoors with minimal effort.  Why take the time, you ask, when you can more easily buy seedlings from a garden center or a farm-stand plant sale? The benefit of starting...

As you flip through your seed catalog and fantasize about your summer garden, you may want to consider that the time for starting seeds is right around the corner.  While it may be convenient to purchase a ready-made seed starting workstation, you can easily DIY for a fraction of the cost. Depending on the size of your garden or how...

It’s so easy to simply hang your shovel on the nail when you hang up your proverbial towel at the end of the growing season, but there are a few simple practices that will help to preserve quality tools for decades of use.  The following tool care steps can also be used during the growing season for routine maintenance. Many...

In recent years, I have noticed increasingly larger populations of Japanese Beetles in my garden.  I first observed them in my garden a few years ago when I came upon them devouring my edamame soybean plants.  Easy to spot with their metallic green abdomen and bronze wings, I picked off as many as I could, but it seemed impossible to...

Summer is finally here…time to start thinking about the fall!  This might sound funny, but very true when planning your fall harvest.  In regions with a shorter growing season, such as ours in Northeastern Vermont, most all of the fall crops are already in the ground.  In regions where the frost doesn’t hit until later in the fall, like October...