The episode of "Martha Gardens" showing the huge garden transformation at my Bedford, New York farm is now available on the Roku Channel!
You may have seen glimpses of my new vegetable garden on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, or on themarthablog.com. Earlier this year, I decided to create a new vegetable garden closer to my Winter House in a large half-acre space previously used as paddock for my five donkeys. The first step was to draw up a very precise map showing the box frames measuring from 5' by 10' to 8' by 70'. We removed the sod from those areas, rototilled the soil, returned the sod pieces upside down, constructed the boxes out of white oak planks, fertilized each bed, and then filled them with nutrient rich soil. It took a few weeks to complete the project, but the end result is fantastic - and we've already planted so many delicious vegetables!
Here are some photos and be sure to watch "Martha Gardens" on the Roku Channel to see this garden come alive.
If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize this fenced in pasture. Although I had long used it for my five dear donkeys, I decided it would be a wonderful location for my new vegetable garden – close to my home, easy to access, and filled with nutrient rich soil. It was perfect.
Before we could start any construction, I first did a lot of measuring with my team. Here, we measured 15-feet from the fence on the inside, so my Polaris Ranger off-road vehicle would fit when I toured the garden.
Here, we spray painted lines indicating where the boxes would go. We followed a very detailed drawing – I planned exactly what would grow where and how big each bed would be.
Next, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, cut the sod around every outlined space. This is our new Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter – it cuts so precisely in so little time.
Here is one area where we removed the sod.
The sod was rolled up and neatly placed to the side – nothing would be wasted at all, wait and see.
Here is what the garden looked like when all the sod was removed showing the exact size of the raised bed frames still to be made. The areas matched our map perfectly.
Then, we called in Phurba – our resident rototilling expert here at the farm. Phurba rototilled every bed twice, going down at least eight inches of the existing soil.
Here is the soil of one beds completely rototilled. A rototiller can help break up soil and turn it over for fresh planting. It is also good for working in compost and other soil additives.
For the wood, I called our friends from New England Antique Lumber. Mauricio Guevara is a skilled lumberer, master woodworker and restorer. He and his wife, Patricia, own New England Antique Lumber Inc., in Mount Kisco, New York – and specialize in salvaging reclaimed timbers, and creating custom wood pieces. They found lots of beautiful white oak that was perfect for this project.
Look how gorgeous these planks are. I was very fortunate to find someone who had all this wood.
Here, Mauricio guides Pete to where the planks would stay until the it was time to bring them into the garden.
My property manager, Doug White, measures and cuts the wood for each bed.
Meanwhile, the sod is returned to the beds upside down. That’s right, the grass will die without the light, and eventually, everything will mix into the soil.
As each plank was cut, it was placed into position where it would be used to build the box frames. Some have already been built in the background.
All the building is done by Doug, Fernando and Pete. They worked very hard.
Here’s Pete hammering in the corner stakes to ensure all the sides are secured properly.
Fernando helps to hold each piece in line. This day was cold and rainy, but the crew persevered.
Here is the soil – Scott’s Organic Soil, which is mixed in combination with my own composted soil made here at the farm.
All the beds were thoroughly fertilized.
And the bags of soil were emptied into the beds.
This machine was also brought in to help install a rubber hose under the ground for irrigation. I added three hose bibs in this space for watering.
Look at all the beautiful beds ready to be planted.
Here I am with the Classen Pro HSC18 sod cutter after the entire garden was completed – I am so pleased with how it all turned out. What do you think?
And here is the garden on the first day of planting. I am so excited to see the magnificent vegetables this garden grows. It will be a fantastic harvest. Stay tuned.
Fresh, delicious vegetables will soon be growing in my garden.
Planting is in full swing here at my farm. My new vegetable garden is looking excellent this season and my gardeners are busy filling each and every bed. We've already planted many crops including the brassicas, asparagus, rhubarb, artichokes, onions, leeks, shallots, and potatoes. Yesterday, we also planted cilantro, dill, and parsley. Everything I grow is shared with family and friends, used for video and print shoots, and saved for making my daily green juice. Whatever is left over goes to my beloved birds - the chickens, the peafowl, and the geese. I am looking forward to a very bountiful season.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The weather this week here at my Bedford, New York farm has been excellent for gardening. Ryan McCallister and Brian O’Kelly have been so busy getting more of our crops in the ground. Here are just some of the herbs ready to plant.
A few weeks ago, I planted some lettuces – look how beautiful they are now. I can’t wait to try them.
And remember our asparagus? We already have many stalks growing, but since this is its first year, we cannot harvest it. Asparagus needs a couple of years to get fully established.
On this day, Brian planted lots of curly parsley. Curly parsley is an easy-to-grow type of parsley with round, curly leaves. In general, it is milder than the flat leaf variety.
Brian digs the holes as he plants. Parsley should be spaced about six to eight inches apart in an area with full sun and nutrient-rich, well-drained soil.
Before planting, Brian always teases the roots – gently pulling them apart with his fingers.
This is what the root ball looks like from the bottom. Loosening or teasing the roots before planting stimulates the roots and enables them to spread out and grow, forming a good foundation for the plant.
The young plant is now ready to be placed into the hole at the same depth it was in its container.
Once in the ground, Brian lightly tamps down around the plant to ensure good contact.
Here is a close look at the top of the curly parsley. Notice it has thicker ruffled, “curly” leaves. This is a very healthy plant.
And here is a row already planted. If well-maintained, we’ll be harvesting parsley in just a few weeks.
Here is a crop of dill in pots already placed where they will be planted – about a foot apart. Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Chad, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. Its leaves and seeds are often used as a herb or spice for flavoring food.
Brian uses a garden trowel to dig the holes. Herbs should be grown in soil that’s at least four to five inches deep.
Brian removes the dill plant from its pot, teases the roots and inserts it into the hole like the others.
And then lightly presses the soil around the plant.
Here, Brian plants younger dill plants in a row between more mature dill plants. We always plant in succession. Succession planting is a practice of seeding crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. This dramatically increases a garden’s yield, while also improving produce quality.
Dill grows well in full sun or partial shade. Dill is also a cool weather herb and will bolt in hot weather.
Do you know what these tiny sprouts are? Cilantro. Cilantro, Coriandrum sativum, is also known commonly as coriander or Chinese parsley. Coriander is actually the dried seed of cilantro. Cilantro is a popular microgreen garnish that complements meat, fish, poultry, noodle dishes and soups.
Cilantro is not for everyone – some truly abhor it. Interestingly, those who dislike cilantro tend to have a gene that detects the aldehyde part of cilantro as a soapy smell and taste. What’s your opinion on this herb?
I like cilantro and plant lots of it every year. Brian places our crop of cilantro in another bed where it will get full sun.
Once all the cilantro, dill, and parsley are planted, Brian gives them all a good watering. Everything in the garden looks great! Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow when I share photos of the building of my newest vegetable garden. You can also watch the process on “Martha Gardens” starting tomorrow, exclusively on Roku.
My azaleas are putting on quite a show at my Bedford, New York farm.
Of all the shrubs that flower in spring, azaleas provide some of the most brilliant displays. I have hundreds of them planted together in a garden that starts just outside my Summer House and runs along two sides of the carriage road all the way down to my stable. When they bloom this time of year, this area of my property erupts with spectacular color - from pure white to shades of pink, crimson, and orange. Azaleas can thrive in a wide variety of growing conditions, which makes them so useful in many different landscapes. They are popularly referred to as the “royalty of the garden,” long adorned for their brightly colored flowers and evergreen foliage.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My large azalea collection is located outside my Summer House in a lightly wooded area where they get lots of filtered sunlight throughout the day. Three years ago, I extended the garden down the carriage road and planted more than 300-azaleas since. This week, they are erupting with swaths of beautiful color.
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the Ericaceae family, which includes blueberries and mountain laurel. They are also all rhododendrons and members of the genus Rhododendron.
Azaleas are generally healthy, easy to grow plants. Some azaleas bloom as early as March, but most bloom in April and May with blossoms lasting several weeks.
Here they are flowering among the tree peonies across from my Summer House. The large mounds of bold pink look so gorgeous surrounded by all the green foliage. Azaleas are native to several continents including Asia, Europe, and North America. These plants can live for many years, and they continue to grow their entire lives.
The tube-shaped base of the flower contains a stamen that protrudes from the center.
The leaves are often evergreen with wooly undersides. The length of azalea leaves ranges from as little as a quarter-inch to more than six inches. Leaves of most azaleas are solid green, with a roughly long football-shape.
Azalea petal shapes vary greatly. They range from narrow to triangular to overlapping rounded petals. They can also be flat, wavy, or ruffled.
Azalea flowers can be single, hose-in-hose, double, or double hose-in-hose, depending on the number of petals.
Many azaleas have two to three-inch flowers and range in a variety of colors from pink to white to purple, red, orange, and yellow.
I wanted to keep similar colors together. These beautiful bold orange azaleas are at one end of the grove. Azaleas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered light. Hot all-day sun can stress the plants and make them more susceptible to pests.
Here are some beautiful, crips white azaleas.
These are two of my mature specimens – and they continue to flourish year after year. Plant height ranges from about three to six feet for most varieties, but rare plants can range from under one foot to well over 15-feet tall.
When selecting a location for planting, be sure you know the mature size of the plants so they can be grouped accordingly in the landscape – tall plants in the background and short plants in the foreground.
The best time to shop for azaleas is when they are in bloom so you can see their flower colors and forms.
Buy plants that are sturdy, well-branched, and free of insect damage or diseases. And, avoid plants with weak, spindling growth and poor root systems.
Azaleas thrive in moist, well-drained soils high in organic matter. They benefit greatly from a few inches of acidic mulch applied around the base to protect the roots and help conserve moisture.
And never eat azaleas. Like its cousin the rhododendron, the azalea is a toxic plant, and all parts of the plant are poisonous, including the honey from the flowers.
Azaleas have short root systems, so they can easily be transplanted in early spring or early fall. Be careful not to plant too deep and water thoroughly after transplanting.
Once the plants establish their roots, scatter a handful of slow-release organic fertilizer near each plant once in the spring and again in autumn.
Prune azaleas after they bloom to remove tall, lanky growth or vigorous suckers that detract from the overall form and shape of the plant.
Although azaleas are resistant to many pests and diseases, they are susceptible to some problems, including bark scale, petal blight, powdery mildew, and a leaf disease called azalea gall. I am fortunate that all my azaleas have always remained healthy and beautiful.
Azaleas are so stunning in any part of the landscape. I am so proud of this garden – its beautiful display gets better and better every year. What azaleas grow in your garden?
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