A short guide to pruning roses
· 2 min read
I tested the overgrown version first. It did not last. The soil is nicer every year, mainly because I stopped digging it.
A note on tools
For a long time I treated tomatoes as an afterthought. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. A cold frame extends the season by weeks at either end.
Saving seed means next year’s garden starts this autumn. A hand trowel helps, but it is not the point. I keep a short list of things to try next; saving seed is near the top. Some of this will be obvious; some of it took me years.
The short version
Nothing here requires a secateurs, though it does make things easier. Half of gardening is noticing what grows on its own. Looking back, the seasonal approach was the right call. Leave some corners messy; the insects will thank you. Nothing here requires a cold frame, though it does make things easier.
For a long time I treated the greenhouse as an afterthought. I like cover crops that shows the marks of how it was made. You can get unexpectedly far with a garden fork and some a steady hand. I keep a short list of things to try next; pruning roses is near the top.
I keep a short list of things to try next; weeding is near the top.
What I kept
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. Most problems with the greenhouse turn out to be problems with time. In January the light changes, and so does the work. A cold frame helps, but it is not the point.
Half of the work is deciding what to leave out.
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