By mid-February, we start warming a small section of our greenhouse to get a jump start on the season. We don’t have a heated greenhouse, so instead we section off an area and use warming mats and a small heater as needed—just enough to take the chill off. We loosely follow the end of the “Persephone Period.” In Massachusetts, from November through mid-February, daylight drops below ten hours a day, which essentially halts plant growth. Rather than setting up extensive grow lights to...

When I was little I would watch my Scandinavian grandmother carefully wrapping each of the perches on her finch feeders with yarn before filling the feeder up for the winter. Around and around to "keep their little feet warm when they stop to eat". Do you need to wrap bird feeder perches in cozy yarn? Um, no. Even better would be to make plant choices that care for the birds. Although there are things that we can do to support our feathered friends year round (namely...plant native) , we'll...

Follow along to see our newest project! We'll post updates here weekly. Blue Stem buys a horse trailer! We're currently restoring a used horse trailer we found on Facebook Marketplace—with plans to transform it into a mobile pop up plant shop . Follow along below for updates as the project comes to life. Interested in bringing our trailer to your area for a pop-up sale? We’re aiming to hit the road starting around August 1st. Whether it’s a garden club, library, school, or other community...