Category Archives: Blog

by Margot Dougherty Before entering his Saugerties food forest, Jared Williams, founder of FutureFruits permaculture design, may introduce you with a melody on his drone flute. It’s a sign of respect, he explains, alerting the plants within that a newcomer’s on the threshold. The sounds from the double-barreled woodwind, believed to be of ancient Meso-American […]

Hard to believe that the summer days are running out. Hot days aside, for most of us the zucchini have given way to winter squash and tomato leaves are at the fight-the-blight stage—even if our counters are still obscured by veggies awaiting their place in an upcoming meal. (James Sie’s versatile stone soup, is one […]

We’re so happy to see the success of the Staatsburg library’s new pantry/pollinator garden! An earlier attempt at growing on the property was flooded out last year, so this spring Backyard to Table’s Sue Sie (an architect in an earlier life) designed a new layout and donated raised beds with sides high enough to withstand […]

Sky-high squash, homegrown worms and hügelkultur highlight a garden gone wonderfully wild. In the spring of 2019 we visited our new Rhinecliff neighbor Rudy McEntire, recently arrived from the West Coast. Interested in growing food on his expansive sunny lawn, he enlisted Backyard to Table to install two raised garden beds. Rudy’s experience with gardening […]

The Morton Seed Library Garden is greeting spring with new compost, bamboo trellises for beans, crop rotation and the merciless banishment of weeds. This year we’ll be replanting old friends—Sammataro pole beans, All Stars kale, mixed lettuces, and arugula. We’ve got newcomers, too. Look forward to seeds from Provider bush beans, echinacea and Genovese basil […]

Not too long ago, a gaggle of kids gathered on a rug—a magical rug, in fact, that helps occupants listen better. The Pollinator Patrol Club was in session at the Staatsburg Library to learn about the birds and the bees and other creatures who make food, trees and flowers grow. “Pollinator is a big, big, […]

Over the past 30 plus years insect and pollinator abundance and diversity have declined worldwide due to pesticide use, climate change and habitat loss. Insects are essential as they not only pollinate wild plants but agricultural crops, they are said to be responsible for one in every three bites of food! Backyard to Table is […]

Did you know there is a Seed Library in the basement of the Morton Memorial Library?! We wanted to take a moment to shine a light on an incredible local resource. The Morton Seed Library was launched in February 2018 and is dedicated to growing, saving and sharing local seeds. It was started by a […]

Backyard to Table had the pleasure of working with Greg and Carol to install two raised garden beds in their Port Ewen, NY backyard in November. We had a hard working crew for this build, including two grandkids who pitched-in in an impressively earnest fashion to construct, level, and fill the beds. The beds are […]

Backyard to Table continues to partner with Morton Memorial Library to program the monthly speaker series on topics related to sustainability. Join us for two upcoming presentations, both by Kim Eierman, a Horticulturist specializing in ecological landscapes and native plants as well as founder of Eco-Beneficial. Wednesday, October 16th @ 6:30 PM, “Replacing the Green […]