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By MICKEY RATHBUN

A few years ago I was having coffee with my two sisters-in-law at a family gathering in North Carolina. Both of them had recently built new houses and were quizzing me about how to create gardens in the bare dirt surrounding their homes. The question...

By MARY BYRNE

On her fourth day in office on Wednesday, Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer joined legislators and climate activists from across the state, including many from western Massachusetts, who gathered to celebrate the efforts of the new administration and...

By CHRIS LARABEE

CONWAY — In an effort to help people process their anxiety over the environment and climate change, a Conway artist is forming an eco-grief support group.Hannah Harvester’s weekly community support group is designed to help people process their...

By CHRIS LARABEE

DEERFIELD — Just a few years after Deerfield became the first community in the state to be approved for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, the town is again at the front lines of climate resiliency with an award-winning soil study.With...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL 

NORTHAMPTON — A planned Community Resilience Hub in the works since 2019 may finally have a building to host it.Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra announced Friday that the city has executed an option to purchase the former First Baptist Church building,...

By JACOB NELSON

WORTHINGTON — “Agriculture is going to have to look different,” says Lincoln Fishman of Sawyer Farm in Worthington, given the climate crisis. “And I’m just not interested in farming the old way.”Well-read and well-spoken, Fishman has a keen ability to...

By EVELINE MACDOUGALL

Those of us lucky enough to live in western Massachusetts sometimes feel at least partly insulated from global crises. Of course, our region is not immune to challenges. Fortunately, the creativity that makes us the envy of visitors helps us find...

By BRIAN STEELE

NORTHAMPTON — The Roundhouse municipal parking lot is fully fenced off as workers prepare to expand and repave it, while less than 50 feet away still sits the homeless tent encampment that Mayor David Narkewicz wanted vacated by Thursday.MASS-WEST...

By FRANCIE LIN

I should preface this review by saying that bidet attachments, like so much else in the COVID-19 world, have become wildly popular and can therefore cost up to three times the amount we paid for ours. However, if you want to take the plunge, here is...

By MICHAEL CONNORS

HOLYOKE — After a months-long investigation into a large-scale heroin distribution operation, police and federal authorities raided two addresses and arrested a city teenager on drug and firearm-related charges Wednesday. Luis Garcia-Figueroa, 19, was...

By PRISCILLA TOUHEY

Q: My husband and I are “discussing” when we should rake up the leaves in our yard — after they are all down (him) or as soon as the lawn is covered (me). Help! Any thoughts on a solution? —C.J., NorthamptonA: We New Englanders love our vibrant red,...

By MICKEY RATHBUN

Crabapple trees are one of my favorite ornamental spring trees. A mainstay of the New England landscape, they offer three seasons of interest, plus a handsome branching habit that looks good all winter long, especially when decked with freshly fallen...

By VALERIE REISS

When Cat Thomson and Steve McDonough moved onto their ¾-acre lot in Leeds, the landscaping consisted of dirt, dirt, and more dirt.“It was a blank slate,” said Thomson, a freelance writer and editor. They built their house on developed land that was...

By LUIS FIELDMAN

SUNDERLAND – Newlyweds Martin Jutres and Micki Kahn had lived in New York City for several years, but about a year ago, they wanted a change. City life had them burned-out, they said.There were several options the young couple considered. Among them...

By MICKEY RATHBUN

I have a big patch of daylilies behind my house. They are a disorganized jumble of plants that were given to me along with others that I’ve bought at plant sales, nurseries and farmers markets. I have never paid much attention to this part of the...

By DEBBIE CARLSON

Yard sales are a great way to get a few extra bucks for items that might be just a little bit too valuable to toss or donate, but what if you don’t have a yard?Don’t let that stop you; think creatively instead.Yard sales are all about getting rid of...

By PRISCILLA TOUHEY

Q: I have a ton of vinca growing under my trees and would like to start replacing it this fall with native groundcovers. Any suggestions of good options? –R.M., Hatfield A: I am so glad you asked, R.M.! Vinca minor (Periwinkle) does fit the...

By RAY DUCKLER

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Concord Monitor on May 5.CONCORD, N.H.The young woman with the familiar last name was seated in the Friendly Kitchen, her eyes focused on her cellphone, hidden under shoulder-length blonde...

By HomeAdvisor

Professional chefs around the world have known for years that cooking with steam means moister, better tasting food and faster cooking times. In fact, steam assist ovens have been standard fare in the restaurant business for quite some time. Lucky for...

Growing up in Virginia, one of my favorite spring sights was the blooming of eastern redbud trees, Cercis canadensis. Redbud trees are one of the earliest spring bloomers. Their abundant pea-sized flowers bloom simultaneously, creating purplish pink...