Deborah J. Benoit

Growing Watermelon | University of Vermont Extension | The University of Vermont

Have you ever grown watermelon?
www.uvm.edu/extension/ne...

AS THE GARDEN AWAKES Bleeding heart awakes from its three-season dormancy. As I begin writing this on Tuesday afternoon, I can hear the rain tapping on the sunroom roof.  The skies have turned gray, leaving no remnant …

There's a new gardening post up at Pen Paper Plant. penpaperplant.com/2025/04/16/a...

YouTube video by Backyard Ecology™ Dirty Dozen Invasive Vines You NEED to Know!

Beware of invasive plants when planning your garden this year. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuVA...

Let the Melting Commence Temperatures have become decidedly milder over the past couple of days.  The ice-covered snow that’s been with us for nearly two weeks has finally begun to retreat.  While I know this isn’t the las…

There's a new post today on Pen, Paper, Plant. penpaperplant.com/2025/02/26/l...

Planning a New Garden Bed This Winter | University of Vermont Extension | The University of Vermont

We're less than a month away from spring. Put these final weeks of winter to good use and plan your garden! tinyurl.com/5n7ds94s

Unraveling secrets in the Berkshires: mystery author on cozy crime novels and native plants The debut novel from Deborah Benoit of North Adams, Massachusetts, combines her love of gardening and mysteries.

Woohoo! Check out this interview with me on New England Public Media!
www.nepm.org/regional-new...

My Winter Garden Winter is always a challenge for me:  the shorter daylight hours, the cold (often frigid) temperatures, blizzards, mountains of snow to be shoveled, wind, freezing rain, and ice.  I often joked tha…

Winter with its shorter days, cold, and snow seems to last forever, but it's actually the shortest season with 89 days. We're now just 69 days until spring, a bit longer until I can garden. For now, it's indoor gardening for me. penpaperplant.com/2025/01/08/m...

YouTube video by The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Deborah Benoit and Celeste Connally in conversation with John Charles.

Please check out today's interview at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore where I discuss The Gardener's Plot and Celeste Connally talks about her latest, All's Fair in Love and Treachery, with John Charles. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKP...

Thank you! That's so wonderful to hear.

Saffron: World's Most Expensive Spice By Deborah J. Benoit Extension Master Gardener University of Vermont Did you know that the world’s most expensive spice comes from a type of crocus? It’s true. Saffron is derived from Crocus sativu...

The world's most expensive spice--from a crocus? To learn more about saffron, check out my latest gardening article. www.uvm.edu/news/extensi...

A Day In My Life ~ Maggie Walker by Deborah J. Benoit There’s no place better than the Berkshires in springtime. My name is Maggie Walker, and I’ve just moved back to my hometown of Marlowe, Massachusetts. It’s been a heck of a year, and I’m ready to …

Meet my amateur sleuth Maggie Walker from The Gardener's Plot. drusbookmusing.com/maggie-walker/

The Gardener's Plot 9781250334978 - Macmillan Winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel AwardDeborah J. Benoit’s award-winning debut takes readers to the heart of...

Happy Book Birthday to THE GARDENER'S PLOT, winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition! read.macmillan.com/lp/the-garde...

This is it. Publication Day Eve. The Gardener's Plot is winging its way through the post office to all the wonderful people who preordered the hardcover edition online. E-books should be available tomorrow. A huge "THANK YOU!" to everyone who's ordered my book. I hope you enjoy it.

The Gardener's Plot 9781250334978 - Macmillan Winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel AwardDeborah J. Benoit’s award-winning debut takes readers to the heart of...

read.macmillan.com/lp/the-garde...

The heuchera are still hanging in there even after the last frost claimed the hosta. Heuchera are some of the easiest plants I have ever grown. Their colorful leaves may look a bit sad when they've been covered in snow, but they bounce right back. I'll be adding more to the garden in the spring.

Grow a Little Murder Deborah J. Benoit brings you a new kind of cozy setting in The Gardener's Plot—a community garden in the Berkshires, where a dead body is found.

A community garden might seem a safe place, but in The Gardener's Plot things aren't what they seems. www.criminalelement.com/grow-a-littl...

My Musing ~ The Gardener’s Plot by Deborah J. Benoit A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots on opening day. After life threw Maggie Walker a few curveballs, she’s happy to be back in the sma…

Oh, look! It's a pre-publication review for The Gardener's Plot! So exciting! drusbookmusing.com/my-musing-th...

Do you like a traditional book you can hold in your hands and turn real pages? Or do you prefer e-books? Or maybe you want a book read to you. I received the audio version of The Gardener's Plot today. I can't wait to listen (and I wrote the book!).
read.macmillan.com/lp/the-garde...

You never know what the weather will do in the Berkshires. The 1987 fall foliage parade was cancelled when a freak storm dumped 2 feet of wet snow. Fallen branches blocked roads. Traffic stopped. That afternoon the sun came out and the only sound was the plopping of snow from the trees.

Thinking Spring This Fall By Deborah J. Benoit Extension Master Gardener University of Vermont Fall foliage color has peaked, and leaves are falling. Temperatures are dropping and it’s time to put the garden to bed. It is a...

The days are growing ever shorter, temperatures are dropping, and the color on the trees says it's time to put the garden to bed. Plan ahead for spring now. You'll be glad you did. www.uvm.edu/news/extensi...

First ever author event today: reading at McCullough Free Library. Such a lovely group of people. Bonus: amazing foliage and an early dinner at Lil Britain in Bennington. Double Bonus: gorgeous foliage on the drive home.

Jasmine says: "I've been framed!"

Fried clams, coleslaw, and The Gardener's Plot. read.macmillan.com/lp/the-garde...

The Gardener's Plot A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshir…

Enter for a chance to win a free copy of THE GARDENER’S PLOT, winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...

Preparing Fruit Trees for Winter By Deborah J. Benoit Extension Master Gardener University of Vermont Autumn is well underway. The leaves are falling, and it’s time to put the garden to bed in anticipation of the coming season. If...

Winter can be tough on the garden. Preparing fruit trees for winter can help them wake up healthy and ready for a productive growing season when spring arrives. tinyurl.com/29f35fsm

Who else does NaNoWriMo? That's National Novel Writing Month for those who haven't taken part in the craziness: write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. The point isn't to write the next great American novel. It's to write--no editing, no second thoughts. Just get those words on the page!

The Gardener's Plot A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshir…

Enter for a chance to win a free copy of THE GARDENER’S PLOT, winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...

Thank you!

Author's copies have arrived!
read.macmillan.com/lp/the-garde...