Once your seeds have grown big enough to plant out in the garden it’s time to find a way to get them into the garden. Direct sowed seeds have a big advantage in this area as they have grown from the start in the great outdoors are are already well adapted to the weather. Seedlings … Read more
The first daffodil blooms of 2012 are now on display in my garden! Every year I like to track the first daffodil of the season. It amazing how much each year can differ. The warmer the weather the earlier the flowers appear. We’re almost a month earlier than last year’s daffodil blooms! Here’s a look … Read more
By now I’m sure you’ve heard all about the National Wildlife Federation and their new found friend Scott’s. There are quite a few people upset about this arrangement since many of Scott’s products are made from ingredients none of us would rather see in the environment. The NWF exists to promote and help wildlife but … Read more
Ever been to the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show? Here’s the info for 2012: Gardens Past, Present & Future Will Be Celebrated March 1-4 at the 2012 Nashville Lawn & Garden Show Discussion of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello gardens among the many free presentations at the show Nashville, TN – The timeless appeal, importance and fun … Read more
Last year I put together the circular raised bed in my vegetable garden. It’s in the center of the garden layout which is in the parterre style garden layout I planned last year. Of course my plans are changing a little this year too. It never fails, the only thing I don’t change in my … Read more
In case you are wondering about where exactly you are situated in the USDA plant hardiness zone maps here are a couple to look at. One is the national map and the other is the Tennessee State map. The maps are useful when determining which plants to plant in your area. The zone map shows … Read more
Once you have your seedlings growing strong and you’ve properly hardened them off (more on that next week) it is time to plant your seedlings in the garden. But where should you plant them? It may seem like a given that you’ll just go out and stick them in a hole and watch them grow, … Read more
We’ve talked about how to pick your seeds and we’ve talked a little about the soil to use, but when should you start your seeds? This is when good planning comes into play. You want your seeds ready to go when it’s safe to plant but you don’t want to start them too early, so … Read more
What is a garden without the trees? Bare and boring! Without a good tree you lose the shade they provide, the elegant grace that trees offer as a focal point, the fruit the tree may bear, the benefit to the wildlife around us – I think you agree, you just have to have a tree! … Read more
Wednesday was full of randomness, although it wasn’t all gardening. A little bird watching, a little gardening, and a little bit of house stuff all rolled together to make a Wednesday. The day started with a trip to the home improvement store. Not for gardening stuff this time but for painting materials. A bathroom in … Read more
OK so you’ve gotten your big seed order in the mail, now what? What do you use to actually start the seeds in? What kind of pots? What kind of soil? After deciding what seeds to order you need to know what medium to plant your future garden in. There are a lot of variables … Read more
I’ll continue with the Seed Starting 101 Series tomorrow but I thought I would use today’s post to share with you a related project. Recently I purchased a seedling heatmat that I’ve been testing in the garage to see how seedlings will grow out there. The results have been pretty good so far with good … Read more
Pepper Seeds The other day someone asked me for some general seed sowing and I realized that I had not yet gone through the whole process from start to finish. I have some scattered information (pun intended ;)) about seeds and seed starting throughout the blog but a complete guide was lacking, until now! Beginning … Read more
It probably seems early and with scattered snow it certain feels early but it’s never too early to start thinking about the vegetable garden! Store bought vegetables just don’t thrill me the way the fresh garden picked varieties do. It makes sense when you consider that garden grown vegetables don’t have to be picked days … Read more
While the snow has just started here in Spring Hill, TN I’m thinking about the nice warm days of our growing season and all the neat stuff we get to experience as gardeners growing in the south. I’ll add to this list every few days with a new thing that I miss about the growing … Read more
This year I invested some money into heat mat. I’ve heard for years how bottom heat speeds up seedling and root growth and I thought it was high time I got my act in gear. So toward the end of last year I ordered one. And let me say, I’m enjoying it already! It’s not … Read more
Are you looking for something, anything to keep you going until spring time? Are you frantically searching the garden for signs of life? Here are two early signs to look for that will tell you spring is just around the corner! The daffodils are rising! The foliage of daffodils always comes up early but these … Read more
This year I thought I’d try to start something on each Friday. At the end of each work week I’ll make a list of five things from the garden. They could be anything, everything is fair garden, as long as it can be related to the garden! To start things off I’m going to mention … Read more
This year I’ll be adding a little bit of my garden writing to a local website called Spring Hill Fresh. Their goal is to highlight Spring Hill, TN and the local area which is one of the fastest growing areas of Tennessee. Spring Hill Fresh offers us locals news about current events, local happenings, and local … Read more
This time of year I spend some time looking back at old photos from the garden. It’s fun to see how stuff looked back when it was growing, when leaves were on the trees, and at the most a cold wind only brought you down into the 80’s on the old thermometer. So if you’re … Read more
You have raised beds in your backyard ready to go for spring vegetables but over the winter what are they doing? Are they just sitting there? I’m sure this idea has occurred to some of you before. Why not use the raised beds over the winter to propagate a few plants? The amazing thing is … Read more
Every year I put out a list of my intended gardening projects that I personally want to accomplish this year. Then back at the end of the year I review them to see how I’ve done. This year is a little tricky. I have quite a few projects leftover from last year that I still … Read more
