Did you Get Lost in the Garden?

I have a goal in mind for my vegetable garden this year.  I have a similar goal every year but this year I think it’s especially important.  I want to make our garden into our grocery store.  I’m being realistic with this and in no way think I can completely eliminate the grocery store trips but I would really like…

I was looking on Amazon at some of the bestselling garden tools recently and I noticed this little tool that I found interesting: A Leatherman Pruning tool. It’s a neat idea but as I pondered it I began to wonder exactly how useful it might be. Would it be able to replace my Swiss Army pocket knife I carry everywhere?…

OK it’s not really a strawberry patch as much as it is a raised bed in the vegetable garden that is overflowing with strawberry plants. A couple years ago I planted the bed with these strawberry plants, I believe there were twelve plants total, and let them grow in the bed. I fertilized after their fruiting was complete with an…

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 like me and can’t wait…

Thank you for stopping by to see what’s blooming here in TN during September. Also thanks to Carol for hosting Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day each month. Before you look at the pictures below I want to invite you to participate in the Fall Color Project for 2010. Click on the link to see the information about the Fall Color Project….

Last week I put together a daylily and iris bed to cultivate and divide more plants for my little plant nursery.  Daylilies and irises are great plants for any garden since they offer so much for so little.  They grow strong without too much attention, enjoy the sun, and are tolerant various soils – which is good since this area…

During the wonderful yet wacky weather yesterday I accomplished several chores and started a few others! What do you think this hole is for? It is about ten feet across and five feet wide at its widest. I dug the hole about 18 inches deep at its deepest point and about 12 inches in the upper part, but the digging…

Weeds are one of the most troubling elements of gardening that gardeners face.  A gardener’s definition of a a weed is simply a plant you don’t want in a place you don’t want it!  Which means that even desirable plants can become a weed pest in the wrong place.  Gardener’s want simple and easy ways to remove weeds from the…

Creeping Phlox – April 2011 I wish I could have gotten to this post earlier but Monday’s storms kept the computer off for most of the day. It’s pretty difficult to type a post without electricity! As of this morning 18,000 people in Middle Tennessee are still without power. Over the weekend the weather was absolutely perfect for outdoor activities….

Several months ago now my youngest daughter and I journeyed up to Clay and Limestone to visit Gail. While there Gail gifted us with a bounty of planting presents like a group of junipers, her famously practically perfect pink phlox, several St. John’s Worts, golden ragworts, and a couple other plants that have now found a place in our garden….

The other evening some clouds were blowing. Here’s a look at what we saw. A small storm was on its way through our area which is usually when you get most interesting clouds!Please excuse the power lines. Half the neighborhood has them below ground, our half doesn’t.

You’ve seen them. In your cherry trees. If you haven’t yet then take a look, they are on their way. Tent Caterpillars can be devastating to the foliage of young trees especially those of the prunus genus. They may look all cute and cuddly up close but when allowed to let loose they feast like there is no tomorrow upon…

It’s time for another edition of Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day brought to you by Carol of May Dreams Gardens! August is one of those times of the year before the fall flowers really start to get going where plants are kind of in transition but there are still many things in bloom. Today we’ll step back a bit and look…

Middle Tennessee and much of the south is expected to receive a freeze tonight.  We all know how damaging a freeze could be and we have no to look no further back than 2007 to see the results.  That year many gardeners lost trees like Japanese maples and crape myrtles due to the flow of sap in the trunks freezing…

I put another short shed update on the garden shed page yesterday. It’s short but if you’re interested in seeing what’s coming next for it feel free to take a look!

The days have once again become cold and wet. The beautiful spring like days we had in early March have been replaced (temporarily) with winter like cold and drizzle – ugh. It’s definitely disappointing for the gardener but spring is right around the corner. I can’t wait to see the sun but the wet and soggy days are ideal for…

An interesting problem has arisen lately. You see, over the last few months little saplings of our Tennessee state tree the tulip poplar have popped up all over the place. It must have been a great year for tulip poplars last season because I’ve found over 7 saplings that seem to be doing great all over the yard. They all…

Here’s a topic I’m a huge fan of: PLANT PROPAGATION!  I’ve talked about it repeatedly and those of you who have followed Growing The Home Garden over the years have seen some of my plant propagation experiments.  I thought for today’s Friday Five post I would highlight the various common forms of plant propagation.  I highly encourage those of you…