If you plan to sell plants you have to have plants to sell right? So how does one go about getting a supply of plants for a nursery business? As plant retailers we really have only two options: produce the plants on our own or buy them from someone else and resell the plants. Both … Read more
By far my favorite plant from the vegetable garden is the tomato. I don’t buy them from the stores if I can help it as there is very little flavor to be found in store bought tomatoes. Fresh from the garden is how a tomato should be. Today on a gray overcast winter day I’m … Read more
It is inevitable. You will find a weed somewhere in your lawn or in your garden. As things begin to grow this spring you’ll notice weeds coming up where you don’t want them. In fact that is the general definition of a weedy plant – a plant that grows where you don’t want it! Any plant can … Read more
A couple weeks ago my wife stopped an bought us some croissants at the grocery store for dinner. The croissants came in a clear plastic box container. It was a little over a foot long and a little less than that wide, but the dimensions don’t really matter. The plastic box was tall enough to … Read more
Have you ever used a kids toy to plant seeds? It might be worth a try! While out in the garden planting rainbow chard and spinach I used a hula hoop as a planting aid. Inside the hula hoop I planted the rainbow chard and in the outside ring I planted spinach. When the plants … Read more
We have three children in our household who love to be outdoors. It’s extremely hard for this gardener to sneak outside without someone tagging along. That’s a good thing! I’m thrilled that they love to be outside in the open air experiencing what all kids should have the opportunity to experience. It’s important though that … Read more
Before you really get into producing plants for sale it is very important to come up with a way to get the plants to the customers. I don’t have a place where costumers could just come by and browse the plants since I do all my production from my own garden. One day perhaps, but … Read more
The Nashville Lawn and Garden Show is coming up very soon! Here are some of the details. Nashville Lawn & Garden Show February 28 – March 3, 2013 Tennessee State Fairgrounds Come enjoy Jardins du Soleil – “Gardens of the Sun” The 24th annual show will feature internationally-inspired garden designs! Amazing live gardens Thousands of spring … Read more
Wouldn’t you know it? The day after I post a review on the Harbor Freight Greenhouse I just installed in our backyard a storm system with strong winds comes though to give it a test. I spent most of the evening worried that I would be wandering around our neighborhood searching for plastic window panels. … Read more
Back in the fall I took advantage of a sale at the discount retailer Harbor Freight and bought myself a greenhouse. It was a small greenhouse at only 6’x8′ in size which would be about 48 square feet of space. I’ve always heard gardeners say that no matter what size greenhouse you have you will … Read more
It’s been a while since I joined in with Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day so I thought I’d share you a little of what is blooming in the gardens around our home. For our garden this year it’s the usual suspects who are in flowering. Daffodils, crocuses, and winter jasmine are coming along strong while other … Read more
When I made the decision to begin my micro-nursery (Blue Shed Gardens/HomeGardenBox) I had to figure out first what kind of plants I wanted to produce. This was a very difficult decision since I like pretty much anything there is to do with the garden. Selecting one type of plants or one area seemed just wrong because … Read more
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 … Read more
The other day strong winds blew through Tennessee. They were not just your normal winter winds, these were March winds – in February. The kinds of winds we normally get in spring when the weather changes more frequently between warm and cold fronts. Unfortunately I wasn’t prepared for the high impact of the winds. Two … Read more
The economy is still in disarray and all of us are trying to find ways to do things cheaper and more efficiently even in the garden. Fortunately gardeners are experts at finding ways to be cheap. Let’s look at some easy to do ideas that can help keep your garden budget as low as it … Read more
Last year I embarked on a quest to start my own nursery business. One of my dreams for a long time has been to own my own nursery and I began putting plans together around a couple business ideas that I could do from home. I researched all over the internet to find resources and … Read more
Plant propagation sounds like something very complicated. A lot of gardeners are intimidated by the idea of getting something to root. It looks challenging but in reality there are a great number of plants that are very easy to propagate. That’s not to say that a cutting will grow roots each and every time. In … Read more
A few weeks ago Mr. Brownthumb posted an interview with the inventor of Rootcups on Treehugger. Rootcups are an easy to use propagation device that the home gardener can use to help propagate some of their favorite plants. I contacted Mr. Brownthumb because I was curious about the product and and then got in touch … Read more
I’ve talked a lot about raised beds over the years here and there’s no doubt that I’m a fan but are raised beds perfect for everybody? Does everyone need a raised bed? Should you used raised beds in your garden? Anyone could utilize raised beds to have a great garden, but you don’t have to … Read more
You’ve probably noticed that there’s a lot of talk these days about self-sufficiency. People are striving to reduce their impact on the environment by improving how things work. Self-sufficiency is a great goal to have for your garden as well. Not only does being self-sufficient help the environment but it makes a cheaper and healthier garden. … Read more
