Dave

Dave has written GrowingTheHomeGarden.com since 2007. He gardens on 7 acres in Columbia, TN where he raises his 5 children. He enjoys growing vegetables, herbs, and most of all propagating plants! Dave works as a real estate agent in Middle Tennessee.

Tinkering Away

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I’ve been gradually tinkering away at the garden shed. A few tasks are underway that are necessary before the next big step for the outside – painting! I’ve been busy sealing up the cracks around all the openings with caulk. I think I’m just over halfway done with the caulking on the outside. The caulking … Read more

Vegetable Garden: Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Cabbages

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Things are growing very nicely in the vegetable garden. The tomatoes (which are our favorite crop no matter what else we try) are growing like crazy, the zucchini has almost produced it’s first zucchini, and the cabbage are …well…you’ll see… Here are two of my raised beds full of tomatoes. The bed on the left … Read more

Grow Project: ‘Spitfire’ Nasturium Take Two

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Sometimes everything is grand and the garden grows so well that the gardener efforts are minimal but other times the garden seems to want to thwart the will of the gardener. The latter case is true at least so far for my nasturtiums. When I last mentioned our rising protagonists they were planted surrounding the … Read more

And The Winner Is…

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This week has been an interesting one! I’m amazed and astounded by the sheer number of comments generated for the compost bin giveaway from Clean Air Gardening. At the cut-off time for the drawing there were 120 valid entries (Nancy’s, of Leaping Greenly, doesn’t count since she’s Canadian but I always appreciate her comments!). Here’s … Read more

5 Daily Garden Chores

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Tomato Blossoms In my ultimate wisdom I know that doing daily garden chores is definitely the way to go. If I accomplish just a few things every day I can keep ahead everything that needs done and maintain my sanity. But I also know in my ultimate wisdom that daily garden chores are not always … Read more

Compost Tumbler Contest Last Call!

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Don’t forget that Friday is the last day to enter the compost tumbler giveaway sponsored by Clean Air Gardening. At the time of my writing this reminder there are 95 entries and the competition is fierce! It just shows that gardeners know how important composting is for our gardens. I do want to thank Clean … Read more

The First Tomatoes

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I’ll admit the title is a bit misleading. You would think that the first tomatoes I would be talking about would be the first ripe tomatoes, I’m sorry to say that it isn’t so! I would love to be able to tell you about how wonderfully tasty those ripe red Roma tomatoes are, how full … Read more

Win a Compost Bin?

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Today I have a very cool giveaway to tell you about. The folks at Clean Air Gardening are providing a 60 Gallon Spin Bin made from recycled materials for one lucky winner here on The Home Garden. To enter into the drawing all you need to do is comment on this post before 11:59 PM … Read more

A Small Garden Shed Update

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Here’s a just a short update with what’s going on with my garden shed. Bought three colors of paint (two gallons of the main paint and one each for trim and doors). I’ll let you know what the color scheme will be later but it will blend with our house. Bought glazing to fix and … Read more

In Memory

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Memorial Day isn’t about cookouts or backyard BBQs. It’s not about the fireworks or vacations either. It’s about paying tribute to the memory of those who have given their lives in the service of their country. Originally it was meant to honor those who died in the Civil War and eventually changed to honor those … Read more

Random Thoughts and the Week

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Today I actually found myself in a home improvement store looking for paint for the garden shed. How I found myself or more importantly how I got lost there I’ll never know but I ended up coming home with four gallons of paint. The colors will be revealed at a later date. They aren’t groundbreakingly … Read more

What Bolted Cilantro Looks Like!

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Cilantro is one of those plants that you either like to eat or don’t. Fortunately I’m a fan, especially when it’s in guacamole, but even if you don’t like to eat it cilantro sure looks good when in bloom! I let my cilantro go to seed each year so that I can collect the seeds … Read more

Here’s What Rooted Today

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Rooted Cuttings – Potted up Perhaps I should have titled this post “Here’s What I Potted Up Today” but rooting is more exciting don’t you think? Anyway this morning I potted several different kinds of cuttings that I’ve been propagating inside the house. This isn’t the end of the propagation process since they still need … Read more

Plant Swaps and the Week in Review

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This morning I attended the Middle Tennessee Plant Swap at Henry Horton State Park. If you’ve never been to a plant swap before you really should consider going to at least one. It’s a fantastic way to expand the plant varieties in your garden on the extremely cheap side. The concept is simple, bring any … Read more

Growing Achillea millifolium (Yarrow) in the Home Garden

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Achillea millifolium is one of the easiest perennials to grow. Almost no care, very little maintenance, and bright punches of color make it a very good plant for low-maintenance gardens. In our garden we have 4-5 varieties which unfortunately are mostly unnamed but their colors include red, yellow, white, and pink. The only thing I … Read more

Vegetable Garden Updates

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It’s been a few days since any real vegetable garden update so I figured it was time to show you a little of what’s going on out there in veggie land! The cucumbers: I always direct sow cucumbers, squash, and other cucurbits. Unless you have them in biodegradable pots they don’t always transplant well. I … Read more

I’m No Mr. McGregor

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We all know the tale about that famous gardener who is protective of his garden and the hungry and curious little Peter Rabbit. The silly rabbit invades Mr. McGregor’s garden (not to be confused with Mr. McGregor’s  daughter’s garden) to gorge himself on the fruits of the gardener’s labor, then loses his clothes in the … Read more

Gardening Before Breakfast

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In the south it’s a necessity to get up early to get outside for gardening. Any delay into the mid-morning will result in unnecessary suffering due to the heat and humidity! This morning was already very humid before 8 AM. In the summer it is much worse and this morning’s humidity is just a sign … Read more

Into the Lettuce

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Lately around our house we’ve really been getting into the lettuce from the vegetable garden – in fact quite literally! This red Romaine lettuce called Rouge d’Hiver is a very tasty selection we made from Baker’s Creek. The red coloring is fading as the temperatures are beginning to warm. It won’t be long before this … Read more

Hydrangea Propagation (Hydrangea macrophylla)

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hydrangea propagation through cuttings

Every gardener likes a hydrangea in the garden. Likewise every gardener likes having more hydrangeas in the garden! So why not propagate a few more hydrangeas for your garden? Of course you have to have a suitable spot for one but if you have a garden location with dappled morning sun and afternoon shade you … Read more

6 New Plants in My Garden

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I’m a sucker for cheap perennials – annuals too for that matter. If I go to a nursery I look first at the shrubs and trees just to look – to see what they have. Then I hang out and hover over the perennials, herbs, and even the annuals. I gravitate to the cheap prices … Read more

Making Arrangements for Mother’s Day

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This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. I discovered that one very good advantage to being a gardener is the continuous stock of ready to cut flowers for arrangements. It only took a few minutes to put together these two arrangements one for my wife and one for my mother. Each arrangement contains ‘Caradonna’ Salvia, Irises, … Read more

A May Garden Shed Update

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I wrote a short update post on the garden shed. It’s progressing, albeit slowly due to other gardening tasks that need attention. I do need some paint color suggestions so if you have ideas feel free to comment!

A Little Closer to Finished

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Corner Trim on Garden Shed Every day that I get a few minutes to work on the garden shed I get a little closer to finished. Of course I’m still not close enough for my tastes but I’ll keep plugging away at it and eventually it will get completed. A couple weeks ago I managed … Read more

Mint Mayhem! (The Herbs)

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The other day I mentioned rosemary but another herb that I utilize often is mint. While mint is a great plant to have it also has a reputation. You see, once it gets established it grows fast – very fast. It can quickly overtake other plants that are near it. Some people wouldn’t plant it … Read more

Grow Project: Spitfire Nasturium on a Garden Obelisk

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Last Sunday I should have posted about the Grow Project with the Nasturtium seeds but unfortunately our internet connection was out and the weather didn’t let up until Sunday night. There’s only so much blogging you can do without computer/internet access! I’ll update you on the progress of the ‘Spitfire’ Nasturtiums again in the future … Read more

How to Propagate Rosemary in Water from Cuttings

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Rosemary is an herb we use frequently in our cooking, at least when we have it around. In years past I’ve been able to walk out the front door and cut a few sprigs off the large rosemary bushes in front of our steps. I love how easy rosemary is to propagate. In fact rosemary … Read more

Oops, I Missed One!

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In my last post about the irises of May in my garden I showed you several of my irises. Today a new one opened up that we just planted this spring. It’s also a hand me down and has no real identity but it’s nifty to look at! I planted it with several others in … Read more

The Irises of May

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May is a great time in the garden. The plants are full of growth, flowers are coming alive, the weather is good (except when it’s not 😉 ) and the irises are blooming! Lots of other things are blooming too but the irises are the standouts of the moment. The iris flowers even withstood the … Read more

The Tennessee Flood of 2010 Part 2

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Here are a couple videos that I pieced together of our backyard during the recent flooding rains. I do want to reiterate from my post yesterday that my experience was insignificant compared to how this flood has changed the lives of many fellow Tennesseans. We are doing fine with very few problems in our yard … Read more

The Tennessee Flood of 2010 Part 1

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As I’m sure you are aware by now (especially if you’re in Tennessee) that we have experienced record levels of rainfall with subsequent flooding this past weekend. Unfortunately our internet connection has been down until now and this is the first opportunity I’ve had to post since Friday. Things could have been worse – much … Read more

Reusable Plant Tags – A Product Review

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Recently I was asked to take a look at some reusable plant tags from the Allsop Home & Garden company. The idea sounded pretty neat – plant tags that can be written on, washed off, and then reused. They would make great markers for herb gardens or vegetable gardens. In the mail I received six … Read more

A Look at the Backyard

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Here’s a quick look at the backyard from our side yard area. Of course the ugly but necessary heat/AC unit sits on the right so please ignore that now that I’ve pointed it out and drawn your attention to it. 😉  On the left is a rain garden with a river birch and ornamental grasses. … Read more

Snakes in the Garden

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Fortunately I’m not one to be squeamish with the natural side of the garden. The wasps usually don’t bother me, nor do the spiders, and neither do the snakes. I know many people can’t even stand the sight of snakes whether they are dangerous or not. It’s probably the fear that they could be poisonous … Read more

Rain, Rain, Rain!

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Finally some rain! This weekend is bringing us some much needed rain, unfortunately it’s in the form of thunderstorms. I guess that’s better than nothing. The last few weeks have been much drier than a normal April. “April showers” is the well known cliche but it just hasn’t seemed to work out that way. So … Read more

Coral Red Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)

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Coral Red honeysuckle or Lonicera sempervirens is the honeysuckle you want – I mean really want– not the other kind. You probably have honeysuckle somewhere near you right now. It’s white, smells pretty good, and it may even be right behind you as you read this, don’t look! Lonicera japonica knows you are there, it’s … Read more

A Spring Fence Garden Update

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Last year for Mother’s Day I redesigned a garden area for my mom. Their fence garden needed a little revamping and I’m really happy with the results. Here is what the area looked like before: Here’s how it looks now! In the above picture we set the border stones to give an edge for the … Read more

A Late Weekend Gardening Update

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I’m a little late in the weekend review post for this week. Mostly because of being so busy outdoors. Friday night was mowing night – I know most people make it into a movie night or something. Saturday morning was the Spring Hill Garden Club meeting and the rest of the day was spent doing … Read more

Garden Shed with a Front Porch

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Last weekend I put together a small front porch for my garden shed. It’s nothing fancy – just a small platform measuring 8’x4′ made from pressure treated lumber. It’s wide enough to fit a couple chairs when needed and provides a platform for entering the garden shed. The deck is free floating and can be … Read more

Garden Furniture

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A few weeks ago I was asked to review a website of a commercial furniture manufacturer for garden furniture. I took a look around at The Oxford Garden website and from what I can tell they have some very nice furniture. The furniture has a classy yet casual look and whether you are looking for … Read more

How To Propagate Salvia from Cuttings

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propagating salvia from cuttings

Salvia is one of my favorite perennials to propagate and spring and summer are the best times to do root cuttings of salvia from stem tip cuttings. Pretty soon our gardens will be filled with salvia blooms and you’ll see why I like them so much. I’ll post a picture at the bottom of this … Read more

How Dave Saves The World

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Jan at Thanks For Today is sponsoring a meme in support of Earth Day (April 22, 2010). I have to admit I’ve had trouble with this. It’s not that I have any problem with Earth Day or writing a post full of great tips for saving the world but when coming from a personal perspective … Read more

Two Garden Show Finds

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Spring is in full swing and we all know that gardener’s everywhere are flocking to garden shows across the United States. This weekend is the Bloom ‘N’ Garden Expo in Williamson County presented by the Williamson County Master Gardeners. It’s hard for plant nuts to restrain themselves at these festivals and like everyone else I … Read more

Tuesday’s Tasks: Planting a Dogwood and Three Arborvitaes

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Tuesday’s task was twofold: purchase and plant a nifty new dogwood and also transplant three migrating arborvitaes from a friend’s garden to my yard. It was a busy afternoon but the mission was accomplished after some hard labor. The dogwood I picked out was a ‘Constellation’ dogwood which is a hybrid of Cornus kousa and … Read more

Trees, Shrubs, and Emerging Leaves

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It’s amazing how much is growing right now. I feel like all of a sudden everything has emerged in one moment of synchronicity. From the trees and shrubs to the perennials – something is happening everywhere I look. It’s exciting, yet exasperating as there just isn’t enough time to get everything done or talk about … Read more

Trillium in a Cedar Glade

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Over the weekend we visited my in-laws for Easter. While there I always explore the edges of the woods and sometimes deeper but I really didn’t have to journey far to find this trillium. It was among a grouping of several other trilliums on the edge of a cedar glade woods in their backyard. All … Read more

Japanese Dappled Willow Sculpture (Salix integra)

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Several weeks ago I told you of a little dappled willow pruning experiment I tried at my in-laws home.  Before I show you the results let me quickly revisit some characteristics of dappled willows and why I like these shrubs. About Dappled Willows: Japanese dappled willows or (Salix integra ‘Nishiki’) are shrub willows that will … Read more

Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan)

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Rudbeckia is a great perennial for the garden. Low in pests problems and high in visual interest it never fails to provide an impressive display in the late summer. It reseeds easy and is especially good for problem areas and wildflower gardens. It’s seeds nourish the birds in the fall while it’s petals nourish the … Read more

Starting Nasturtiums for the Grow Project

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Recently I started a few nasturtium seeds as a part of the Grow Project hosted by Mr. Brownthumb. Renee’s Seeds offered to send seeds for several volunteer garden bloggers to try. Each month throughout the season I’ll update you on the progress of the nasturtium seeds as they grow. Seed Starting Mix on left, Potting … Read more

More Raised Bed Fun!

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This week my daughter and I put together a couple more raised beds in the garden. They aren’t exactly what I planned to do in the vegetable garden layout that I made a couple months ago but the addition of the extra beds has definitely improved over the layout I had last year, at least … Read more

Gables Covered!

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While I’m excited that the gables on the garden shed were covered this weekend I’m a little disappointed the garden shed siding isn’t finished. As it turns out I ran one piece of siding short of finishing the job! It’s an awful feeling to realize that you’re only a couple steps away from completing a … Read more

Fickle Spring

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Spring weather is at best fickle. One day it’s warm and sunny with temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s then next day the weather forecasters are bringing up the “S” word – SNOW! We didn’t have any of the white stuff thankfully. Sometimes I suspect that there’s a fair amount of weather sensationalism out there … Read more

‘Powis Castle’ Artemisia (Planting and Rooting)

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Since its addition to our garden in 2009 ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia has proved to be a powerful perennial plant for foliage! I’ve always enjoyed artemisias for the silver foliage and really liked the ‘Silver Mound’ artemisia that we put in the front sidewalk garden so once I found this cultivar at a local nursery I … Read more

Cabinets for the Garden Shed

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Please ignore the mess of bricks and leftover lumber lying on the floor at the bottom of this picture. Instead focus on the cabinets! Family friends were cleaning out their basement and passed on quite a few pieces of lumber and odds and ends they thought could be reused. The cabinets came along for the … Read more

Progress Inside the Greenhouse Garden Shed

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While earlier in the week brought progress to the outside of the greenhouse garden shed this weekend brought some progress to the inside. I had already insulated parts of the shed where there is no glass but I needed to cover the insulation. Fortunately there is plenty of scrap plywood laying around the shed from … Read more

My Garden Shed’s Backdoor

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The siding is mostly up except for the gables and the almost secret doors are in place! You can see a picture of the backside of my greenhouse garden shed over on the greenhouse page. It’s not often that I will encourage people to look at my backside, but for the greenhouse I’ll make an … Read more

Greenhouse Garden Shed with a Secret Back Door

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One of the tasks I accomplished last week on the greenhouse garden shed was to complete most of the siding on the backside. It was a complicated task due to many little cuts and some creative problem solving that was involved. One of the issues was with the “secret door.” I wanted the backdoor where … Read more

Mulch Madness

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You read it right! It’s not March Madness – or maybe it is – but it’s also MULCH MADNESS! This morning I picked up 20 bags of mulch and fit in my Honda CRV. That’s a yard and a half of mulch ready to go on the gardens. And at a $1.34 per bag it … Read more

Refreshing The Mailbox Garden

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Last year one of the areas of our yard that I was sorely behind on updating was the mailbox garden. Since mailbox gardens typically are the first thing that people see when they come to visit it’s nice to have something to greet them. It really doesn’t take much to refresh or renew a garden. … Read more