Dave Recently I purchased a copy of The Market Gardener written by the Canadian organic farmer Jean-Martin Fortier. As soon as I read the description I was immediately interested in its contents. The Market Gardener explains how to raise enough crops on just 1.5 acres of land to make a full time income and support one’s … Read more
The calendar hasn’t said so yet officially, but winter weather is already here. As I write this post sleet is spitting through the air outside. Fortunately I have a pot of hot coffee available to offset the cold. What should a gardener be doing on these cold “winter” days when the garden isn’t suitable for … Read more
Fall is a great time of the year. It’s always been my favorite season because of the fall colors, the cooler weather, and there are always events to enjoy. The vegetable garden is enjoys the cooler weather too. Gone now are the peppers and tomatoes, which both succumbed to frost, but instead we have kale, … Read more
The holidays are an extremely busy time of the year. We go from Halloween with spooky decorations, to Thanksgiving with autumn harvest styles, then to finally to Christmas. For those who enjoy decorating (and have the storage space for all that stuff) it can be a great deal of fun, but for others who may … Read more
First before I tell you who won the Jet Blower from Troy-Bilt I wanted to say thank you for entering! Giving stuff away is really one of the more exciting parts of blogging! The Jet is an easy to use leaf blower made by Troy-Bilt. The Jet easily blasts away grass clippings on driveways and leaves … Read more
This week marks seven years since I began this blog, Growing The Home Garden. It’s amazing to see how many changes have taken place in the garden and in my life since that late October day. When I started this blog our backyard was vacant of trees, plants, and anything resembling a garden. It’s grown … Read more
There are lot of home and garden products that a gardener can choose to use in the garden. Not all of them are good to use frequently and should only be used sparingly or not all all. Roundup is one of those types of chemicals. It accomplishes its goal very well but will leave residue … Read more
It’s time to put up the summer harvests and begin preparing for winter and next spring. One way to prepare for spring is to save seeds from plants you grew this year that you enjoyed so that you can grow it again next year. Okra is a southern garden favorite that is very easy to … Read more
Fall is well underway and we all know that with fall comes mountains of leaves! The beautiful color changes can quickly transition into a thick carpet of smothering leaves on the ground. Many homeowners are smart and use this natural resource in the garden but others do one thing that drives this gardener crazy. What … Read more
In the fall there are several iconic thoughts that spring to mind of most people. Cool crisp days evoke good feelings and memories created around fall festivals, apple cider, holidays, and other fall activities. One way to share the fall experience with your family is to add a backyard fire pit. What could be better … Read more
Last weekend I pulled out the tomato plants (all but three) and did the yearly Bermuda grass removal. Bermuda grass is one of the two most frustrating parts of my vegetable garden, the other being the deer. Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) grows and spreads through rhizomes (under the soil) and stolons (above the soil). Any … Read more
I love heirloom plants and hot peppers are no exception. The fact that the genetic makeup of a vegetable or fruit can be traced back in time many years makes the special. In some cases they have a historical context, but the main reason I like them is that heirloom peppers (and other plants) usually … Read more
Perhaps one of the easiest methods of plant propagation is through bulbils. Bulbils are simply baby plants produced along aerial stem of a plant. Lilies are well known for producing bubils and you can take advantage of this natural plant ability to create more lilies for your garden. Not all lilies produce bulbils so be … Read more
Fall is a great time of the year for seed saving. Our plants have spent their time over the summer building up energy to produce seeds which will one day sprout, grow, and create new plants. Seedlings are essential to the diversity of a species. When open pollinated plants share their genetic makeup they can … Read more
Fall, as I’ve said before, is probably my favorite time of year. I enjoy the processes involved with closing down the garden, the cooler weather, and the changes in the leaves. It’s also a great time to garden with its own set of unique challenges. For planting trees, shrubs, and bulbs there is no better … Read more
It’s that time of year again, time to think about spring! Yes, I said that right. Spring! Fall is almost here but if you want to maximize the potential of your garden next year fall is the best time to get some work done. The autumn leaves will be changing soon and now is the … Read more
Fall web worms (tent caterpillars) appear this time of year but it doesn’t have to be a problem. You don’t need chemical sprays to remove them, just one simple thing – a stick! Use the stick to stab open the caterpillar web to break it open. Give it a twist like you are turning cotton … Read more
You can feel it in the air can’t you? The coolness of an approaching autumn. The each passing day is getting noticeably shorter. We’re beginning that transitional period from the hot summer growing season to the fall growing season and that can mean a lot of changes in the garden. The vegetable garden may still … Read more
Several years ago I built a patio using paving stones. I intended to complete the patio by adding a sidewalk that would bring the paved surface area all the way around to the garage and driveway. This weekend I finally made major progress on this neglected project. Making a paving stone patio, sidewalk, or pathway … Read more
When growing products for a farmers market you have to keep your eye on what sells. In my last post I mentioned a few of the products that sell well at our local farmers market. Today here are a few more good selling products that you may want to consider selling at your local farmers … Read more
For 3 years now (it’s hard to believe it’s been that long!) I’ve been selling plants at a local farmers market while also helping to manage the market’s logistical operations and online presence (Social Media and Webpage). Over that time I’ve observed quite a few different merchants with a variety of products at a farmers … Read more
Last week our family went for a vacation. The primary goal of this vacation was to let our oldest daughter see her favorite animal (the cheetah) in person. My wife did some research into various zoos and my mom suggested the Columbus Zoo in Ohio based on a Jack Hanna segment she saw on TV. … Read more
Recently my mom had her bathroom remodeled. In the process she replaced on of her bathroom vanities and I thought that it might make a good workstation for my many DIY and Garden projects. I’m very pleased with the result which now will provide a clean solid work top, cabinet space, a pegboard area for … Read more
Summer is in full gear. Which means there is a lot to do in the garden, there always is isn’t there? The tomatoes and peppers are beginning to produce and in a couple short weeks should be ready to pick. Here are a few summer gardening tips to help you in your garden. Watch for … Read more
Cilantro is one of our family’s favorite herbs to grow. We use it in cooking various dishes and always include it in our guacamole. In the garden it tends to be very short lived in the heat of the summer. Cilantro is very heat sensitive and will produce flowers very fast when the temperatures get … Read more
When the fruit first begins to form in your vegetable garden you may notice a condition where the blossom ends of the fruit turns brown to black then begins to rot away. This can happen to a number of different vegetable garden producers like tomatoes, squash, peppers, and more. Aptly named “Blossom End Rot”, this … Read more
Thank you to all the commenters who left entries into the Troy-Bilt CS4235 Wood Chipper giveaway. It is a great tool for the garden and I know whoever is the winner will enjoy making mountains of mulch! We had 39 commenters* who left some great descriptions of their gardens. What I found interesting to read … Read more
The summer heat is coming and with the heat comes a whole new set of rules for gardening. The warm season vegetables grow great while the cool season plants bolt quickly. What if you want to keep your cool season plantings growing longer into the summer? Is there a way to do that? The answer … Read more
As part of the Saturday6 team of bloggers I have the pleasure of getting to test and keep some very cool products. Last year if you recall I tested the RZT (0-Turn mower) which has greatly diminished my mowing time and a 4-cycle trimmer with cultivator attachments. I’m still enjoying both of those products in … Read more
Last year my plum tree was the victim of a savage deer rubbing attack. The bark was stripped all the way around the trunk leaving no possibility of water passing toward the top of the tree through the cambium layer. It was frustrating to say the least. Two varieties of plum trees are necessary for … Read more
Grape vines area great edible plant to add to the garden. Grape vines can be used in many ways and have the attributes of an ornamental plant with high value as an edible plant. As an edible plant grapes can be used to make wine, juice, and their leaves are edible making them an interesting … Read more
Last week I made some cuttings of my ‘Concord’ grape vine in an attempt to make a few more vines. Grapes are great edible plants to have in the garden whether you like eating them at the table, making juice, or even making wine. Grapes enjoy a full sun location. Here’s how to propagate grapes … Read more
With all the edible choices of plants to add to your garden blueberries are at the top of most lists. They taste good, come back every year, and highly nutritious, and aren’t hard to grow if you do the right things for them. What do you need to do to grow a bumper crop of … Read more
Last weekend we went to a family wedding in West TN. While out there we stopped by and visited my wife’s Uncle Joe in Jackson who loves to garden. He has a variety of plants ranging from broccoli, radishes, and spring greens to tomatoes and peppers. Since I don’t grow broccoli in my garden (I … Read more
While wasps certainly are a normal part of nature and serve an important function we don’t always want to be around them. Wasp stings can be quite painful and some people even have adverse reactions to their sting (as I can attest to, see the post on my swollen foot – not for the squeamish!) … Read more
Gardeners garden for many reasons. Perhaps the most common reason is to get back to that part of us that belongs with nature. We want to see the world around us come through our garden and provide for its positive growth. How we do that can vary in thousands of ways but almost every method … Read more
I went out to water plants in the garden this morning and thought it was a good time to show you how the garden was growing this morning. So far the first week of May have been warm and sunny and the garden is responding accordingly. Here is what you can see in our zone … Read more
I often heard stories from people about their gardening experience when they were children. Usually the story has something to do with the person being forced to pull mountains of weeds. The quickest way for kids to lose their interest in gardening is to force them to do laborious and monotonous tasks, like weeding. When … Read more
First of all let me apologize, I intended to announce the winner of the grill yesterday however I was out battening down the hatches in preparation for storms of epic proportions. Fortunately the storms did not manifest to the extent our local forecasters predicted. That is just fine by me! Our thoughts and prayers are … Read more
How would you like to add a firepit and a grill to your garden at the same time? Well today you get your chance! The people at Serenity Health and Home Decor have given me the go ahead to give away this amazing firepit/grill. All you have to do is comment in the comment section … Read more
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 … Read more
Recently I was given the opportunity to check out Nancy Ondra’s latest book called Five-Plant Gardens. Nancy Ondra writes the blog Hayefield and has written several other books including The Perennial Care Manual. She is definitely what I consider and expert on perennial plants! This latest book isn’t about the care of the plants it’s … Read more
One of the most despised “weeds” in the lawn is the dandelion. All sorts of chemical companies offer ways to get rid of them and get your “perfect” lawn. It’s too bad that we seek to eliminate this little flower because they have so many healthy benefits! What is a Dandelion good for? I’m glad … Read more
Spring is in full swing here in Tennessee and that means people everywhere are headed outdoors. Some to play, some to work, and others to just hang out on the front porch with glass of sweet tea. That’s what we do here in the south, sweet tea on the front porch. This week I put … Read more
It’s another beautiful spring morning here in Tennessee and I thought I would share a little of the garden with you so you could see what is growing. Yesterday was in the 70’s and the rest of the week is predicted to be the same which is simply perfect springtime weather. We all deserve a … Read more
Everyone is thinking about the garden right now, if not they should be! The vegetable garden is where you can really reap the rewards of your backyard. Sometimes though you don’t know what you should be doing and when or (if you’re like me) forget a few things every now and then! So here is … Read more
Spring is officially here! Spring’s arrival means it is really time to be thinking about the garden (as if we haven’t been since fall). It’s always important to get the spring gardening season off to a great start. Today let’s look at a few garden tasks that need done to help get your garden going. … Read more
It isn’t often that you get to be a part of something very special. Recently the Troy-Bilt Saturday6 team had the opportunity to visit a place in need of some help to grow the community, the Perrine Community in Florida. Together with the other 5 Saturday6 members, the Troy-Bilt team, and the Keep American Beautiful … Read more
Last week I attended the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show. I’ve been very busy planting seeds and getting the garden ready and I haven’t had a lot of time to post lately so I thought I would share a few short posts with your from the show that had some clever design ideas that you … Read more
This winter has been cold and nothing if not unpredictable. Here in Tennessee we’re experiencing a warm day every now and then followed by extreme cold. Hopefully now that March has arrived and spring is close things will be shaping up very soon. With that in mind I put together a project that will help … Read more
On my trip to the Vizcaya gardens in Miami I saw this salvia (Salvia leucantha/Mexican Bush sage) and thought it was a perfect way to display it – against a red backdrop. This salvia was located in front of a large patio area made from limestone blocks facing Biscayne Bay. The faded red from the … Read more
The last week has been extremely busy and there are a mountain of fun things to talk about that sprang from it as well as quite a few neat things that will be coming down the road for the garden. Of course right now we have results of the last of this winter’s oppressive ice … Read more
This week is the Nashville Lawn and Garden Show! For those of us here in TN this is a great opportunity to go out and take care of that gardening fix after a long cold winter. There are always some interesting ideas to be found in the displays so make sure you bring a camera! … Read more
It’s just about time to start seeds indoors for peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes here in TN so I thought I would share a quick post on how I make my seed starting medium (mix). Seed starting mixes can be bought with the same ingredients as what I’m about to share with you but when you … Read more
We’ve all been stuck indoors too long. It’s February and here in TN we should be getting 50 degree temperatures for highs but instead are stuck in the lower 30’s or below. In order to help alleviate the cabin fever and feed the gardening fix I put together a little project for one of our … Read more
Once all your prep work has been thoroughly completed gather up all your lists and get ready to design the plan for your edible landscape. When making an edible landscape plan it is important to keep all of your end goals in mind along with the time it will take to reach those goals. Time … Read more
Whenever you start to design an Edible Landscape/Garden it helps to have some inspiration to use as a guide. You may have a ton of ideas in your head, but – trust me on this – sometimes those ideas don’t always work! It’s never a bad idea to have some backup ideas or to just … Read more
An important thing to consider on your way to developing an edible landscape is how you want to grow your plants. What growing system do you want to use? As part of your plan you will need to figure out how you want to structure your garden and the growing system you choose can provide … Read more
After you have a good list of the elements your edible landscape needs and you have pieced together a solid “To Grow” list you need to evaluate what you already have in your garden. Some people might put this step first and that’s OK but if you do your evaluation after you decide what you … Read more
This week we began a series of posts on edible landscaping. Below you will find several articles to get started on creating a productive and beautiful edible landcape. There are many more articles to come in this series so please check back or bookmark this post for updates! How to Begin a Plan Create a … Read more
In this continuing series of edible landscaping we’re going to discuss more elements that should be in the sustainable edible landscape plan. In the last post we brought up the importance of good soil and water systems as well as having a good way to take care of pests. If you’re new to this series … Read more
In my last post I told you how to begin planning for an edible landscape and how to determine what to grow. Today let’s examine what elements you need to incorporate into the plan. With an edible landscape we need to focus on one thing: sustainability. Sustainability is a word used a lot these days … Read more
There is a trend emerging, a very good trend, toward homeowners filling their garden with edible plantings. Homeowners are trading out ornamental plants for the practical plants that produce food and nourishment for themselves. How does a gardener begin with changing their landscape into a practical edible garden? You might be surprised. Try creating your … Read more
Maybe you’ve seen the picture that is floating around the internet. In the picture there are two peppers. One has three lobes and the other four with captions that claim one is female and the other is male. It also claims that the male produces fewer seeds than the female. This completely incorrect information. In … Read more
The cold temps are keeping you indoors and you are going stir crazy. You need to do something in the garden, with the garden, or for the garden and the seed catalogs showing up in your mailbox just aren’t good enough to get your gardening fix. Then do this – plant an indoor garden! Recently … Read more
Layering is a fantastic way to make more free plants with very little risk. Propagating a plant through layering usually involves pinning down a branch to make contact with the soil so that the branch can begin forming roots. I’ve used layering to propagate more difficult to root plants like oak leaf hydrangeas. Below … Read more
It’s always fun to go back and look at the year. It helps to examine what went well or what didn’t. Usually I end the year with a post on how my garden projects went but this year I thought I would mention what the top posts on Growing The Home Garden were for 2013. … Read more
I don’t make many New Year’s resolutions. I make goals instead. I put together ideas of things I would like to accomplish and set out to do them. I usually don’t get through every goal I set but by setting a few goals that are attainable I accomplish more than I would have otherwise! I’ll … Read more
Christmas is just about here and our minds are all focused on celebrating the season with family and friends but soon after Christmas our gardens will be need attention. In gardening the correct timing can mean the difference between a great harvest, OK harvest, or even no harvest. Let’s take a quick look at some … Read more
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 … Read more
This time of year it isn’t unusual to see the garden in a crystallized form. Wet winter weather insures that enough moisture is around to turn the landscape into a frosted garden. The unique appearance of the frosted garden gives the gardener a great opportunity to play around with some photography. Here are a few … Read more
Winter is one of those times when many gardeners wish they could be growing fresh herbs or produce but the weather just doesn’t cooperate. What is a determined gardener to do then? Build something! I decided to put together an indoor grow box/planter with a grow light to grow some plants while the weather outside … Read more
I mentioned earlier today in a post on Facebook about using homemade seed packets as a gift idea for stocking stuffers. You can read more about that type of seed packet in this post: using wrapping paper for homemade seed packets. If you want a more typical style of seed packet that you can customize … Read more
I do a lot of thinking. Too much probably but I have ideas and they have to work themselves out in my head or in the garden one way or another! The gardening “off-season” is when I plan. It’s when I take those thoughts in my head and entertain them before discarding the impractical ones. … Read more
Here at Growing The Home Garden I’m a huge proponent of raised bed gardening. Raised beds can be made of all sorts of materials and have all kinds of advantages for growing a garden. Raised beds are great solution for many tricky situations in the garden. Here are a few ways that raised beds can … Read more
Emily Rose who gardens and blogs in the Chattanooga area has a very picturesque setting for her fall colors! What could be better than fall colors reflected in a pond? Oaks, maples, and other trees all offer up a piece of East Tennessee fall color. Stop by and check out Emily’s fall color pictures at … Read more
I’ve always been a big fan of solar lighting. I like the convenience of adding light where I want it in the garden without having to wire in electrical lines. I also like how solar energy is collected during the day and distributed later when it is needed without using resources from the power grid. … Read more
Garden writer Nancy Ondra never has a disappointing garden photo (at least not that I’ve seen!) This year her fall color project post is as impressive as ever with viburnums, amsonia, winterberry, purple smoke bush and so many other things to look at. I wish I could stop by in person to tour her garden … Read more
A few years ago I found a maple tree on sale at one of our local nurseries. It was only five dollars so I bought it, planted it, and left it alone. It was a ‘Brandywine’ maple tree which is a cross between an ‘October Glory’ and ‘Autumn Flame’. With parents that good it had … Read more
First let me apologize for not writing much lately. Life has been busy and I haven’t been able to get into the garden as much. Things are winding down for the cold season fortunately and while there is still much to do in the garden it always seems more manageable when the weeds are no … Read more
I’m a huge fan of mustard. There are few snacks I enjoy more than pretzels dipped in a delicious honey mustard. I love it on sandwiches and as an ingredient in all sorts of things from chicken dishes to potato salad. Mustard is simply awesome. That’s my opinion anyway. It’s also extremely easy to grow … Read more
The legumes are one awesome vegetable family (Leguminosae). Really, they are! Legumes are essential to any crop rotation plan because of one major trait: legumes are nitrogen fixers! What does that mean? It means that legumes have an amazing ability to take nitrogen from the air and change it into a form usable by plants. … Read more
The other day I wrote about crop rotation, it’s importance, and it’s benefit in the garden so today I thought we’d begin looking at the individual families of vegetables and how they fit into the grand scheme of things. Since it is probably the most popular family, because of one of its members (the tomato), … Read more
Maybe your garden didn’t turn out so well this year. Maybe your tomatoes may died out due to disease or other vegetables might not have produced as well as they have in the past. It happens. Sometimes it’s the weather that causes it and sometimes insects bring in diseases, but those factors are hard to … Read more
The number one thing people think of when the fall season comes is the leaves. Thoughts of harvests, festivals, and cooler weather come too but when the fall season comes to mind its the leaves that get the attention. Everybody loves the leaves! Here’s why: 5 Reasons to Love Your Leaves The colors. Mother nature … Read more
October is always a fun time of the year. Fall festivals are in full swing, the leaves are changing, the weather is more cooperative for gardening, and of course there’s Halloween. We don’t typically decorate much around here for Halloween. Part of it is the difficulty of managing a whole lot of decorating with four … Read more
Here is a little guide on various plants that you can propagate in your home garden. I’ve included the types of propagation where I’ve been successful (seeds, Layering, Division, Cuttings, etc.). If I can do it so can you! The links in the tables below will take you to posts I have written as a … Read more
It is officially fall and we all know what that means – its time for the Fall Color Project! Every year I encourage bloggers to use Growing The Home Garden as a hub to share the peak colors in their area. Fall color is different every year and in every area. There is no way … Read more
Knockout roses are great additions to any garden. They are more resistant to pests and diseases and continue to provide blooms throughout the summer. This rose is planted in a corner bed between our front sidewalk and the driveway.
Migration isn’t just limited to the birds and the butterflies, it happens in the garden too. We have about a month before the frost date here in Middle Tennessee (mid-October) and it’s time to move and divide the hostas in my garden. Once that frost date comes the hosta leaves will fade away and the … Read more
The leaf show hasn’t begun in the south just yet so now is a great opportunity to look at some common leaves before the color changes begin! For a list of Native trees to the United States and information on how to propagate them go to this page: United States Native Tree Propagation List Redbuds … Read more
I haven’t made it out into the garden much lately other than to gather the occasional item for the kitchen but I did manage to grab the camera and head into the yard this afternoon for a few minutes. Here’s a little of what I found! This is a ‘Golden Globe’ arborvitae. It has a … Read more
The weather is changing, the shadows are getting longer, and of course the leaves are beginning to become more colorful which opens the door to a new season of gardening. Every season has it’s own specific chores and things to do. Winter is for planning, spring is for starting, summer is for maintenance and harvesting, … Read more
We all know about compost. It’s important, perhaps the most important thing we do as gardeners for our plants. Organic matter is critical for plants to get nutrients. It’s also extremely helpful as a waste disposal system. Rather than throw away your biodegradable wastes from the kitchen you can compost it and use it later … Read more
There are few fall performers more majestic than the beautyberry. My beautyberry is Callicarpa dichtoma ‘Early Amethyst’ and is a native of Asia. It’s a beautiful shrub with tiny white flowers in the summer that become loaded with clusters of purple berries in the fall. When I say loaded, I mean loaded! The berries last … Read more
I spent a good deal of time this weekend getting out into the garden to get some long past due chores done. Summertime is one of those stretches where the garden seems to find itself a but neglected. It makes sense. The kids are going back to school, the weather is hot and humid, and … Read more
I’m only a little of the way into a remodel of our side garden but I thought I’d show you what there is to see so far. Our side garden connects the front yard (and arbor) to the back yard and was designed several years ago to eventually become a shady location for hydrangeas and … Read more
Never say never right? In my experience there are very few plants that are truly safe from deer. This year I’ve had big time deer issues. The extra tomato bed I planted was completely devoured by the two deer that are camping out in our backyard. That isn’t shocking really. I wasn’t able to put … Read more
I love surprises in the garden. Plants that pop up where you least expect them – unfortunately those are usually called “WEEDS.” Sometimes though we find plants of value that pop up. Here are a few pictures of some self-sown coleus plants that came up in my front garden this year. I grow coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) … Read more
