Dave 
A few weeks ago I planted our fall greens from seed in the vegetable garden. I planted a mix of kale, chard, lettuce, spinach, pak choi, and Brussels sprouts. The seedlings are all located in one of my long 10’x3′ beds made from scrap lumber. They were originally meant to be 10’x2′ like in this … Read more
Fall is well known for its colorful foliage that paints the country each year but there’s still lots to appreciate among the flowering plants! Here’s a few of our current blooming flowers from the garden. Some don’t have much longer to go until the frost declares an end to the show. The ‘Clara Curtis’ mums … Read more
Updated on 11/23/2024 Fall is that time of year when gardeners begin the process of cleaning up the garden but also is the time when we begin to think of next year and saving seeds. One of the my favorite plants is echinacea and I like to save the seed from it to grow and … Read more
I figured since you’ve been waiting in anticipation for the winner of the $50 Lowe’s Gift Card from Lowe’s Creative Ideas that I would share with you a picture of something I’m waiting on – ‘Clara Curtis’ mums to bloom. These beautiful daisy flowered mum that I received at a plant swap several years ago … Read more
Today I’ll show you a few more pictures of the mums but I also wanted to remind you that today is the last day to enter the $50 Gift Card Contest to Lowe’s! The folks at Lowe’s Creative Ideas are providing anyone who comments on the mums project posts this week an opportunity to win … Read more
Is there a flower more typical of fall than mums? Probably not! There are definitely some flowers worthy of autumnal appreciation but the mum is the most common one you’ll find this time of year. I put together a little project for Lowe’s Creative Ideas that uses mums and reuses my dad’s old wheelbarrow. The … Read more
I sadly saw yesterday a weather report that mentioned the “F” word – FROST. It’s coming very soon, most likely Sunday and/or Monday nights. While there are some good feelings about this – like a rest period for the gardener – it’s also a time I dread. Those fresh tomatoes from the garden will soon … Read more
A couple weeks ago I saw a picture posted on Facebook with a display of sedums all planted in an old wheelbarrow. It was a pretty creative idea to re-use a wheelbarrow that may have just been discarded and turn it into something of interest. This gave me an idea for my latest project for … Read more
It’s fall and the gardening season is winding down, but it’s not too late to save a few dollars for next year. There are lots of techniques gardeners can do this time of year to save money for next season. Today I’m going to give you five ideas that will help you save money on … Read more
One of my recent projects was to complete two entrances to our front sidewalk from the lawn. The openings were already there but didn’t have any definition – or at least any good definition that a person walking along would see a clear path to the sidewalk. I had some paving stones in the backyard set aside for another … Read more
The autumn equinox is this weekend which means fall will be officially here but along the way nature has been telling us that fall is here already. Let’s take a peek at some of the signs of fall around my garden. 5 Signs of Autumn’s Arrival The annual discussion of what causes allergies begins when … Read more
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 … Read more
I mention yesterday that I would share a couple more things with you about the Fall Color Project 2012 so today here are they are! The first news to share today is that there is a prize available for the participants. All you have to do to win the prize is to join in the … Read more
Please forgive the randomness of my title for today’s post. It’s hard to sum up a weekend in just a few words! Weekends are always busy times in the garden when the weather is as beautiful as it has been. Sunday’s humidity was a bit high in anticipation of the rain that’s falling on the … Read more
By now you’ve probably heard about the study that says organically grown vegetables are not any healthier than their “conventionally” grown counterparts. If you haven’t I’ll sum it up in a nutshell. The study examined the nutrients and vitamins present in organic produce and compared it to conventionally grown vegetables and didn’t find a significant … Read more
When we first moved into our house back in 2007 and were discovering what our garden had in it we found very little. A nandina, a couple cedars, some reblooming daylilies, and a teeny tiny spirea were all the plants that were there. Not much to start a garden with but I was excited about … Read more
For several years before we bought our house we lived in an apartment. I still had the gardening bug and couldn’t resist planting a vegetable garden in pots on the porch. While today I have ground to plant in I still utilize the porch and deck on our house to grow a few plants. Here’s … Read more
A week ago we found ourselves at the doctors office for one of my children. Nothing major (this time), just a regular check up and physical so she could run cross country (Very cool that a 7 year old wants to run cross country!). After her appointment we left the doctor’s office and found a … Read more
Every year for the past 4 years Growing The Home Garden has hosted the Fall Color Project and now the leaves of the sassafras trees, the golden rod and cooler weather are telling me that its time to begin with the 5th year of The Fall Color Project! It’s always exciting to see the fall … Read more
The other day I was taking the camera out for a walk. We do that often around here. Just my camera and me wandering through the garden. Gazing at flowers, bugs, butterflies, and anything else of interest. I think you know this already – but I take a lot of pictures! I stopped by to examine a … Read more
Just what you want right? Even more things to do in the garden. I’m sure you have everything perfect. Everything is mulched to 2 inches high. Every weed is pulled and the gardens are in pristine condition! Not our garden, not even close! An extra long weekend is ahead which (unless you’ve been deluged with … Read more
The end of August is nearly here and the garden is shaping up for its conclusion. Hopefully it will be a spectacular finish where the flowers bloom out and blend with the foliage as it turns into flaming reds, oranges, and yellows. That may be the proverbial pipe dream as the weather has been strange … Read more
This month’s Creative Ideas Project with Lowe’s and Growing The Home Garden is all about organization! By using a $100 gift card donated by Lowe’s I’ve redone a part of my garage to make it more useful for our whole family – not just the gardener! I think the main problem people have with organization … Read more
Fall is creeping closer and closer each day which brings to mind cool evening breezes, pumpkins, festivals, the Fall Color Project (more on that later), and of course the fall vegetable growing season. Most gardeners seem to garden almost exclusively in the spring or summer and don’t even consider the fall. It’s probably since starting … Read more
Over at Clay and Limestone Gail celebrates the diversity of native plants with Wildflower Wednesday so I thought I would join in this week to share a few of the native plants I’ve run across over the past week. Let’s start with a shrub! This is what I believe to be a gray dogwood (Cornus … Read more
This morning’s cool temperatures made it feel like my favorite season is well on its way. Of course autumn is coming but the extra cool August temperatures we’re having have me hoping for an extended fall season. Here’s a look at a few things from around the garden this morning! ‘Arizona Sun’ Gaillardia – Blanket … Read more
What does a gardener’s garage look like? Before you put an image into your mind please realize that the photo I’m about to show you is extremely embarrassing. My garage has never been a priority for me – the garden has been! When you add three kids to the mix who never seem to be … Read more
Have you ever wondered exactly how tall a raised bed should be? Here’s the answer: 11 and 5/16ths. Yep that’s right, 11 and 5/16ths. Of course not! The real answer is that the height of a raised bed is dependent on a number of factors which makes each situation different. Today’s Friday Fives post is … Read more
With summers in Tennessee you never know exactly what your going to get. Usually you expect dry and hot. That’s a pretty safe bet. But lately the temperatures have reminded me of fall. The scents are on the wind. Fall blooming plants like goldenrod and ironweed are beginning to flower. The smell of fall is in the air – … Read more
Mowed the lawn – check. Weeded the shed gardens – check. Weeded the sitting wall garden – check. Weeded and mulched the mailbox garden – check. Weeded the corner shade garden – check – kind of. Weeded the birdbath garden without a birdbath – check – kind of. Cut back a ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia that … Read more
This summer has been a tricky one in which to garden in here in Tennessee. June was the driest month I can remember and hotter than any June on record. July was strange too – extra moisture and cooler temperatures made up some of the lost ground caused by the spring drought. Having strange weather … Read more
The blue berries I’m about to show aren’t from any blueberry bush but are from the Arrowwood viburnum! This viburnum is one of my favorites (but really, I think all viburnums are my favorites). Viburnum dentatum has white flowers that appear in spring and are a great source of nectar for bees and butterflies. The … Read more
It’s time to show you a few pictures of the plants around my garden! The gardens themselves are in need of weeding, mulch, and assorted other chores I haven’t had time to get to yet but that doesn’t stop the plants from looking impressive. Our weather lately has been wetter than normal for August and … Read more
It’s time to start thinking fall garden if you haven’t already! It may seem too hot, too dry or too much like August where you are but over the next few weeks we need to get our seeds started and growing. When to Start Seeds for a Fall Vegetable Garden? The tricky thinking about starting … Read more
Last Friday I mentioned 5 Vegetable Garden Design Tips for the Friday Fives post. Today we’ll look at some more vegetable garden design tips that relate to organization of a garden’s layout! I’ll have to own up and admit it that the organization part of gardening is a skill where I am somewhat deficient though … Read more
You can never have enough arbors can you? Arbors are a design element for a garden that add vertical structure and can provide definition to garden areas. Today I put together a very simple gateway arbor as an entrance to the shade garden I’ve built for Lowe’s Creative Ideas. The last I built used gutters … Read more
Another unforeseen issue has arisen in my garden: blister beetles! These voracious beetles are systematically devouring the foliage of our plants. So far they’ve taken turns tasting our tomatoes, tomatillos, and even a clematis. I’m not heartbroken over the clematis as it’s a sweet autumn clematis that grows like a weed – it will come … Read more
For several years now I’ve written about the value of planting in raised beds. One of the most viewed posts on Growing The Home Garden is my post Designing a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden: 11 Things to Think About. It has 11 design tips that will help your vegetable garden layout achieve its maximum potential. … Read more
A shade garden just isn’t a shade garden without plants right? So what plants should get planted in a deer proof garden? Oops I said proof again. Nothing is 100% proof against a deer. Resistant is a better word. So let’s try this again. What kind of plants should be planted in a deer resistant … Read more
I’ve always loved shade gardens. Foliage plants like hostas and heucheras are two of my favorite types of plants and I just don’t have enough space in my yard for them. The other issue I have is deer. They’ve eaten many of my plants over the years. They love sampling a little bit of everything … Read more
A couple years ago I was given a blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) to add to my garden. I planted it when it was covered with seeds and let it go to grow as it could as I do with so many plants. I forgot about it but apparently several seeds landed in different location near … Read more
It’s always nice to have a few flowers that are so extremely reliable that you can count on them even during the most awkward periods of weather. Recently it’s been raining which has been helping us recover from our drought but these flowers were doing great in the drought conditions. Let’s take a look! Orange … Read more
This July has been very strange for us here in Tennessee. We ended June with intense heat and dryness which continued into July then the weather changed. Rains came back and with them came the hope of producing a quality crop from the vegetable garden. To achieve the best results from the vegetable garden there … Read more
It hardly seems to me that spring had even started before it was gone. This growing season has gone by so quickly, or maybe I’m just getting too busy! Unfortunately the garden has been through some rough times. Drought and unbelievable record heat have crippled gardening in many ways from killing plants to keeping gardener’s … Read more
In the very back of our property we have a shady area. It’s about the only shady area that has occured naturally in our landscape. A mixture of walnut, sassafras, hackberry, and maple trees create a shade area that until recently was completely unusable! It was a problem area in our landscape which I thought … Read more
Over the years I’ve planted quite a few heucheras for my garden. Heucheras or coral bells are becoming more and more popular as a wide array of unique cultivars continue to come on the market. You might even think that heucheras are relatively new to the horticultural world when in fact they’ve been tinkered with … Read more
As crazy as it sounds I’m still putting plants in the ground with temperatures up around 100! The weather may be hot but sometimes you just have to deal with it and move on with your garden plans. Usually a plant will perform much better with less water requirements if it has been planted in … Read more
I’ve been saving seeds like mad this year. Collecting the seeds from my own garden and using them for my nursery as well as for personal use is one easy way to make sure I have quality seed at a low cost! Unfortunately the amount of seeds produced by plants this year will probably be … Read more
It’s been another long break between postings here on the Growing The Home Garden Shed page. If you follow me on Facebook or read my main gardening blog you know how busy I’ve been with starting my own nursery. It’s been a challenge and even though I started off with the attitude that I should … Read more
But there’s a such thing as too hot! This weekend has been miserably hot. The temperatures have raced each morning to break above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Three days now in a row of triple digit temperatures are doing their best to put an early end to the garden. To make things worse the last rain … Read more
My gardens haven’t seen any rain for several weeks now. The grass is brown and I even commented to my daughter that it sounds like crunchy snow. Of course the reality couldn’t be further from the truth – it’s hot! No snowball could survive in our back yard today with temperatures expected to rise into … Read more
Sometimes you don’t really know where your garden is going to go. Impulse plants or bargain plants can shape the type plants you put in, the kind of plant can determine where it goes, or you may even move plants to place them in better locations, but this notion of outside forces shaping your garden … Read more
Aggravations are sure to enter into everyone’s lives at some time or another and when we think of aggravations as a part gardening a whole lot of subjects arise! In fact this list of 5 gardening aggravations that I’m about to share with you could extend well beyond the necessary 5 items for a Friday … Read more
I’m always interested in trying to make new plants and recently I decided to give my Asclepias incarnata a try. Asclepias or butterfly weed make great host plants for butterfly larvae. I’ve always assumed that asclepias needed to be grown from seed or from root cuttings but as it turns out they will root easily … Read more
This week I put together another project in the vegetable garden. It was a little one that was another step toward designing my vegetable garden as a parterre style garden layout. The idea for this project was to create something that was both edible and ornamental! I decided that working in the vegetable garden was … Read more
I hope when you read this post that the rains are coming down in a delightful shower to water your garden, because they certainly aren’t here! It’s dry, extremely dry. Working in the ground is like cutting through a brick. Fortunately we’ve planted plants over the years that can tolerate these dry drought conditions. Autumn … Read more
Yesterday I brought home two more daylilies to add to our daylily collection. Please welcome ‘Serena Sunrise’ and ‘Custard Candy’ to the garden! ‘Serena Sunrise’ Daylily Both of these daylilies have already been crossed with each other (yesterday) and with my favorite daylily ‘Primal Scream’ (today)! I can’t wait to see the results, but wait … Read more
It’s nearly summer which means that it’s time for the daylilies to be showing off their flowers. Daylilies aren’t native plants by any means but they do really well here in Tennessee. They have very few problems and tend to grow nearly untended! I’m sure that combining their low maintenance attribute with their beauty is … Read more
My lately planted vegetable garden is doing its best to get back on track! It’s been a busy spring time and everything got delayed until the official “whenever I could manage a few minutes” time. But one of the great things about gardening in Tennessee is the long growing season. Even if you don’t get … Read more
The heat of summer is coming soon and the rains are going to be stingy at best though the season. Many municipalities give residents watering restrictions in an effort to keep costs down and to maintain a good water supply. While this may seem to make watering your plants a daunting task there are several … Read more
Guess what? June is here, we’re even a week into it, and I still haven’t gotten my vegetable garden completely ready! It’s frustrating to say the least. I’ve been so busy making plants for other people, selling at a local farmer’s market, and recovering from a nasty family sinus virus that I just haven’t been … Read more
Gladiola Flowers The beginning of June is quite capable of leaving us mesmerized by all the flowers that appear. There’s no shortage of blooms for pollinators or for the gardener to gawk at! So today I’m going to share with you a bunch of blooms. And I mean a bunch! I probably took too many … Read more
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 … Read more
This week I’ve been posting about a backyard project that involves vertical gardening! It was a fun one that actually went 100% according to plan! (That can’t be said for all of my projects!) Often I end up improvising somewhere along the way. The project involved putting up an arbor and running spray painted gutters … Read more
It’s time to show you the construction phase of the vertical garden arbor that I’m building for Lowe’s Creative Ideas! In the previous post I listed the materials and dug the holes for the project so if you’re just now finding this project you may want to start with part 1 of this gutter garden … Read more
Recently the folks at Lowe’s Creative Ideas asked me if I could put together a once a month project using products I found at Lowe’s that fit a specific theme. Of course since I enjoy doing these types of projects around the garden I jumped at the chance! This month they wanted a project centered … Read more
Fads come and go and garden fads do the same thing. What I like today might be different in 10 years, 5 years, or even 1 year! But for this Friday Five post I thought I’d tell you a little about the plants I really like right now. While this list contains some specific plants … Read more
It’s been a few weeks since I last mentioned a notable weed but I can tell you that doesn’t mean the weeds haven’t been growing! Ragweed and Johnson Grass are coming up in force with the warm weather and so is the weed I’m about to talk about today – pokeweed! Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is … Read more
One of the neatest perennials in our garden is ‘Husker’s Red’ penstemon (Penstemon digitalis). ‘Husker’s Red’ has reddish foliage that adds color to the garden during the growing season but it also blooms prolifically for several weeks in the spring. Ours are just now starting to fade so I thought I would take a picture … Read more
We’re always looking for ways to save money and with today’s economy what it is it’s not just wise, it’s crucial for gardeners to save a buck when they can! Gaillardia from a Discount Rack There are several ways gardeners can save money on their garden that are really easy to do and don’t require … Read more
Last week I put together a couple flats of shade garden plants that I’m attempting to grow from seed. I’ve had pretty good success before with my heucheras and thought I would give a few other shade plants a try! A couple years ago I intended (but never got around to) to begin sowing shade … Read more
I’ve been so busy that I’ve neglected the blog for a few days. I even had to miss posting the Friday Fives last Friday in order to get everything done! Fortunately the weekend rains and Mother’s Day gave me a bit of a break to catch my breath but I still feel like I have … Read more
Viburnum dentatum is one of my favorite shrubs in our garden. It’s not as showy as the Japanese dappled willow or the purple beautyberry. It’s not as flashy as roses nor does it provide year round color like the ‘Otto Luyken’ cherry laurels. But it does have an important role in our garden. This viburnum … Read more
I’m always looking for new plants to experiment on to see if I can get them to root. Yesterday I took some cuttings from a grape vine at my mom’s house. Grape vines are pretty popular with home gardeners who want to grow their own food in the backyard so I thought I’d give them … Read more
Hello home gardeners, I need your suggestions! You see a couple years ago my dad helped me build the Blue Garden Shed. One of the things I was eager to install was a green roof but I determined that I didn’t have the knowledge or the money at the time to do it correctly. As … Read more
All of us experienced gardeners can tell you, you are going to make mistakes! It’s inevitable. No matter how much planning or forethought you put into your garden you WILL make a mistake! How’s that for thinking positively? You positively will make a mistake, and you know what? That’s OK! We’ve all done it – … Read more
The weather here in Tennessee is nothing if not unpredictable. Some will even say that the only thing predictable about the weather is that it is unpredictable! So gardeners are left trying to figure out how to best mitigate harsh conditions of any extreme. Two years ago we were facing floods that washed out gardens, … Read more
It’s not often that I am so impressed by a nursery that I feel compelled to write about them. So many nurseries just do things the same way, the established way. I know it works well but when a nursery steps it up a notch it REALLY works. Growild Nursery in Fairview, Tennessee (7190 Hill Hughes … Read more
It’s been a while since I’ve written about our vegetable garden so I thought the end of April would be a good time for an update! There are a few disappointments but overall most of the garden is right on track. We’ve used raised beds for several years now but most of them have disintegrated. … Read more
Summer squash is one of our family’s favorite summer vegetables. A grilled yellow squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper is a simple and delicious treat when cooked along with some barbequed chicken! There are a few things to know about growing summer squashes in the garden whether they are yellow squash or zucchinis. Today’s … Read more
Creeping thyme or Thymus serpyllum makes a great ground cover that is very easy to grow. Once started it quickly grows and spread to fill out areas. Creeping thyme is an extremely easy plant to propagate. Why is propagating creeping thyme so easy? Let’s take a look! I planted three small seedlings of creeping thyme … Read more
This Sunday’s weather was gorgeous. A little cooler than we’ve been having but a great day to get out and get some big jobs done. I spent much of the day mowing and preparing the vegetable garden then went around taking pictures of the gardens. Things are coming along nicely but there was one issue … Read more
Tomato planting season is almost here for Middle Tennessee so I thought now would be the perfect time to share some things you need to know about growing a great tomato! Tomatoes have always been my favorite crop from the garden. I like tomatoes fresh, cooked, preserved – it doesn’t matter how – I like … Read more
In our front yard is a triangular shaped area that for now I’m calling the Iris Garden. In a week or so after the irises finish blooming I’ll have to change the name to something else but for now the Iris Garden works! I actually began this garden area as a winter color garden but … Read more
Last week I attended the Bloom N’ Garden Expo in Williamson County, TN. It’s a neat event held each year that offers garden speakers, display gardens, and (of course) plant vendors! I’ve been getting pickier in my plant selections over the past year or so because I want unique plants for my garden. I’m not … Read more
This weekend after all the garden related chores were done for the day, and just before sunset came, I took a few photographs of how our gardens look this April. I still have mulching, pruning, weeding, and many other things to do but I thought it would be a good time to share some of … Read more
It’s been a while since I’ve recapped any of the older posts here at Growing The Home Garden. Since today I’ll be at the Bloom N’ Garden Expo I thought I would put together a quick recap post for the Friday Fives. The posts listed in this post have been around for a while and … Read more
It that transitional time of the growing season where the spring weeds are coming to an end and the warm season weeds are beginning to arrive. This time of year is also when many of our warm season crops and plants are coming up too. Sometimes it isn’t easy to distinguish between a weed and … Read more
You may not believe me but snakes really can be a garden’s (and gardener’s) best friend! Many people carry a fear of these creatures. I can understand being afraid of poisonous snakes but the others are quite beneficial. Yesterday while I was outside near my vegetable garden putting in some outdoor plant shelves (made from … Read more
Native plants have many advantages over exotic plants. I thought for today’s Friday Fives Post I would mention five native plants that are pretty neat to have in your garden. First though let’s define the terms native and exotic. Exotic plants are those that are not indigenous to your region. They’ve either been brought from … Read more
It’s been a while since I posted about the corner shade garden. Last year it really wasn’t anything to write about, it was a mess. I neglected it due to other issues and now comes the time when I need to get it back into shape. A year of neglect in the garden can mean … Read more
I wish you could smell the garden right now. If I could bring you the scents of my garden through this post I would. What’s making my garden so fragrant? A combination of two plants: Viburnum x burkwoodii ‘Mohawk’ and the irises! The combination of the two is bringing a honeysuckle like fragrance to the … Read more
There are few shrubs I like better than viburnums and truly the ‘Shasta’ Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. tormentosum) is one of the more beautiful selections of viburnums. The viburnum pictured below is in its fourth year of growing in my garden and has never looked better! Loads of white lacecap flowers cover the branches in … Read more
I think in many ways people who garden in the “traditional” or “conventional” methods* don’t realize how easy it really can be to garden organically. In fact some of these organic ideas are probably done by everyone who gardens in some capacity. For this Friday’s Friday Five let’s take a look at 5 easy ways … Read more
If you follow Growing The Home Garden on Facebook you may have already seen some of these pictures! The garden is really coming alive thanks to the extra warm weather. This post is very garden picture heavy! See if you can identify the plants in each photo. Try not to cheat by looking at the … Read more
Potatoes are one easy vegetable that everyone should try. There are a quite a few kind of potatoes that are delicious on the dinner plant that have developed over the years. In our garden this year we’re growing Yukon Gold, red potatoes, and Adirondack Blue potatoes. The blue potatoes are new to our garden this … Read more
This time of year can be very confusing. Especially when the weather throws a few curve balls like extra warm temperatures! It almost makes you think it will be fine to plant those tomatoes four weeks early. I know why, everyone wants bragging rights about that first ripe tomato! I thought for today’s Friday Five … Read more
Yesterday brought in that first official day of spring but it sure seems that spring beat the calendar to the punch. The warm weather has brought many of our plants and trees much further along at this time of year than they should be. It has me concerned. I love the warm weather and the … Read more
I had one of those extremely busy weekends. The kind where you have so much to do you don’t know exactly where to start. When you finally do start you discover that to do one task you have to do another task first. Then when you finally get going you move from one job, to … Read more
