How Long Do Seeds Last? (Seed Viability)
Everything has itās own time, even seeds. They just donāt last forever! Fortunately though many seeds do last a long period of time and you can use seed from previous years to grow your garden. Iāve had tomato seeds germinate that were over 10 yearsā¦
Things to Know About Using Woodchips and Leaves in the Garden
If you are a gardener you have probably heard people talking about how great woodchips are. That is probably because they are a very good resource for building up organic matter. Woodchips and leaves are also very easy to acquire and and best of allā¦
Compost Bins from Pallets
Compost bins are essential in the garden. They take the waste materials from the yard, garden, kitchen, or farm and turn it into usable soil. Good compost is worth its weight in gold to gardeners which is exactly why it is nicknamed āgardenerās gold.ā Oneā¦
Overwintering Rosemary
Rosemary is a wonderful plant for gardening. I love it as a ornamental shrub as well as an edible herb. The problem is it CAN be finicky. Sometimes the winter cold is too tough for rosemary and it sadly dies over the winter. Fortunately thereā¦
Maples, Oaks, and Invasives! Fall Color 2024
The historic dryness finally gave way to some rain on Halloween. About 0.83 inches came down that day give us a good soaking. We still need more rain, and regular rain but it definitely helps. Iāve been concerned about the lack rain and the fallā¦
Fall Color in Tennessee 2024 so farā¦
I have a fondness for fall color. I think we all do this time of year. We like seeing the transition of green to gold or red and oranges. Thereās a little bit of a feeling of closure that begins to come to us throughā¦
Fall 2024 Garden Tour
I find Garden Tours fun to put together. Itās an opportunity incessantly talk about plants, plans, and ideas and that is one of my favorite things to do! I put together a garden tour of our current garden on YouTube which you can watch downā¦
Fall is for Planting Garlic in the Garden
Itās October and the temperatures are getting cooler which makes it ideal for planting garlic! I just planted two raised beds full of garlic a few days ago. Garlic loves to start in cooler weather and this coming week we are predicted to have someā¦
Garden Tips for Before a Frost
As the first frost approaches, now is the time to take essential steps to protect your garden and set yourself up for success next spring. Below are a few simple garden tips that can help you save money and preserve your favorite plants while extendingā¦
How to Grow Sweetbay Magnolia from Seeds
No matter where I go when I see seeds that are ripe Iām tempted to collect them. That was the case when walking around Knoxville last year and seeing some ripe magnolia seeds on some Sweetbay magnolia plants. Sweetbay magnolias have several names including: sweetbayā¦
Where are the Monarch Butterflies?
All summer Iāve been watching and waiting to see a flock of Monarch butterflies soaring through the air to lite upon our abundant field of milkweed. So far Iāve been disappointed. The Monarch butterflies on our property have only numbered one. I was mowing alongā¦
Bulbs, Corms, and Rhizomes to Plant in Fall
Itās almost that time of year again: Fall Planting Season! When the weather cools off, the days become shorter, Pumpkin Spice is everywhere (OK that may not be the greatest thing), and it will be time to get your fall bulbs and rhizomes planted inā¦
Thank you for visiting Growing The Home Garden! I started Growing The Home Garden in 2007 as a way to chronicle my experiences in the garden.
All the content here is based on my personal experiences and research. A lot of my content is focused onĀ raised bed gardeningĀ andĀ plant propagation.
There is also a YouTube Channel for Growing the Home Garden which is over 30,000 subscribers (as of March 2024) that has a lot of gardening videos you may find helpful.Ā Growing The Home Garden on YouTube. Thanks for reading and watching!
Raised Bed Gardening
How Deep do Raised Garden Beds Need To Be?
Raised beds are a great option for gardeners but how deep do they really need to be? The depth of a raised garden bed is an important factor to consider because it can greatly impact the health and productivity of your plants. The true answer to How deep do raised gardens need to be really is it depends! What theā¦
Raised Bed Garden Ideas (Planning for the New Garden)
Pretty soon weāll be relocating to our new home. Our family is very excited about this but it also means starting the garden all over again. Everything including raised beds, sheds, and arbors will have to be rebuilt. While this is a tremendous amount of work I think itās a great opportunity to start again and redevelop our garden withā¦
How to Fill Raised Beds Cheap!
I love gardening in raised beds. It is one of the simplest ways to have success with a vegetable garden. That doesnāt take anything away from all the other methods of gardening, only that I believe that raised beds are a great way for gardeners of all backgrounds and skill levels to garden successfully. The best reason to like raisedā¦
Common Raised Bed Garden Questions Answered
Raised beds are one of the absolute BEST ways to grow a garden but there can be challenges to growing in raised beds. Often gardeners have questions about the best methods to grow in a raised bed. In this post Iāve taken some common raised bed garden questions and put together some answers based on my experience. Iāve grown inā¦
Plant Propagation Information
Plant propagation is one of my favorite things to do in the garden! Below are some articles on how to propagate various plants. You can also check this page out with specific info on plant propagation: Plant Propagation for Home Gardens
The Care and Propagation of Japanese Dappled Willows
For many years now I have really enjoyed the beauty of our Japanese dappled willows (Salix integra). Japanese dappled willows (or tri-colored willows) are gorgeous shrubby willows that grow up to around 10ft tall. These willows are known for their variegated foliage that emerges initiallyā¦
How to Propagate Grape Vines through Greenwood Cuttings
Last week I made some cuttings of my āConcordā 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. Ā Grapesā¦
5 Shrubs to Propagate in Late Fall or Winter with Hardwood Cuttings
Weāre entering the middle of November which means not only is that turkey get closer to being roasted but itās also time for hardwood cuttings! There are quite a few plants that will easily grow from hardwood cuttings and are well worth trying for anyā¦
How Iāll Use My Greenhouse
Iāve been thinking about how Iām going to use my greenhouse lately. Thereās just enough complete on the greenhouse construction to tantalize my imagination and since people use greenhouse in so many ways that the options are virtually limitless.I donāt grow orchids or many tropicalā¦
How to Save Coleus Over The Winter
Coleus (Solenostemon now PlectranthusĀ scutellarioides) is one of those lucky annuals that can be saved from a merciless death by frost and freeze. Coleus, which is actually a tropical perennial, can be kept indoors as a house plant then replanted outside in the spring once allā¦
Propagating Peppers Through Cuttings
You might think that peppers are one of those seed only grown plants. Ā For many gardeners they are, but what if you want an exact copy of a favorite pepper plant? Ā With peppers we typically sow the seeds in late winter and grow the seedlingsā¦
Growing Home Vegetable Gardens
Articles with tips and ideas on how to grow a great vegetable garden.
Edible Landscaping for Beginners: Evaluate Your Garden
After you have a good list of the elements your edible landscape needs and you have pieced together a solid āTo Growā list you need to evaluate what you already have in your garden. Ā Some people might put this step first and thatās OK but if you do your evaluation after you decide what you want to grow you canā¦
Designing a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Layout: 11 Things to Think About
Growing āMoon and Starsā Heirloom Watermelon in the Garden
This year Iām really excited about our watermelons. I picked out the āMoon and Starsā variety which not only is reported to be an excellent tasting variety but looks really neat too. āMoon and Starsā are an heirloom variety that acquire a mottled coloring on the rind surfaces that resemble the night time sky! The nighttime sky also appears onā¦
Pruning off The Lower Leaves of Tomato and Pepper Plants: Limbing Up
Every home gardener wants their plants to thrive and do well. Often there are little, easy to do things that can greatly improve the chances of plants in your garden succeeding. Here we are going to talk about one thing you can do to help your tomato and pepper plants grow great: pruning off the lower leaves or as Iā¦
Vegetable Garden Layout ā Parterre Style!
The other day I posted about the next evolution of my garden on its way to becoming a more formalized vegetable garden. Today Iāll show you the layout of what I hope the vegetable garden will eventually become. There are some distinct advantages to the layout changes that I am planning on making that Iāll share with you below theā¦
The Best Way To Plant A Tomato
Tomatoes have to be Americaās favorite fruit of the garden. Yes it is technically a fruit, even though it has been widely accepted for years as a vegetable. This post is not about whether itās a fruit or not but rather aboutĀ how to plant a tomato plant, the most delicious fruit of the garden, the best way possible. When toā¦