Preparing for the First Fall Frost!
Prepare your garden for the shift into fall! Discover which flower and vegetable varieties can handle chilling temperatures and light frosts, along with essential seed-saving steps and a clear, proactive frost prep plan.
Still Harvesting Peppers in Mid-October!
Are you still picking peppers in mid-October? Our late-season garden is still pushing out an incredible harvest of jalapeños, chilis, and sweet peppers! In this post, I’m sharing what’s currently thriving in the beds, why I choose to skip the hassle of overwintering pepper plants indoors, and the exciting new pepper varieties—like King Arthur, Big Bertha, and Sugar Rush Peach—that I'm adding to my lineup for next season.
Reflecting on the Season: Wins, Challenges, and Savoring the Slower Days
Prepare your garden for the shift into fall! Discover which flower and vegetable varieties can handle chilling temperatures and light frosts, along with essential seed-saving tips and a clear, proactive frost prep plan.
The Fall Crops Have Been Planted! (At Least Most of Them)
There’s a sweet beauty in the transition from summer to fall. While soaking in the last lingering summer days, I’ve been steadily filling my garden beds and containers with cool-weather crops like broccoli, collards, squash, and flowers. Read along for a recap of everything planted so far, along with tips on late-season successions, container gardening, and why it’s always worth trying new varieties!
These Cut-Flowers Never Disappoint!
Even with a late start this season, my dinnerplate dahlias are providing the most beautiful, boisterous blooms for my indoor arrangements. Join me as I share my tried-and-true summer care tips, the importance of pre-sprouting tubers in colder climates, and how challenging yourself to plant bold, unexpected colors can bring a whole new level of joy to your growing space.
Rich & Silky: Easy Fresh Tomato Sauce Recipe (Beginner Friendly)
Turn your fresh garden harvest into a rich, velvety tomato sauce with this simple, step-by-step recipe. Using paste varieties like Pozzano and Granadero alongside sweet cherry tomatoes, this easy technique skips tedious coring and canning for a quick, flavor-packed sauce you can enjoy all week long. Discover the relaxing joy of garden-to-table cooking and capture the bright, sunny flavors of summer right in a jar!
From Seedling to Sauce: My Favorite Tried-and-True Tomato Varieties
From seed starting to smooth homemade sauce! Discover my absolute favorite paste tomato varieties, why low-seed varieties make processing a breeze, and how a simple staggered planting schedule keeps fresh tomatoes coming all season long.
What I’m Sowing in August for a Massive Fall Harvest
August is the sweet spot for fall garden planning! Discover which leafy greens, root vegetables, and succession crops to start indoors and direct sow right now to maximize your harvest before the first frost.
Transitioning from Summer to Fall: Sowing, Hardening Off & Fresh August Harvests
August is a pivotal month in the garden! Join me for an update on mid-season seedling progress, resiliency after summer storms, late-season successions, and what I'm sowing right now for a fall harvest.
The Grow Room Revival: Sowing June Seeds for a High-Yield Fall Garden! 🍂
Ready to get a jump-start on your fall garden? While summer is thriving outside, the secret to a continuous autumn harvest is planning a full season ahead. The indoor grow room is officially back open! From slow-growing violas and vibrant marigolds to a fresh round of high-yielding fall collard greens, come discover the 10 distinct varieties I sowed indoors this June to maximize my backyard space and budget.
Succession Planting: What I’m Direct Sowing in June to Fill the Gaps
As my spring cabbage, broccoli, and kale wrap up their season, I am not letting that valuable garden real estate go to waste! Discover the exact varieties I am direct sowing right now to fill the gaps, maximize my space, and keep the harvests coming all summer long.
What I Did Differently This Year With My Pepper Plants
For years, my pepper routine was a well-oiled machine—including the standard rule of pinching back my plants. But this season, I broke my own rules. Discover the one simple change I made to my routine, why it’s triggering faster blooms, and how it might be the ultimate hack for a short growing season.
3 Annuals That Are Absolutely Crushing It in My Garden Containers & Planters Right Now
Discover three stunning, high-yield annuals that are perfect for maximizing small-space containers and planters. From velvety petunias to an electric shade of nano geraniums, these are the three absolute standout annuals filling out my garden containers and planters right now. Come see the stunning combinations stealing the show!
From 300 Seedlings to Full Garden Beds: My June Garden Update!
The June garden hustle is here! Learn how I’m planting out summer crops, maximizing space with companion planting, and protecting cool-weather crops from heat.
The Great May Migration: Filling the Gaps and Feeling the Growth!
May has arrived, and with it, the "Great Migration" from grow lights to garden beds. Check out my May planting list—including 12+ varieties of peppers and tomatoes. Join me as I start to fill the gaps in my raised beds, in ground beds and containers to kick off a high-yield season!
The "One and Done" Flower: Why Petunias Are My Window Box MVP
In this blog post, I'm sharing the behind-the-scenes journey of my 2026 petunia season—from a rocky start with germination to the lush, trailing window boxes I’m dreaming of for summer. I’ll walk you through why I pivoted to Carmine Velour and Plum Pudding hybrids in February, my specific timeline for up-potting to ensure massive root systems, and my 'tough love' pruning method that keeps my displays vibrant until the first frost.
Why I’m Growing Nano Geraniums This Year
In this blog post, I'm sharing the journey of starting my favorite 'one and done' garden staples: hybrid geraniums. I’m diving into why I chose the compact Nano Lavender and Nano Pink varieties to fill my 2026 window boxes and containers, along with the exact steps I took from starting seeds in late January to up-potting them this March.
5 Herbs You Need to Grow in 2026 (Easy and Multi-Use)
In this blog post, I discuss the 5 herbs you should be growing in your garden in 2026, highlighting the low-maintenance and multi-use nature of these herbs (cooking + apothecary).
New Year, New Garden: 2025 Wins and 2026 Garden Planning
In this blog post, I am reflecting on 2025’s biggest gardening wins and what I am doing to get ahead start on the 2026 growing season. Follow along with my garden planning journey, including the tasks I’ve already tackled and what’s on the schedule for late January to ensure seed-starting success.
Seed Starting Simplified
This blog post covers the most essential things you should consider when starting seeds - from soil prep to hardening off - to help you transform seeds and sprouts into a thriving, high-yield garden next season.