Partner with an Israeli Farmer!

Good morning, everyone! As you know, I just finished celebrating Rosh Hashana, or Yom Teruah (the Biblical name), which is the beginning of a new year. What you may not know, is that this Rosh Hashana marked the end of a very special year – the Shemittah. And that is the reason for today’s post.

How To Determine Your Fall Planting Dates

It’s that time of year, folks! Time to think about preparing and planting your fall garden. As all of you gardeners know, each planting zone has its own dates for fall planting. But do you know how those dates are determined? Better yet, would you like to be able to calculate exact planting dates for crops in your particular city?

Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites ~ Peas

Back in December, I did a series of my favorite varieties of plants. In my post on Legumes, I shared my favorite snap beans and limas, but I didn’t yet have a favorite variety of peas. Now I do.

2015 Spring Garden Plan ~ Part 2

I know many of you are still digging out from the blizzard a few days ago, and a few of you have more snow coming; so I hope Wednesday’s post about what I’m planting in my grow room this weekend (my indoor starts) got your sights happily on spring. Today, I hope to give you a taste of spring fever by sharing with you the second part of my spring garden plan – the seeds I’ll be sowing directly into the soil after the last frost (the end of March here).

2015 Spring Garden Plan ~ Part 1

While many of you across the country (especially in New England) are buried under a couple of feet of snow, I’m sure you’re thinking more about snow shovels and rock salt than seeds and grow lights. But it is that time of year to pull out your seeds and plan what you will get started indoors in preparation for spring planting. Here in the South, this weekend will be about eight weeks until last frost. It’s now time to set up my germination station again! Last night, I organized my seeds and separated them into two piles: indoor starts and direct sow. Today, I’d like to share with you what I’ll be planting in my grow room this weekend.

Another Way to Grow Tomatoes

Last year, I read an article about growing tomatoes from cuttings taken from a mature tomato plant. It so intrigued me, I thought I’d try it. I shared with you a picture of my cutting in one of my November garden updates, and today I’m going to show you the progress.

Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites: Roots and Greens

Welcome to the final installment of my four-part series, Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites. I’ve already shared my favorite nightshades, legumes, and cucurbits. (If you missed any of them, see the links at the end of this post.) Today, I will share with you my favorite root vegetables and greens.

Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites: Cucurbits

Welcome to the third installment in my Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites series ~ my favorite cucurbits. If you missed my favorite nightshades and legumes, see the links at the end of this post.

Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites: Legumes

Welcome to the second installment of my four-part series, Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites. (If you missed the first part, learn about my favorite tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant in my post on nightshades.) Today, I will share with you my favorite legumes to grow in my Southern garden.

Sanctuary Gardener’s Favorites: Nightshades

Winter is almost upon us, and our gardening has substantially slowed down (or completely stopped). However, it’s that time of year when the new seed catalogs will be arriving and we’ll be planning our spring garden. Many of you have asked me about what I like to plant year after year, or what grows well in my hardiness zone (8b). So, I thought this was a perfect time for a four-part series on my favorites for the garden.