Tag Archives: organic gardening

The Nostalgia of Cleome

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Benjamin

A friend gave me a few seeds from her Cleome hassleriana several years ago. We planted the seeds, enjoyed the flowers, saved the seeds and continued burying them in the soil at a couple of different homesteads, spreading the joy … Continue reading →

Posted in Flower Gardening, Gardening, Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, cleome, Cleome hassleriana, compost, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom, Kentucky, nostalgia, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, propagate, seed, seed saving | 32 Comments

Our Accidental Hanging Dahlia Experiment

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Benjamin

It started with a couple of seed heads, lying forgotten on top of the soil in a flower pot in the garage. I’d brought the pot into the garage before a hard freeze last winter, placed it in a corner … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, dahlia, farming, flower, flower garden, flowers, gardening, gardening tips, Kentucky, Ohio, organic gardening, propagate, serendipity | 12 Comments

We Seek the Black Krim

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Benjamin

It’s our first year planting the heirloom variety tomato, Black Krim. We’re excited! The one pictured is just starting to ripen and we’re curious how long it will be before it develops that lovely deep, dark crimson. We’ve had a … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged backyard, black krim, farming, flower garden, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom, heirloom tomato, Kentucky, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, propagate, tomato, vegetable, vegetable garden | 12 Comments

Daisy, the Poet’s Darling

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Benjamin

We love our Shasta daisies. Some may think them a little too “Mary Ann” and not enough “Ginger”, but we like their cheerful little faces and carefree abundance. And they need almost no maintenance except for a little fertilizer and occasional deadheading and division. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Flower Gardening, Gardening | Tagged backyard, daisies, daisy, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, Kentucky, landscaping, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, perennial, propagate | 4 Comments

Daisies, Coneflowers & Bees (Oh, My)

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Benjamin

July means the Purple Coneflowers and Daisies are competing for the lavish attention of the bees in our neighborhood. So far it seems the coneflowers are winning. There’s a symphony of bees constantly hovering on and around our stand of Echinacea … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, bees, Carpenter Bees, coneflower, daisies, daisy, Echinacea purpurea, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, june beetle, june bug, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, summer | Leave a comment

Clematis-Garden Fireworks

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Benjamin

Is it strange that I try to think of new places to build garden walls and fences just so I can cover them with clematis? When these beauties are going full tilt they’re as spectacular as a fireworks display. Currently … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, Clematis, fireworks, flower garden, flowers, garden, gardening, Independence Day, organic gardening, propagate | 6 Comments

Yeah, Radishes! (Part Deux)

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Benjamin

So the last of the radishes have been gently tugged from the ground (except for the couple I’ve left to go to seed.) We had a pretty good crop this spring; I’ve finally learned to be ruthless about thinning…the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged compost, garden, gardening, organic gardening, radish, radishes, vegetable gardening, vegetables | 4 Comments

Ode to Homegrown Tomatoes & Tips for Growing Same

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Benjamin

Only two things that money can’t buy and that’s True Love and Homegrown Tomatoes. ~Guy Clark. We’re trying a few different varieties of tomato this year including Black Krim and Cherokee Purple. Bringing back many old faves, as well, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, black krim, brandywine, garden, gardening, gardening tips, growing tomatoes, heirloom, heirloom tomato, heirloom tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, spring, tomato, tomatoes, vegetable, vegetable garden | Leave a comment

Tomato Hornworm (Parasitized edition)

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Benjamin

Some days you know just aren’t gonna go your way…if you’re a tomato hornworm, and you wake up one morning all bedazzled with little white decorations, chances are, the day will not end well. These little adornments will hatch and … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, biological controls, braconid, braconid wasp, bugs, caterpillars, farming, flower gardening, garden, garden pests, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom tomato, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, tomato, Tomato Hornworm, vegetable garden, wasp | 2 Comments