An easy and fun option for mass-plantings in your urban landscape! Over the past several years, we’ve been slowly tackling the lackluster landscaping that we inherited when we purchased our home. One side of our home was particularly bad, as it was over-planted, overgrown, and the plant material was much too close to the house. … Continue reading Vegetable Landscaping
This year was our first attempt at growing pole beans, for the purpose of drying the beans for use later in the year. Last year we grew a different variety that we were able to harvest and cook while still fresh. At the end of the season, as we were cleaning out the garden, we … Continue reading Good Mother Stallard Beans
When we built our garden, we wanted it to be more than a functional space or one that was pleasant for adults – we wanted a kid-friendly space that would encourage our children to be outside. Working within a limited budget meant we had to prioritize how we spend our resources in the backyard, and … Continue reading Garden Water Play
The last several years as I’ve begun to plan our garden, and the time comes to start selecting seeds, the near endless amount of possibilities is both exciting and a bit overwhelming. I’ve explored the websites of many popular seed companies, and have also been introduced to other options through social media channels I’ve followed … Continue reading Seed Starting Plans
A great choice for all purple lovers out there! My oldest daughter is unabashed in her love of the color purple. She enjoys looking at all of the purple plants in the seed catalog (root veggies included) and was adamant that we purchase some “purple flower seeds.” We knew that we were going to grow … Continue reading Zinnia ‘Purple Prince’
Fun little “kid-sized” sunflowers that were a favorite of both the kids and the birds! Sunflowers are one of my wife’s favorite annuals, and we decided to try several new varieties during the summer of 2020. I’m so glad the kids picked this one out of the seed catalog, because I probably wouldn’t have, and … Continue reading Short Stuff Sunflowers
Much deliberation (maybe too much) was spent on planning and designing how we would build and lay-out our backyard garden. We have a fairly small back yard, with several constraints — limited sun exposure, flood susceptibility, and underground utilities limited both where we could place our plots and how many we could build. With my … Continue reading Building a Raised Bed Garden
Join me on my gardening journey! Getting my hands dirty in the garden has always been one of my most favorite pastimes. Having grown up around plants my whole life, it would only seem natural that I would find comfort in working with plants — outside. My father, a student of horticulture at the University … Continue reading Welcome to Dad Gardener
Dad Gardener 