2018

Gardening is not new to me, but blogging is…

 

 

…so bear with me as I figure this thing out. Since I like details, keeping the articles short is not my style. A subtitle could include the phrase, “beyond the label descriptions”. All those details not found on plant tags can make a huge difference toward a better gardening experience. So, here’s to better gardening; it starts now!

This blog is about gardening, nature, birds and bugs, and some cooking. I’ll also include information gathered on trips to garden shows and other places of interest.

 

 

New Jersey, West Virginia, and Maryland 

 

For 40 years, I owned a small horticultural business, which germinated in my parents’ Oradell, New Jersey, basement. When I moved to West Virginia, all the tables, light fixtures, and plants came with me. My husband and I lived there for a few years. For the next 35 years, we lived in Maryland, most of that time in Rockville, and had two kids and one divorce.

Throughout much of this period of time, I attended college classes in biology, botany, horticulture, landscape design, and landscape technology. I continued working, of course, selling plants at garden shows, flea markets, and county fairs, and wholesale to local garden centers and florists.

Then the farmers’ markets became phenomenally popular in the late 1980’s, popping up in every town and city. For many years, my little company (Wellspring Gardens; not affiliated with the online company) sold an assortment of plants at several farmers’ markets and other festivals in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

 

 

There was strong demand for herbs and vegetable transplants, and I also grew annuals, perennials, and houseplants. Succulent dish gardens and potted herb gardens, as well as seasonal offerings, were favorites at all the shows. Finding unusual varieties and growing new cultivars made my work fun and sometimes challenging.

I also spent a few years drawing landscape plans for contractors in Maryland, and many years installing gardens for customers I’d met at the markets.

 

 

North Carolina

 

 

Six years ago, Mother called from Charlotte, North Carolina, and expressed the need for help. So here I am, with a lot of plants, and supplies and furniture kept in storage. Since self-employment is not practical at this location, I worked for a few years, managing the Edibles Department at a local garden center (photo, above)…until just last week. (***Update***: I am now living in beautiful rural northern North Carolina, and have recently re-started the business. Wellspring Gardens will sell plants at 1 or 2 local farmers’ markets. 2/6/2022)

After receiving customers’ requests for gardening lessons, and a trip to Barnes and Noble for a copy of Blogging for Dummies, this blog was born. In order to retain ownership of the content, I set up a “self-hosted” blog. This takes work, especially for someone with no computer skills. But I’m glad to finally catch up.

 

 

The Farm In My Yard

 

Most of the posts here at “The Farm In My Yard” comprise helpful suggestions and timely tips. The information is derived from decades of decoding problems that friends, family, and customers have had with unproductive tomatoes, spotty ugly basil, 4″ long caterpillars, and soil that looks, well, dead. And that’s just the beginning. These articles might answer questions for both beginning and experienced gardeners.

If you’re curious why your tomatoes stopped producing fruit in the heat of summer, you’ll find the answer in No Fruits On Your Tomato Plants?. Join me for a lovely drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway and a visit to the picturesque Mabry Mill. Or perhaps you’re looking for recipes for homemade chicken soup or almond crescent cookies.

Check back now and then for new relevant information that will be added periodically.

 

 

Toward Better Gardening

 

Before you proclaim that you’ll never grow a green thumb, let me reassure you by saying that, even though I’m fairly competent now, I killed my first bunch of houseplants—in the early 1970’s, while in college. I did everything the plant shop told me to do, but they still died…as did the next few plants I bought.

A little experimentation was called for here. I was a Biology major, after all. The next plants (including Zebra plant [Aphelandra], Dieffenbachia, and Emerald Ripple Peperomia) were placed in windows that received morning sun. Brighter light is precisely what they needed. Once I started succeeding with houseplants, I was hooked! The next year, I started a horticultural business.

Never give up. Read everything you can get your hands on. But remember: there is no substitute for the educational experience of handling plants, starting seeds, and digging in the soil. Year after year after year.

Now that spring is here or coming soon to the northern states, our thoughts turn to another attempt at a ripe red bell pepper or more than a few vine-ripened tomatoes. Armed with new information and renewed determination, you’ll be able to improve upon previous less-than-overwhelmingly-successful experiences.

Thanks for joining me on this quest toward better gardening. I hope you’ll find the answers to your garden questions and enjoy reading some of the articles posted here.

 

 

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