Cedar House Farm
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10 Summer Tasks for Your Flower and Herb Garden
Being outdoors in my garden, surrounded by the botanicals I’ve chosen to grow balances my brain chemistry and has a beautiful way of pulling me away from the confines of modern technology and stresses of social media. Below are ten ways to be productive while spending time in your garden. -
Winterizing: A Nod to the Life Cycle of the Garden
For me, autumn is a time for tucking the garden in for a restful winter sleep. Unlike many, I find great joy in this part of gardening. I find it therapeutic to collect seeds, to clear and tidy my garden beds, and to tuck my perennials into their beds for a deep winter sleep. It gives me an opportunity to truly appreciate the cyclical journey I take with my garden, from germinating seeds to nurturing seedlings to cultivating flowers and herbs to harvesting them, and then to collect their seeds to begin the process once again. Winterizing my garden is a nod to the life cycle of each and every plant I grew that year. -
Transforming a Garden into a Gathering Space
But how did my garden transform from a plot of wooden beds to a tranquil backyard sanctuary? I’ve laid it all out below, and many of these same concepts can be applied to any outdoor space including back patios and apartment balconies. -
My Secret Garden in the Woods
Like many of you, my love affair with gardening began as a child. I have fond memories of my grandma walking me around her backyard, with my skinned knees and pigtails, showing me how beautiful it was to grow things. Since then, I’d always dreamed of a big garden. One with a maze of raised beds and archways, trellises and arbors, and gravel paths wide enough to pull a wagon for hauling bountiful harvests. A place to retreat to when I need a moment of solace. It would be the garden I would cherish the rest of my days. -
Spring Garden Tasks
Spring is for laying the foundation for a bountiful summer harvest. For sowing the seeds for a slower life. For taking time to appreciate all the waking days of spring has to offer. Lay the groundwork in your growing space with the following spring gardening tasks: -
Garden Journaling and a Holistic, Organic Pollinator Garden
Each year, I document in a garden journal all the details about what I grew, harvested, and enjoyed most. I write down my failures and well as my successes. What I fell in love with and want to grow more of, as well as what doesn’t make the cut for the next growing year or doesn’t grow well on our property’s unique microclimate. Garden journaling is a calming therapeutic process that I truly enjoy. -
January is for Garden Dreaming
Have you been thinking about growing a garden this year? Whether you are starting small with a kitchen herb garden or jumping in with both feet and building the vegetable or flower garden of your dreams, the time to start planning is now. -
Tips and Tricks for Greenhouse Growing from Seed
Growing plants from seed is such a rewarding experience for so many reasons. There is peace of mind in knowing where your seeds came from, what kind of soil mixture they grew in, and that they were not treated with chemicals or pesticides. But growing from seed can be tricky too. There are so many factors that contribute to growing successfully from seed. Below are a few tips and tricks based on my own personal experiences growing from seed that I hope will help you along your growing journey. -
My Pollinator Garden
I have what is sometimes referred to as a pollinator garden. It is filled with colorful and fragrant flowers and herbs that attract and feed pollinators such as honey bees, native bees, moths and butterflies. When I harvest, I make sure to always leave plenty of blooms to keep them busy and happy. Yesterday, we watched countless butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, bees, robins, chickadees, and a pair of Stellar Jays visit our garden, so it’s working. -
DIY Clay Garden Markers
This weekend, we crafted clay garden markers. They’re perfectly imperfect and I love them. This DIY is easy and fun to make so I’ve included a short supplies list and tutorial in case you’d like to create your own!
