Field Trip: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – Pt. 2 – Veggies and Fruits
Now for the good stuff: specific crops grown at Monticello. Some of these veggies and fruits date back to 1774 when Jefferson first planted the crop. We brought home a few seed packets (who could resist) to try them out in the Gardenerd Test Garden. Before we get started here are a few fun facts: Garden staff have successfully harvested artichokes 13 out of the 21 years that they have been grown at Monticello.They are also growing cardoons.Jefferson's favorite herb…
Field Trip: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – Part 1 – The Garden
I didn't think I had a bucket list until I realized I hadn't yet been to Monticello. That was nearly 10 years ago. Last weekend, I ticked Monticello off the bucket list. It was worth the wait in every way imaginable. Thomas Jefferson's 5,000 acre estate in Charlottesville, VA was his home during the latter part of his life (from age 76-83) after being the first Secretary of State, the second Vice President, and the third President of the United…
Design: Productive Patio Garden
We specialize in small-space biointensive gardening here at Gardenerd, so we get a lot of calls to install patio gardens from eager folks with limited space and sunlight. Our latest patio garden project gave the homeowner an herb garden, a space for veggies, and a few new fruit and berry crops in a small space. The homeowner has 2 children who were interested in eating home-grown veggies. They also like to play basketball and jump on a trampoline, so most…
Ask Gardenerd: Saving Tomato Seeds and Blight
A question came in to Ask Gardenerd from Jeff Bremer this week: "This is a two-part question: 1. I save seeds from each year's tomato crop to plant the following year. I can never get all the "meat" of the tomato off the seeds. How do you clean these seeds? 2. Can early blight be transmitted through tomato seeds? Thanks, Jeff " Great questions, Jeff. Let's start with saving tomato seeds. Saving Tomato Seeds Saving tomato seeds is relatively easy,…
Wordless Wednesday: Keep Going!
Summer winds down and our thoughts turn to fall gardening, or for some, the end of the season. Sometimes it's hard to move forward when all we want to do is take a nap or escape to some far-off place. But the cycle continues; there is no rest for the gardener. Along the way, we can pause to enjoy the beauty of the summer garden. In honor of those affected by Hurricane Harvey, here's a little inspiration to keep going.…
Plan Your Bee-Friendly Garden
Today's post includes an infographic sent by Budget Direct down under. It shares how to create a bee-friendly garden for your local pollinator population. While here at Gardenerd we always recommend starting with native plants for your particular climate and hardiness zone, here are plants from around the world that will help keep bees and other pollinators well-fed during the year. Plan your fall garden to include some of these bee-friendly plants. Next spring you'll have all the pollinators you…