When a couple at the farmers market couldn’t find lettuce, I realized they were trying to escape the grocery-store supply chain—but they were still shopping with a grocery-store mindset. What does it really take to rely less on the grocery store and let Tennessee’s seasons decide what is for dinner?

Answering the big mid-summer question: when is it too late to plant warm-season veggies?

What to plant, harvest, and tend in your early August garden.

Once you're hooked on gardening, it's hard to stop seeing opportunity. A sunny corner becomes another raised bed. A fence becomes a cucumber trellis. Even the air above your tomatoes starts to look like growing space. In this article, we're touring one of our favorite small-space gardens and sharing how thoughtful design transformed a tiny 12 South backyard into a remarkably productive kitchen garden.

Your raised beds may need more than extra water to survive the summer heat. Mulch can help soil stay cooler, hold moisture, and resist weeds—but in an intensively planted kitchen garden, your plants may already be doing the job. Here’s how to tell.

What to plant, harvest, and tend in your early July garden.

Every August, we hear the same story: "My neighbor was supposed to look after the garden, but I don't think they did much." The problem isn't laziness — it's fear. Garden sitters don't harvest because they're afraid to hurt something. And in a summer kitchen garden, doing nothing is doing damage. This guide walks you through exactly how to prep your garden before vacation, what to tell your sitter (including the permission slip they desperately need), and what to do the moment you get home. Plus: a printable Kitchen Gardener's Vacation Checklist so nothing gets left to chance.

Fertilizer can feel surprisingly confusing. Walk into a garden center and you'll find shelves of products that all sound vaguely similar. Here's a practical guide to the fertilizers we actually use in Tennessee kitchen gardens.

Squash vine borers and hornworms have already shown up early this year — but not every bug crawling through your Middle Tennessee garden is bad news. We made a bingo card to help you spot the troublemakers, the secret allies, and the ones just there to glitter. Curiosity, not combat, starts here.

What to plant, harvest, and tend in your late June garden.

We crave crisp salads in summer, but the garden has other plans. Lettuce is not a natural July phenomenon in Tennessee, and learning what summer actually wants to grow might make you a better, happier gardener.

Summer goes fast — fifteen weeks from Memorial Day to Labor Day, to be exact. This year, we're being intentional about it. From defending a State Fair Blue Ribbon in the zinnia competition to hosting a build-your-own-bouquet party (a true introvert challenge), making panzanella with peak-season tomatoes, and finally canning a spicy salsa — this is our summer garden bucket list. We've also got hammock naps, lavender lemonade popsicles, and a secret weapon for mosquito-free evenings on the agenda. What are you putting on your list before September sneaks up?

What to harvest, plant, and tend in your early June garden.

Where you place your kitchen garden matters just as much as what you plant in it. A garden close to the kitchen becomes part of dinner, part of your daily rhythm, and part of the beauty of your home. This week, we’re talking about why the best kitchen garden location is usually closer than you think.

We all love the look of the sturdy steel trellises we use to create height in the garden, but what’s the best kind of vertical structure for your crops this summer? Read about which kind of trellis best fits your garden needs.

What to plant, tend, and harvest at the end of May.

Gardening alone doesn't have to mean gardening in isolation. For introverts especially, the garden offers something rare — solitude and connection at the same time. Every plant someone has given you is a living relationship, a reason to send a text when the dahlia finally blooms or share the first tomato harvest with the friend who recommended the variety. And the garden gives back just as generously — in herbs bundled for birthdays, lettuce pressed on neighbors, and cuttings passed over fences. If your garden feels like a solo endeavor, here are a few simple ways to make it full of people.

Not sure whether to pull your cool-season crops or hold on a little longer? The answer depends on your garden, your appetite, and your timeline. In Middle Tennessee's long growing season, a slow transition almost always beats a hard reset. Pull plants that are bolting, pest-ridden, or simply finished. Leave anything that's still healthy, producing, and ending up on your plate. And don't overlook creative overlap strategies — like planting tomatoes beside a pea trellis before the peas are done, or tucking a pepper in next to your lettuce to serve as living mulch. Your garden can shift seasons gradually, and so can you.

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the Mid-May garden for Middle Tennessee.

Tomato Time in Tennessee!
April has officially ushered in frost-free gardening, and you know what that means—tomato season is here! While kale and broccoli have been holding down the fort, it’s finally time to plant the summer stars. But with dozens of varieties available at local nurseries, how do you choose the right one? In this blog, I’ll help you narrow it down based on your garden space and how you want to use your tomatoes—whether you're craving a BLT, stirring sauce from scratch, or just trying to get your kids to eat something red that isn’t candy. Let’s geek out on tomatoes together.