December’s garden produces the most underestimated ingredients of the year. After a frost or two, kale gets sweeter, carrots get candy-like, and winter herbs concentrate their oils. While summer eating is flashy, winter eating is deeply comforting — simple, hearty, honest. Read on for an easy guide to winter garden cooking.

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the December garden.

Discover thoughtful, practical, and beautiful gifts for every kind of gardener in the Tennessee Kitchen Gardens Holiday Gift Guide. From stocking stuffers like seed packets and dibbers to beginner-friendly tools, design-focused gear, and inspiring books, this curated list highlights Abi and Sarah’s personal favorites alongside TKG team picks. We’ve also included sweet ideas for little gardeners and meaningful experience gifts like coaching sessions, monthly garden care, and memberships.

I lost a dear friend this fall. Here, I share some of this season’s grief, and how the garden’s routines can steady us when we can’t find our own rhythm.

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

The basics on saving seeds from garden plants and a few projects to get you started.

Fall is the sweet spot of the year for building outdoor spaces — the mornings are crisp, the ground is dry, and there’s no spring backlog in sight. The weather’s just right to focus on our craft: blending the beauty and practicality of growing food, leveling gravel paths, setting cedar boards, and watching a new garden take shape before winter arrives.

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

What to do to put your garden to bed for the winter.

Breaking down the definition of frost tolerance and discussing which plants will and won't survive when temps go below freezing.

When it comes to planting fruit trees, bigger isn’t better. Those lush, potted trees you see in spring garden centers may look promising, but they’re often stressed and prone to pests and disease. The healthiest trees start small — planted bare root and dormant in late fall or winter. During their first quiet season underground, they establish strong roots and settle in before spring growth begins. By the time the weather warms, these trees are ready to thrive with minimal care. So skip the instant gratification — bare root planting is the smart, sustainable way to grow a thriving orchard.

If your garden feels crowded this time of year, that’s not a bad thing — it’s abundance in action! At Tennessee Kitchen Gardens, we plant intensively, knowing we’ll thin and harvest as the season unfolds. Thinning isn’t wasteful; it’s an opportunity to enjoy tender greens and herbs while giving remaining plants more space to thrive. Pull what’s struggling, snip what’s shading others, and get creative with your harvest — add radish thinnings to salads or toss extra greens into scrambled eggs. A little intentional thinning keeps your garden productive and beautiful, and your kitchen full of fresh flavor.

What to plant, harvest, and tend in your Early-October garden.

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

Warm fall days can trick cool-season crops like lettuce and spinach into bolting — shooting up flowers instead of giving you tender leaves. The fix? Choose bolt-resistant varieties, give them afternoon shade, keep the soil consistently moist, and harvest often. A little attention now will stretch your salad season into late fall.

The Annual Tomato Recipe Collection (Volume 2)
The countertops are overflowing, the fruit flies are circling, and it’s officially tomato takeover season. This year’s roundup includes a creamy labneh dip, that viral TikTok pasta, a spiced chickpea skillet, and a reminder that sometimes the simplest solution is just freezing the harvest for later. Consider this our annual tradition — new recipes, new inspiration, same late-summer abundance.

What we plant in Fall Gardens: The Grocery-Store Staples and the Garden-Only Goodness
Fall gardening in Middle Tennessee is overflowing with abundance. While summer crops like tomatoes and peppers are still producing, the cooler nights bring in a whole new round of greens. At TKG, we’ve filled our gardens with both the familiar staples you’d find in any grocery store—like broccoli, kale, and carrots—and the funky gems you’ll never see on a shelf, from spiraled romanesco to magenta radicchio. These “garden-only” crops remind us that fall isn’t just about food—it’s about flavor, discovery, and delight.

What to plant, harvest, and tend in your Mid-September garden.

I’ve got a cold—and it’s the worst timing. While everyone else is out soaking up Labor Day sunshine, I’m over here nursing a mug of tea and wishing my nose worked. The silver lining? My garden is overflowing with herbs, and they’re exactly what I need.

Many of the same plants we grow for flavor and beauty—mint, lemon balm, thyme, rosemary—also double as soothing, wellness-boosting remedies. With just a little chopping, steeping, or drying, you can turn that garden abundance into teas, steams, and blends that hydrate, comfort, and support your immune system.

This week I’m sharing four simple recipes (plus a handy cheat sheet) to help you sip the season and put your herbs to work.

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