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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the late April garden for Middle Tennessee.

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the early April garden for Middle Tennessee.

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the late March garden for Middle Tennessee.

“I can’t grow cilantro.” “It’s too early to plant.” We hear it every spring in Middle Tennessee. But what if the problem isn’t your skill — it’s your timing? Cool season gardening has its own rhythm, and March is prime time for peas, greens, radishes, and even flowers. Yes, there’s a little risk. But planting slightly early and covering a frosty night beats waiting too long and watching everything bolt before you can harvest. Once you understand cool season growing, everything shifts. Spring isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you strut into — confident, curious, and ahead of the curve.

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the March garden for Middle Tennessee.

After January’s ice storm and this week’s seventy-degree afternoons, Middle Tennessee gardens are officially waking up. Before spring planting begins, now’s the perfect time to refresh your raised bed soil so it’s ready for another busy growing season. In this week’s blog, we walk through simple spring soil prep steps that set your garden up for success — and bigger harvests — all season long.

What to plant, harvest, tend, and plan in the February garden for Middle Tennessee.

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

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

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

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