It's been a hot, tired season — but September is a fresh start. Here's what our team is doing to make the next three months count.

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

Fall gardening in Middle Tennessee is one of the best seasons in the kitchen garden — and after six years working with clients across Nashville, we' love that their question is no longer whether to plant a fall garden, but what to plant and how to make it work for their lives right now. From quick salad greens you can direct sow this week to showstopping Graffiti cauliflower and Romanesco, we've organized our full fall planting list by effort level so you can find your fit and get growing.

Mid-August in Middle Tennessee is the perfect time to savor the summer harvest, refresh your garden, and gear up for fall planting. From picking peak-season produce to tackling pests and planning for cooler weather crops, this to-do list will keep your garden thriving through the late-summer heat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Learn how to plan a cut flower garden that keeps your home stocked with fresh bouquets all season long. In this guide, we break down how to grow a balanced mix of focal flowers, spiky accents, airy fillers, whimsical textures, and fragrant foliage. Whether you love zinnias and sunflowers or prefer a softer color palette, you’ll discover how to design a flower garden that makes arranging effortless—from your garden to the vase.

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

As we’ve shared garden goals from Abi and Sarah, a bigger picture has started to emerge. Across our team and our clients, the themes feel both practical and deeply human: starting earlier, planting with more intention, growing vertically instead of fighting nature, and making room for more flowers—whether that’s better-labeled dahlias or blooms woven right into the veggie beds. We’re hearing a shared desire to use what we grow, to learn by doing, to gain confidence and independence, and to let the garden be a place of connection—with partners, kids, and the rhythms of the seasons. It’s a reminder that gardeners are never bored… there’s always something new to try, together.

Whereas some love to follow systems in the garden, I’ve never been a checklist girl. Why do I garden? For the gatherings, the neighbors, the gumbo parties, the BLTs, the pesto weekends when everyone ends up around the kitchen island. My garden isn’t a system to master, but a source of abundance and inspiration that makes it easy to connect over food.