Author: Erin
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Tomato Trials Part 5: Conquering the Cattle Panel Trellis
I’ll admit it—I felt silly waiting so long to set up my cattle panel trellis. Post-surgery, I doubted I could tackle it alone, especially pounding T-posts into the ground. As an overthinking “good idea fairy,” I scoured the internet for inspiration from gardeners who’d already nailed this. The Backstory: From Kitchen Garden to Raised Bed…
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Tomato Trials Series Part 6: Supporting Cherokee Purple and Roma Tomatoes
I’ll admit it: my Cherokee Purple and Roma tomatoes had me sweating after Kentucky’s summer solstice on June 20, 2025 heat prediction. Plus the week before brought tons of heavy rain to Kentucky. These beauties in my raised in-ground garden bed were sprawling like nobody’s business, and I worried about sunscald and that pesky “green…
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Summer Solstice 2025: A Gardener’s Guide to the Longest Day
Hey there, Bloom and Peck family! The summer solstice is here, lighting up our gardens today, Friday, June 20, 2025, at 9:42 p.m. Central Time. It’s the longest, sunniest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and for us gardeners and homesteaders in Zone 7, it’s a celebration of growth, abundance, and the magic…
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Easy Sourdough Discard Pancakes – Fluffy Every Time
It’s Sunday morning and my grandson wants pancakes, he’s not used to the homemade life yet. So I whip up these easy sourdough discard pancakes that he gets to help with. He loves to sift the flour and “crack the eggs”. That’s really his favorite part. Looking for a fast recipe for two? Checkout my…
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A Favorite Sourdough discard low iodine banana muffins (dairy Free)
These sourdough discard low iodine banana muffins are soft, naturally sweet, and made specifically for a low-iodine diet — using sourdough discard, lard instead of butter, and non-iodized salt throughout. This low iodine banana muffin recipe was adapted from Little Spoon Farm. It was adapted FROM a standard recipe INTO a low-iodine version, with notes…
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Thyme & Tomatoes: My Kentucky Container Garden Setup
Discover how to companion plant tomatoes with lemon thyme in containers. Boost tomato flavor, deter pests naturally, and garden successfully in small spaces.
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Tomato Trials Part 4: DIY Trellis for Roma Tomatoes in Raised Bed
An Arched Trellis for Roma Tomatoes Creating a Polyculture Welcome back to the Tomato Trials series, where I’m growing vibrant, sustainable gardens one step at a time! Gardening’s been my recovery haven, turning my Zone 7 homestead into a place of growth—literally and figuratively. In Part 1, I shared my Mother’s Day container garden with…
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Raspberry Container Gardening Success: A Food Forest Journey
Raspberry Revival Part 2: Tula Magic Raspberries Bloom with Patience Some links in this post are affiliate links (but not all). This means if you click and buy, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep my garden dreams growing—thank you from the bottom of my heart!…
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Tomato Trials Part 3: Planting Heirloom Tomato in My Kitchen Garden on a Trellis
🌱 I’m Erin with Bloom & Peck, and I’m back with Part 3 of my Tomato Trials series from my Zone 7 KY homestead. It’s May 17, 2025, and I’m 24 days post-surgery, sticking to my 10lb limit and no-bending rule with my homemade planter gardening setup. See the Full Tomato Trials series Here 🍅…
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Companion Planting with Marigolds in Kentucky (Full Guide)
Hello Kentucky gardener, are you searching for information on companion planting with marigolds in Kentucky? You found the right place I love to use marigolds in my companion planting! (This has been updated April 2026) it is part of the Companion Planting Series. t’s May 16, 2025, and I’m 23 days post-surgery, sticking to my…