Category: Kentucky Gardening
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How to Start Sweet Potato Slips in Kentucky (Zone 7a Guide)
If a sweet potato starts sprouting in your pantry, this might be your sign. I know it’s not the ideal way to remember it’s time to start slips, but here we are—February in Kentucky, and those tubers are ready whether I planned for it or not. This year I’m testing both the water method (my…
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Best Tomatoes to Grow in Kentucky: Zone 6 & 7 Guide
After two seasons of growing tomatoes in Adair County’s clay soil and unpredictable Kentucky weather, I’ve learned which varieties actually thrive here—and which ones split open the moment a thunderstorm rolls through. Finding the best tomatoes to grow in Kentucky isn’t just about picking popular names from a seed catalog; it’s about choosing varieties that…
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Winter Sowing Without Milk Jugs (Clamshell Containers Work!)
A Simple Winter Sowing Method Using Recycled Containers Most winter sowing tutorials assume you have milk jugs, but how do you winter sowing without milk jugs? I really wanted to winter sow, but we get our milk from the neighbor’s cow! So no milk jugs. What to do! Use plastic veggie containers, clamshells! I almost…
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7 Best Metal Raised Garden Beds for Kentucky (Zone 7 Tested)
7 Best Metal Raised Garden Beds for Gardeners and Homesteaders in Kentucky (Zone 7 Friendly!) Looking for the best metal raised garden beds for your Kentucky garden? After two seasons of testing raised beds in Adair County’s clay soil and unpredictable weather, I’ve narrowed down the top 7 options for Zone 7 homesteaders. Whether you’re…
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Grow More This Fall: Kentucky Garden Planting Tips + Free Download
Grow More This Fall: What to Plant in Your Kentucky Garden in August Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use myself in my Kentucky fall garden, and I…
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How to Grow Cantaloupe Vertically in a Kentucky Garden
Learning to Grow Cantaloupe Vertically in Kentucky Zone 7 Hey there, fellow Kentucky gardeners! It’s time to spill the tea on my latest backyard adventure—growing cantaloupe vertically on trellises in Central Kentucky If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for ways to make your garden pop with flavor while keeping things fresh and fun.…
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Growing Cucumbers in Kentucky: My First Raised Bed (Wins, Fails & All)
How to Grow Cucumbers in a Kentucky Raised Garden Bed with “Homemade Pickle” Seeds This summer I grew my first cucumbers in a Kentucky raised bed—and honestly? I had no idea what I was doing. But that Pok Choi I randomly planted? It saved my entire harvest. That cattle panel trellis I threw together? Pure…
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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
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 blog & passion for sharing, alive—Now let’s dig in. I’ll admit it: my Cherokee Purple and Roma tomatoes had me…
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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…