Home Gardening Inspiration & Education

It is a universal truth that fresh fruits and veggies are a staple in a well-rounded healthy diet. Fresh veggies dipped in some hummus or fresh fruit on top of yogurt are my favorite snacks. They give you that pick me up midafternoon and satisfy my need for crunch without having to reach for the chips or my need for sweet without reaching for the leftover easter chocolate (which let’s face it I really should have thrown out by now). That being said, not all “fresh” is equal, the “fresh” I get from the fresh produce aisle at the market is not equal to the fresh produce I harvest from my garden. There are multiple reasons store bought is not equal to locally grown and we discuss some of them in our blog post “Is Eating Local Really Important?” but today we will focus on the “fresh” in Fresh produce, the difference at a nutritional level. 

Fresh is defined as “recently made or obtained; not canned, frozen, or otherwise...

If you have been planting with the seasons than you have been working hard the past weeks to tend your cool weather plants. I want to make sure you do not let all that hard work and your beautiful fresh produce go to waste. Remember if you plant with the seasons, you also harvest with the seasons! In Kentucky, where Edible Gardens Inc. is headquartered, the cool season is coming to a rapid end as a warm front has moved in, and the hot season will soon be upon us! So, as you go into your gardens be checking your lettuce, radishes and herbs for what we call bolting and harvest what you have following the instructions in the video above! 

The simple answer to this question is absolutely, eating locally produced food is healthier for you, your family, and the environment. When you think of eating locally you probably think growing in your back yard or a farmers’ market and you’re not wrong those are my favorite ways to stay local! Going to a farmers’ market and discussing the variety of squash with the grower themselves and asking how they manage their farm is healthy, informative, and social. That being said, there is more to eating local than just farmers markets and home gardens.  

Before you go any further, I want to define what I mean by eating local food because you may not know but there is no universally accepted definition for “local” produce. Local is defined by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 as 400 miles away or within your state. That definition isn’t good enough for me, I would like to add that local also means responsibly produced. For a...

Taking the Ew Out of Compost

One of my favorite things to do is to walk out into my garden and pick and eat. It is one of the most rewarding feelings of instant gratification to pick a cucumber off the vine and pull a few radishes up then take them to my kitchen and cut them up for a snack for my family. But then I’m left with radish tops and the ends of a cucumber, instead of throwing those away and adding to the garbage pile I get to take those back to my garden and add them to my compost pile where they will break down and give new life. Composting is a wonderful thing and if you’ve been around with us for a bit then you know we love our soil! Healthy soil supports abundant plant growth, it reduces pests, diseases, and weeds. It is the base of a good garden, and compositing is a fantastic way to take care of your soil and reduce your waste production. By composting, you can grow a more sustainable garden and participate in one of nature's most powerful processes,...

Here are the ten common mistakes we want to help you avoid this spring so that you can start your garden off right this year, and you'll see the benefits all season long! 

Number 1: Forgetting to tend to your soil 

You must take care of your garden's base before you can even think about growing plants. That's why getting a soil test, making amendments, and adding fertilizer is so important! If the plants don’t have good soil to grow in you’ll be disappointed and can get frustrated by the lack of growth and progress. Before planting we like to add a plant or animal-based fertilizer like Fertrell brand - or anything organic. It’s a great granular fertilizer that allows the plant to take up the nutrients when it needs them! Whatever fertilizer you choose, it is important that it contains nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. When adding your fertilizer make sure that the soil isn’t too wet. Spring is a rainy time so be patient and wait...

Spring is in the air and the creativity is budding like the trees around us. If you couldn’t tell we LOVE spring it's a time of new growth and fresh new gardens! We have been busy creating new gardens and revitalizing old ones and we wanted to share some of our favorite ways to give your garden a springtime makeover! 

Nothing feels better than right after a spring clean when the house is fresh and the stale air of winter is replaced by the warm breeze and the same goes for your garden. So here are some tips for making your garden feel new again and exciting so that you can get back into the routine of gardening!

Tip Number 1: First take some time to clean up your garden beds and paths if there are any dead leaves or fallen branches get those out and into your compost if you have it. Next it’s time to restore those raised beds. A good sanding and some wood sealant can go a long way in making your beds bright and inviting again, it also increases the longevity...

I have had strawberry beds in my backyard for three years now and every year my children love to help me care for them. The strawberry beds are by far their favorite part of the garden and I cherish the evenings I get to go with them and watch them explore and learn. This year Magnolia learned that strawberry leaves, though not the most pleasant, are edible! I created this garden to help my family live healthier lives and that doesn’t just mean eating, it means that my kids get to grow with the plants in my garden. 

I have two beds full of everbearing seascape strawberry plants. These plants will produce all through the season, from about May to October, and are by far one of the easiest fruits to grow! They do need full sun meaning a minimum of 6 hours of sun, but so do I! These two beds practically guarantee that my girls are out in the garden picking strawberries all spring and summer getting vitamin D from the sun and vitamin c and antioxidants from the berries. ...

Why Pollinator Gardens?

I had a friend once who wanted to try container gardening, but she was nervous, so she started with just one tomato plant in a pot. She grew a beautiful plant that reached up a trellis and produced perfect flowers, but no tomatoes grew, and she wanted to know why. The reason was she never put her tomato plant outside; she grew an indoor tomato plant, so it was never pollinated by insects!

Most of our veggies and fruits need pollination to produce fruits (think green beans, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, melons, strawberries etc.!). Think of it like birthing a baby… you need to fertilize the embryo to grow the baby! And unless you want to go out with a little brush or q-tip and pollinate them yourself (which some very particular growers do) I would recommend using nature as it was intended! That is why a pollinator garden is the perfect companion to your edible garden. 

So what is it exactly? A pollinator garden consists of flowering plants...

These four quick tips will improve your germination rates and you will become a better home gardener!

For local gardening services in the Louisville Kentucky area find us at https://www.guidanceforgrowers.com/shops

The more you are familiar with your soil, the better. Assuming that you realize what sort of soil you have, you can settle on better choices concerning how to keep your garden and lawn healthy.

You might be wondering why is soil so important? Soil is significant for the various functions it gives plants, trees, animals, and humans. Soil gives support, nutrients, filtration, and protection in its multi-functions.

Soil Provides Growing Medium For Plants And Trees

Soil upholds a wide range of plant life in more than one way. From water, nutrients, and anchoring trees and plants, soil serves nature as its nurturer.

Root System Support

The soil offers root systems support. The soil gives away to the plant or tree to moor itself upstanding and stay vertical.

Soil Gives Roots With Nutrients And Minerals

The soil likewise gives plant life of all forms the required minerals and nutrients to grow, produce blossoms, seeds, and sometimes vegetables or fruits. The kind of...