Welcome to the Garden Journal
Here you will find blog posts on all the tips and tricks to help make your gardening & homesteading journey easier. You can expect to find posts on all things gardening, backyard conservation, modern homesteading, simple & sustainable living and so much more!
A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Cut Flowers in Hot Climates
In this post I will walk you through the basics of starting and maintaining a cut flower garden, how to choose the right varieties as well as where to source your plants, seeds and tubers! Plus, all the tips and tricks to successfully grow cut flowers in hot climates.
The Garden in January: what to plant in your zone 9 garden
January the perfect time to get ready for spring gardening and is that last winter gardening month to plant long-season winter crops in zone 9. In this post I will go over the garden tasks you should be doing this month as well as provide a list of vegetable, herb and flower crops that you can plant in the month of January.
The Garden in August: what to plant in your zone 9 garden
Here in Central Florida Zone 9, August is the start of the fall gardening season and the best time to garden here in Florida.
In this post I will go over the garden tasks you should be doing in the month of August as well as provide a list of vegetable, herb and flower crops that you can plant now in your zone 9 garden no matter which zone 9 region you live in.
5 Things You Can Do to Help Save Pollinators
Pollinators are vital to the health of our ecosystems and we rely on them for our very existence. Unfortunately pollinators are in a rapid decline due to various human and environmental issues but there are many things we can do in our own backyards, no matter how big or small, to help them. In this post I explain what a pollinator is and why they are important as well as list 5 simple actions we can take to help save our local pollinators.
10 of The Best Backyard Chicken Breeds for Beginners and Urban Flocks
In this post I go over the 10 recommended chicken breeds for urban, backyard flocks. These chicken breeds are great for beginners, urban homesteads and most importantly, produce the greatest amount of eggs.
The Top 8 Places to Buy Vegetable, Flower & Herb Seeds for Your Garden
This post explains common seed terminology such as, heirloom, organic, hybrid and non-gmo, as well as what to look for when buying seeds. I will also list my top favorite seed companies to order vegetable, flower and herb seeds from.
Are Backyard Chickens Right for You? 10 Important Things to Consider Before Getting Chickens
Are you considering adding backyard chickens to your homestead? Chickens are a great addition to the backyard homestead but there are a few things you need to know before bringing your new chickens home. In this post I will go over 10 important things that you need to know before you decide to get chickens.
The Garden in February: what to plant in your zone 9 garden
February is the transition period between cool-season and warm-season crops. It is also the perfect time to get ready for spring. In this post I will go over the garden tasks you should be doing this month as well as provide a list of edible and flower crops that you can plant in the month of February.
What Are Native Plants and Why Are They So Important?
You may have heard about native plants and are wondering what they are and how to use them. In this post I will explain what native plants are, 10 reasons why you should plant them and how to incorporate them into your landscape.
Seed Starting 101 (Part 1): Direct Sow vs Transplant
In this post I will go over all of the details on how to choose between direct sowing and transplanting as well as the advantages of each method.