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October Garden Book Club: Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell
September Garden Book Club: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

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This is my first year growing these little UFO-sha

This is my first year growing these little UFO-shaped squash, and I even had a squash vine borer moth flying around the garden… but it looks like no eggs were laid because the plants are still doing great 🌱

These are pattypan squash and I’m learning quickly that they’re one of those crops you really have to stay ahead of.

A few things I’ve learned so far:

• Pick them small once they get bigger, the skin toughens and the texture changes fast
• They’re super productive the more I harvest, the more they keep coming
• After picking, fridge storage works best unwashed, in a breathable bag in the crisper drawer for about 4–7 days
• When getting a big harvest roast and freeze extras so nothing goes to waste.
Just slice, roast until just tender, cool, then freeze on a tray before bagging.

It’s been a fun first-year lesson in how fast summer squash can go from tiny to “you missed it” 😄

🗂️Save this if you’re growing them too or thinking about adding them next season 🌿

#pattypan #harvest #squash #gardeningtipsandtricks #beginnergardener

One of my favorite reminders as a gardener is that

One of my favorite reminders as a gardener is that growing your own food and supporting your local farmers aren’t competing ideas they go hand in hand.

No home gardener can grow everything, every season, and that’s where a CSA has become such a valuable part of our family’s table.

I love filling the gaps in my garden while investing in the people who are growing food right here in our community.

This box came from @faithfully_sown_farm a family farm in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains that focuses on building healthy soil to produce clean, nutrient-dense food. They are also Certified Naturally Grown, which means they don’t use synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, or GMOs, and their growing practices are verified through annual peer inspections.

Whether you have a backyard garden or not, joining a CSA is a meaningful way to eat with the seasons, support local agriculture, and help keep small farms thriving.

Do you belong to a CSA, or is there a local farm you love to support?

I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

💚Michelle

🗂️Save this as your reminder to support your local farmers.

👉Follow along @michellesgardengrows for more garden insight & inspo

#communitysupportedagriculture #supportlocalfarmers #regenerative #igrowfood #homegardener

Happy Flower Friday🌼 There’s nothing more rewardin

Happy Flower Friday🌼
There’s nothing more rewarding and cost effective as flowers & bouquets from your own home garden.

While it might have only taken five minutes to make the bouquet because of filming every snip it actually took much linger 😂 it also took a little more time to edit so that it would’t be too long of a video
😂😂

I hope you have a beautiful weekend & to all of my American friends, Happy Independence Day weekend🇺🇸

💚Michelle

#flowers #gardenbouquet #flowerfriday #fiveminutesinthegarden #homegardener

We are so excited to be getting our first substant

We are so excited to be getting our first substantial harvests of blueberries.

My husband bought these mesh covers for plant /berry protection from birds and they’ve done a great job!

However, we both have two different methods of harvesting the berries with the covers and it’s become kind of a debate over here 😂

Stay tuned for part two to see my husband Karl‘s method of harvesting.

#blueberries #harvesting #plantprotection #meshcover #blueberrybush

June didn’t really feel like one thing it felt lik

June didn’t really feel like one thing it felt like everything all at once.

From harvesting lettuce, celery, blueberries, potatoes, garlic, garlic scapes, and pickling radishes from the May harvest, there was plenty happening in the June garden.

We also dealt with our share of garden challenges… spotting lanternflies and squash vine borers reminding us we are not alone in the garden 😳

In the middle of it all, we said goodbye to our sweet pup Minnie of 17 years. 😢

🚗We also took time to celebrate 29 years of marriage 🎉with a road trip through multiple states like West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, & New Hampshire.

Massachusetts & Maine highlights: visiting Tower Hill Botanical Garden in Massachusetts & The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens plus exploring Kennebunkport, and getting to finally meet a long-time Instagram garden friend in real life at her beautiful coastal kitchen garden.

June held a lot ….grief, gratitude, travel, harvests, pests, and beauty all mixed together.

💚Michelle

#hellojuly #gardeninglifestyle #june #gardenersofinstgram #harvests

Some beginner gardeners treat spring like the onl

Some beginner gardeners treat spring like the only “real” planting season, but I’ve learned over the past six years that’s only part of the story.

What I’m really focused on right now is how efficiently each square foot of garden is working for me.

When a crop is finished or underperforming, I don’t leave it sitting there…I reset it. Fresh organic matter goes back into that space so the next planting has a strong start.

With cucumbers, timing matters in my garden. I’ve learned through experience that earlier plantings tend to line up with higher cucumber beetle 🪲pressure, so I intentionally shift my planting window later to set it up better and not exhaust myself trying to fight the cucumber beetles.

That small adjustment changes everything: fewer pests to manage early on, stronger establishment in heat, and a smoother overall path to success.

Gardening isn’t just about what you plant, it’s also about timing and tweaking things to fit your specific situation.

🥒When do you plant cucumbers?

🗂️Save this for when you need a reminder that you can still plant plenty of things in July.

👉Follow along @michellesgardengrows for more garden inspiration.

#julygarden #reset #gardeningtipsandtricks #growyourfood #beginnergardener

⏰It only takes 5 minutes make a difference in the

⏰It only takes 5 minutes make a difference in the garden.

Here are 3️⃣ quick tomato 🍅tasks you can do in just five minutes:

1️⃣ Support & guide your tomato vines
Indeterminate tomatoes are natural climbers and will keep growing throughout the season. Helping guide them up a trellis with soft plant ties, Velcro, clips, or twist ties keeps the plant supported, improves airflow, and helps prevent branches from breaking under the weight of fruit.

Determinate tomatoes stay more compact, but they can still benefit from support like cages or stakes to keep fruit off the ground.

2️⃣ Remove tomato suckers (when needed)
Suckers are the little shoots that grow between the main stem and a branch. Removing some of them can help improve airflow, reduce overcrowding, and direct more of the plant’s energy into fruit production.

But don’t feel like you have to remove every single one! In a healthy plant, some gardeners leave suckers to grow additional stems and increase harvests especially if the plant has plenty of space and support.

3️⃣ Help with pollination
Tomatoes are self-pollinating, but they still need pollen to move inside the flower. A gentle tap or shake of the flower clusters can help release pollen and encourage fruit set, especially during calm weather or in areas with fewer pollinators.

Small garden moments add up 🌱

🗂️Save this for your next 5-minute garden check-in 🍅

👉Follow along with @michellesgardengrows for more 5 Minutes in the garden & inspiration

#fiveminutesinthegarden #tomatoes #veggiegardening #gardentipsandtricks #growyourfood

🌱 The case for growing bush beans… If you’ve neve

🌱 The case for growing bush beans…

If you’ve never grown beans before, start here. 💚

Bush beans are one of the easiest and most rewarding crops for a kitchen garden. They grow quickly, stay compact, don’t need a trellis, and can give you a big harvest in a small space.

I love growing them along the edges of my beds because they create a beautiful green border while helping me maximize every inch of my garden.

Beans are also legumes, meaning they work with beneficial soil bacteria to help fix nitrogen while they grow.

Simple to grow. Beautiful in the garden. Delicious on the table. 🌿

🗂️Save this to remind you to grow or succession sow Bush Beans & for your garden planning!

👉Follow along @michellesgardengrows for more garden inspiration & insight!

💚Michelle

#bushbeans #growingbeans #gardeningtipsandtricks #beginnergardener #harvest

This year i’m growing sweet potatoes in grow bags

This year i’m growing sweet potatoes in grow bags a bit different than last year.

This year I’m allowing the vines to grow around these poles & I also only planted one slip per bag.

SLIPS
Grown from organic grocery store potatoes from Earth Fare. 🌱

PLANT DATE:
Slips planted May 20 in @epicgardening 15-gallon lined grow bags with one slip per bag.

My setup is a little different because of where my grow bags are located…

🪨 My grow bags sit on a gravel area beside our yard that also functions as a walkway. Sweet potatoes naturally want to send vines everywhere, and I didn’t want them sprawling across the gravel or into our walking space.

So I created a simple teepee trellis using three poles zip-tied together at the top. 🌿

The goal isn’t because sweet potatoes have to climb they’re naturally a trailing vine, but this keeps the vines contained, tidy, and easier to manage while still allowing the plant to grow.

🍂 I also added straw mulch because grow bags sitting on gravel can dry out quickly. The straw helps:
✔️ hold moisture
✔️ keep roots cooler
✔️ reduce stress during hot summer days

🍠 Harvest timing:
Sweet potatoes usually need around 90–120+ days after slips are planted to mature. Since mine were planted May 20 and our first frost is usually at the end of October, I’m letting them enjoy a long warm growing season before harvest.

My container sweet potato tips:
🌱 Use loose, well-draining soil
💧 Keep moisture consistent (grow bags dry out faster!)
🌿 Guide vines instead of heavily pruning
🚫 Avoid excess nitrogen lots of vines doesn’t always mean lots of sweet potatoes

Now we wait to see what’s happening underneath the soil… 🍠✨

🗂️Save this for your future sweet potato growing plans especially if you’re growing in containers or trying to keep those vines under control!

👉Follow along @michellesgardengrows for more garden harvest adventures! 🍠🥕🥬

#sweetpotatoes #growingsweetpotatoes #containergardening #gardentipsandtricks growbags

Gardening is never a failure, just a lesson! And

Gardening is never a failure, just a lesson!

And what looks like a dying plant above the soil can actually mean something very different happening below it 🥔🌱

✨Our first time growing potatoes in Grow Bags

🗓️Planted these on April 19
🗓️Harvested June 24
⏰About 66 days from planting to harvest.

We grew:
🥔 French Fingerling
🥔 Huckleberry Gold
🥔 Norland
🥔 Plus a mystery yellow potato from a loose bin at the farm store (because experimenting is part of gardening 😉)

🧺 About 3 baskets full! 🙌

One of the things that surprised me as new potato grower….when the foliage starts yellowing and dying back at the end of the season, that’s often the plant telling you the potatoes underneath are ready to check.

Next time I’d improve our harvest by:
✨ Maybe planting one less potato in each grow bag.
✨Wait one more week to harvest

🥔Potatoes can have different growth habits.
Some varieties set most of their crop lower on the stem, while others can form additional tubers higher up when you keep adding soil as they grow.

🗂️Save this for a reminder to get your potatoes planted next season. Every harvest teaches you something new 🌱

👉Follow along @michellesgardengrows for more garden harvest adventures! 🥔🥕🥬

#harvest #potatoes #vegetablegardening #justright #gardentipsandtricks

5 minutes in the garden can change how your plants

5 minutes in the garden can change how your plants perform all season🌿

✂️Small, intentional pruning on Patty Pan Squash like this does several big things:

• Opens the canopy for better airflow, helping reduce disease pressure & allows me to see the base of the stem to evaluate for Squash Vine Borer grass (poo)
• Makes flowers easier for pollinators to find and access
• Redirects energy into stronger fruit production instead of excess foliage.

🚨✂️ Prune squash carefully
• Leaves = plant energy (photosynthesis)
• Remove only 1–3 leaves at a time
• Never take more than 20–30% at once
• Prioritize old, damaged, or blocking leaves
• Cut clean at the base, then reassess

🗂️Save this as your reminder to prune when needed & that consistent, simple garden habits often matter more than big, complicated ones.

👉Follow @michellesgardengrows for more quick garden inspiration and practical 5 Minutes in the garden habits you can use in your own space.

💚Michelle

#fiveminutesinthegarden #pattypansquash #pruning #vegetablegardening #gardeningtipsandtricks

Part 2 of my garlic harvest 🧄🌱 The garden doesn’t

Part 2 of my garlic harvest 🧄🌱

The garden doesn’t always wait for our schedules… and this year I learned that firsthand.

I missed my optimal garlic harvest window while I was out of town on a vacation to Maine, but I still wanted to dig it up and see what I had.

Also, 👀peep my Magic Carpet snapdragons 🪻🌷from @botanical_interests

I was pleasantly surprised. All of my Music garlic bulbs turned out just fine!

Music is a hardneck garlic variety known for its large bulbs, big easy-to-peel cloves, strong cold tolerance, and that classic bold garlic flavor.

TWO TYPES OF GARLIC

HARDNECK:
I love Hardneck varieties because they grow a flower stalk called scapes several weeks before the garlic is ready. Scapes are delicious!

SOFTNECK GARLIC:
Softneck garlic is what you’ll often see braided because it has a softer stem, more cloves, and typically stores longer.

Now I need to cure these bulbs so they can finish drying so they will be good until I can use them 🧄

Also, now it’s time to pre-order garlic for planting this fall. You can use my CODE: Michelle to save at this link https://www.botanicalinterests.com/MICHELLE on your garlic order & all products from @botanical_interests they have a great selection of both hard neck and soft neck🧄

Garden lesson learned: timing matters, but don’t give up on your harvest. 🌱

👉Follow @michellesgardengrows for more real garden wins and mishaps!

#garlic #growinggarlic #harvest
#vegetablegardening #gardeningtipsforbeginners

Spotted Lanternflies are back in my yard! 🚫🦟 Becau

I missed the garlic harvest window because I was o

I missed the garlic harvest window because I was out of town… and this is your reminder that the garden doesn’t always wait for our schedules. 🧄😅

Garlic is usually ready when the lower leaves turn brown but you still have green leaves above. Waiting too long can mean fewer protective wrappers and shorter storage.

Now the big question… did I still get a good harvest? 👀 Part 2 coming!

🗂️ Save this when you need to harvest your garlic to remind you not to wait too long and 👉follow @michellesgardengrows for more garden mishaps!

#garlic #growinggarlic #mishap #vegetablegardening #gardeningtipsforbeginners

Five Minutes in the Garden Series: Today’s garden

Five Minutes in the Garden Series:

Today’s garden task: removing strawberry runners.

Last year I made the mistake of letting my strawberry bed become too crowded. It still produced strawberries in May, but the harvest was smaller and the plants were competing for space.

Strawberry runners are how plants naturally spread those little baby plants are created when runners grow and root into new daughter plants. But with everbearing strawberries, I want my mother plants putting more energy into flowers and fruit instead of filling every inch of my bed. 🍓

Everbearing strawberries are different from June-bearing varieties:

🍓 June-bearing strawberries usually produce one large harvest over a shorter window and runners are often used to help fill in a bed.

🍓 Everbearing strawberries produce fruit in multiple flushes throughout the growing season, so many gardeners remove runners to help maintain productive, less crowded plants.

I’m not removing every runner I’ll keep a few to replace plants and expand my patch but a few minutes of maintenance now helps keep my strawberry bed healthier.

But don’t think you have to throw all those runners away!

If you want more strawberry plants, you can tuck the little rooted runner into a small pot near your garden and let it establish.

Once it has a strong root system, you can transplant it to expand your patch or replace older plants.

Five minutes in the garden can make a BIG difference! Small garden tasks add up 🌿

Do you let your strawberries spread or do you keep runners under control?

🗂️ Save this when you need a reminder of a five minute task in the garden!

👉Follow along with 💚Michelle @michellesgardengrows for more of Five Minutes in the Garden Series

#fiveminutesinthegarden #gardentasks #strawberryrunners #everbearingstrawberries #gardeningtipsandtricks

I almost pulled this … but I decided to let it flo

I almost pulled this … but I decided to let it flower instead. 🥕🌸

Carrots are part of the Apiaceae (carrot) family the same family as dill, fennel, parsley, and cilantro.

When carrots bolt, they send up tall flower stalks covered in tiny clusters called umbels. These little flowers may look simple to us, but they can become a valuable food source for beneficial insects.

In my garden, I’ve noticed for the past few years my carrot flowers buzzing with insect life including tiny pollinators and helpful predators like soldier beetles and other beneficial insects.

Flowering plants like these provide nectar and pollen that support many adult beneficial insects, including some parasitoid wasps that help keep pest populations balanced.

So now I leave a few “past their prime” plants behind on purpose… because sometimes the best thing you can grow in your garden is habitat. 🌱

🗂️ Save this for a reminder to allow some plants to flower so you can save the seeds, let them self sow & attract the “good” insects

💚Michelle @michellesgardengrows

#beneficialinsects #vegetablegardener #organicgardening #gardeningtips #carrotflower

Cruel summer heat is causing me to say goodbye to

Cruel summer heat is causing me to say goodbye to my lettuce.

Is it too late to harvest?

Are you team harvest or team let it flower? 🥬🌼

My lettuce has started bolting, but since it hasn’t flowered yet, I’m taking a chance and harvesting it anyway!

Lettuce is an annual, which means once it flowers and goes to seed, its life cycle is complete I won’t be harvesting leaves from this plant anymore, so I’ll replant for the next crop at the end of summer.

When lettuce is exposed to heat and longer days, it shifts from producing leaves to sending up a flower stalk. As it bolts, the leaves can become tougher and sometimes more bitter but I’m still going to taste and see.

I’ll also let a couple stalks flower for the pollinators 🐝 before I clear the bed.

🥬How is your lettuce doing in your part of the world?

💚Michelle @michellesgardengrows

#bolting #lettuce #cruelsummer #vegetablegardener #isittoolate

✂️ My chives were getting a little messy, so I gav

✂️ My chives were getting a little messy, so I gave them a quick haircut since they are done flowering🌸

Chives are a hardy perennial herb, and extension offices recommend harvesting them by cutting the leaves back near the base. They’ll continue producing fresh leaves, making them a great “cut and come again” herb for your kitchen garden. (Utah State University Extension)

I’m bringing this harvest inside to wash, chop, and save so we can enjoy every bit of it. 🌿

Do you keep your chives trimmed or just let them go wild?

🗂️ Save this for when you need a reminder to give your chives a haircut✂️ or a five minute garden task

👉Follow along with
Michelle @michellesgardengrows for more of Five Minutes in the Garden Series

#chives #cutandcomeagain #herb #beginnergardener #fiveminutesinthegarden

This is what pest control looks like in an organic

This is what pest control looks like in an organic garden 🌱🐛

Sometimes the best “spray” is actually a tiny helper you almost missed.

• Lacewing eggs are laid on tiny stalks and will hatch into larvae that feed on soft-bodied pests like aphids.
• Lacewing larvae are often called “aphid lions” because they are such effective predators.
• They are one of the beneficial insects we want to encourage in a healthy garden ecosystem.

Before removing something from your plants… take a closer look. You might be removing your garden’s natural pest control team. 💚

ℹ️Source: University of Minnesota Extension

💚Michelle

#naturalpestcontrol #lacewing #beneficialinsects #vegetablegarden #gardeningtips

Calling all plant lovers! One membership, nearly 4

Calling all plant lovers! One membership, nearly 400 botanical gardens across the U.S. and North America. 🚨Please note: I misspoke in video it is not over400 it is nearly 400.

🌿 We didn’t realize how many places this pass would unlock public gardens & botanical gardens all included in one pass.

This is quickly becoming one of our favorite ways to travel and explore. Hello Garden Travel
🌻🚗

We paid $70 for two adults to join & have already used it for the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Massachusetts & The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. We got into both for $70 & can still visit a list of 400 across the nation.

Check it out at the American Horticultural Society website http://ahsgardening.org

💚Michelle

#gardentravel #gooddeals #botanicalgardens #plantloversofinstagram #americanhorticulturalsociety

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