We love to showcase gardens from around the World! Check out our Featured Garden stories below, and feel free to send us tips on what garden we should feature next at thefarm@owgarden.com
Featured Gardens
Featured Gardens
A few times a year, business travels take me through Charleston, West Virginia, and a mandatory side stop at what has become one of my favorite farmers markets to visit, the Charleston Capitol Market.
I can never seem to leave there without loading up the car with some type of vegetable plant, shrub, or hanging basket I couldn’t resist.
Not to mention, just being able to spend an hour or two walking and taking in the sights, smells and activity is incredibly good for the soul.
Hanging baskets are all around as Spring has come to the Charleston Capitol Market
Farmer’s markets and open city markets have begun to spring up all over, and it so incredibly wonderful to see.
There is something so amazing about strolling outdoors and finding locally produced fruit, vegetables, plants and more.
It got me to thinking that in addition to all of the wonderful home gardens and gardening tips our readers share, that we should create a spot on the site to showcase these wonderful markets that exist all over the world.
So today, to get the ball rolling, I thought I would share one of my all-time favorites, the Charleston Capitol Market.
The beauty, activity and sheer size of the Capitol Market is simply stunning to me. I think what I love most is that it was built smack in the middle of the city.
It didn’t always look as stunning as it does now. The area had once been home to a bustling rail yard built in the late 1800’s that served the Kanawha and Michigan Railroad.
But, by the 1990’s, all that was left was the crumbling remnants, and the spot had become more of an eyesore for the community than anything else. And then it all changed!
In 1997, the old rail yard was cleared out and cleaned up with hopes to return this downtown spot into a thriving commercial center. By all accounts – it certainly has worked!
With 35,000 square feet of canopied open-air space, and another 16,000 square feet of indoor retail area, 800 Smith street in downtown Charleston is now home to a year-round outdoor market, and indoor shops that showcase everything from wines, to fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, chocolates and more.
It even includes a great local restaurant, SOHO’s, where diners can enjoy their meals inside, or out on the rail docks sitting above the open market.
The outdoor area at the Charleston Capitol Market
The farmers market features over 40 West Virginia seasonal growers, producing and selling everything from flowers, vegetables, Christmas trees, wreaths, pumpkins, gourds and more. And with more than 500,000 visitors a year and $10,000,000 in sales – it’s also a big shot in the arm for the local economy.
It is everything that is right about what local should mean and be. And perhaps why I love stopping every chance I go through the historic town.
Maybe even more exciting is that these types of places are popping up all over, and it just goes to show that home grown produce and products are still valued by us all.
So, feel fee to take a stroll through the market with our pictures below.
And if you have a local farmers, or open-air market you would like to share – see below for how to send it in! You can find out more about the Charleston market on their website here : Charleston Capitol Market
Share Your Garden With The World…
We want to showcase gardens of all shapes, sizes – from all around the world. From small to big, and everything in between. Share your garden and help make this site a great place for gardeners to dream, learn and share!
If you would like to have your garden featured in one of our Weekly Garden Showcases, email us your garden story and pictures at info@thisismygarden.com, or use the share my garden tab on the website and submit it online. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get our updates as well!
Photos of the Charleston Capitol Market, Charleston, West Virginia
Featured Gardens
There are so many ways to enjoy gardening, whether it be with raised beds, potted plants, hanging baskets, or wide open flower beds. And when it comes to Cheryl Kagey’s landscape, she uses a combination of all of them! The result? A gorgeous display of color and beauty outside of her Alexandria, Ohio home.
Just one of the beautiful plantings from Cheryl’s garden.
Cheryl’s garden story below is another example of how so many of us grew to appreciate and love gardening.
It started with parents who gardened and canned. Along of course with a few distant not so fun childhood memories of the chores that came along with it!
But in the end, as with so many of us – the seeds of gardening were planted. And now, Cheryl loves to create and grow, just like her parents did.
As always, there is a full slate of photographs from Cheryl’s garden and property at the end of the article.
It is great to see so many people sending in photos and short stories of their garden. It really is what makes this website so special – gardeners sharing their own little slice of heaven with other gardeners!
Be sure to check at the end of the article to see how you can submit your garden to be featured. Now let’s take a look at this week’s featured garden.
Cheryl’s Garden
Location : Alexandria, Ohio
Growing Zone : 6
I am an amateur gardener, and love to plant flowers, vegetables in raised beds and lots of tomatoes. I spent many hours as a child weeding my father’s garden and did not want anything to do with gardening for years. But I am retired now, and I cannot think of much that brings me more satisfaction. I am 62 years old and live outside of Alexandria Ohio.
A priceless picture of Cheryl’s father working in his garden!
My father was an avid gardener, he loved to garden and had a large plot. I spent many hours weeding and hoeing between rows of corn, potatoes, beans, strawberries, etc.
We had a large family of 7 children, so my mother canned and froze much of our bounty. My father was a generous man, and happily shared his produce with all who happened by.
After spending many hot summers working in the garden, I did not have an interest for many years.
After retiring, I found that I also loved planting flowers and vegetables and then sharing my produce with family and friends. Actually, it’s quite surprising, as I thought I hated gardening.
Although I do not have nearly as much space to garden as my father and have far more flowers, I clearly understand now why he loved it so much.
I use raised beds for some of my vegetables, and plant 8 to 10 tomatoes behind the garage each year. Each spring, I spend time visiting nurseries and often take pictures so that I can attempt to duplicate the beautiful hanging baskets.
Now I find myself planting flowers that my mother loved, such as pansies and morning glories. I am a novice gardener and have much to learn, but I get hours of enjoyment from my gardens and feel a renewed sense of closeness to my father that is extremely satisfying as well.
Share Your Garden With The World…
We can’t thank Cheryl enough for sharing her garden and landscape with us. Although she describes herself as an “amateur” gardener, it’s easy to she has developed quite a lot of skill when it comes to making her property come to life with a beautiful planting mix of flowers, vegetables and potted plants!
Now it’s time to share your garden! We want to showcase gardens of all sizes and shapes. So no matter what you grow, how you grow it or where you grow it – send in your photos and short gardening story to This Is My Garden – and share it with the world.
Simply email us at info@thisismygarden.com, or use the Share My Garden tab on the website. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get our weekly updates as well!
Cheryl’s Garden Photos
Just one of the different ways Cheryl adds color and interest to her landscape and home.
Talk about a beautiful driveway planting!
Love the way this collection of potted plants and hanging baskets adds a burst of color to the view
Now that is a lot of garden produce!
The raised beds in Cheryl’s yard
Just a burst of color in every direction!
A stunning planter
Featured Gardens
Sandy Hart’s backyard garden proves you don’t need acres of land to experience the simple love and joy of gardening.
Gardener Sandy Hart
Nestled beautifully in her Newark, Ohio backyard, Sandy’s enclosed garden produces enough vegetables and herbs to supply salsa, pickles, relish, pesto, and all kinds of dried herbs to her family and friends.
Adding to the charm – it was created for her with love from the hands of her husband and sons from century-old barnwood.
But beyond the wonderful produce and canned goods that come from her backyard oasis, you can tell from her story below how much Sandy simply loves and enjoys the entire gardening process.
Like so many gardeners, the first seeds of her love of gardening were planted and fostered by her grandparents.
The rewards of the garden!
Its almost uncanny how many stories that come to us share the process of passing down gardening love, knowledge and skills from generation to generation. And it’s easy to see that she is passing it along to her own family as well.
Garden stories like Sandy’s are what makes this website so special. It is all about gardeners sharing their own personal stories, growing space and passion with fellow gardeners from around the world – no matter the size, no matter the location. I guess you could call it the Circle of Gardening.
So why not be the next story in our circle? Be sure to check at the end of the article to see how you can submit your garden to be featured. As always, we have included a full slate of all of Sandy’s photos at the end of the article. Now lets take a look at her backyard garden!
Sandy Hart’s Garden
Location : Newark, Ohio
Growing Zone : 6a
My love for gardening started with memories of my grandparents. They always planted a big garden. I remember picking green beans and picking and eating ripe tomatoes right off the vine.
My garden was built out of 100 year old barn wood that given to us by a friend. My husband and sons built it for me 3 years ago. Just in time for the May 15th planting season.
I plant different varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and jalapeño peppers that my son started from seed. I also plant herbs – rosemary, thyme, parsley, and lots of basil. My favorite!
I make basil pesto and basil salt, which my friends all love. Last summer the Japanese beetles loved it too. My husband and I made a wooden screen cage to cover it up.
The first year I canned tomatoes, salsa, pickles, and relish. I also dried cherry tomatoes and herbs.
Now I just enjoy eating all the fresh veggies and sharing with family and friends.
Big or small, a garden is very therapeutic and the joy of planting, caring, and watching it grow gives me great pleasure. A bounty of LOVE!
Share Your Garden With The World…
Thank you so much Sandy for sharing your garden!
We want to showcase gardens of all shapes, sizes – from all around the world. From small to big, and everything in between. Share your garden and help make this site a great place for gardeners to dream, learn and share!
If you would like to have your garden featured in one of our Weekly Garden Showcases, email us your garden story and pictures at info@thisismygarden.com, or use the share my garden tab on the website and submit it online. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get our updates as well!
Hart Garden Photos :
Sandy’s covered basil – to protect from the Japanese Beatles
Sandy’s garden sits waiting for the warm weather. Love the garden closed sign!
Look at that basil!
Featured Gardens
Erin Lovett’s Happy Valley Garden embodies the true spirit of growing your own food naturally. Erin’s incredible garden, as you will see below, provides a tremendous amount of food for her family, others, and even the local wildlife. And she does it all by using simple organic methods that replenish her fertile growing soil naturally.
But beyond all of that, her love and passion for gardening comes shining through when she talks about her garden.
When Erin first wrote to us to share her garden, she started off with the words : “I have just a simple garden.” Well, it is simple all right…simply beautiful!
She grows, freezes, preserves and dries a huge selection of vegetables and herbs, and mixes in flowers to add a peaceful touch of beauty to her Eastern Oregon property.
I think you will enjoy her photos and description of her garden as much as we did.
As always, we have included a full slate of all of Erin’s photos at the end of the article.
We continue to be amazed at how many people are joining and sending in photos and short stories of their garden. And that is what makes this website so special – gardeners sharing their own growing space and passion with other gardeners!
So why not be the next? Be sure to check at the end of the article to see how you can submit your garden to be featured.
Now lets take a look at Erin Lovett’s Happy Valley Garden, described by Erin:
The Happy Valley Garden – Erin Lovett’s Eastern Oregon Garden
Happy Valley Garden
Eastern Oregon
Growing Zone 5
Why I Love To Garden : It brings out the best in me…Freedom…..It’s an Honor to raise your own food.
I’m not a fancy gardener, I basically use what I have. My garden plots are a bare canvas every Spring. I use Heirloom seeds, compost, manure, straw, and rotate the crops throughout the growing season.
The simple pleasures of a butterfly
We are Zone #5 here in Eastern Oregon. Back in the day, Happy Valley/ Nolan, Oregon was mainly a sheep ranchers dream. Throughout the valley, large herds of sheep were raised. Even to this day, the valley has sheep as well as cattle grazing along with the many large herds of deer.
I start with good seeds and go from there. I’m totally organic, I compost throughout the year to replenish the soil.
My gardens usually have the tried and trues – tomatoes, squash, Walla Walla sweet onions, cukes, carrots, a large variety of greens, kales and herbs. They are also full of cabbage, broccoli, melons, peppers, sweet potatoes and a mixture of flowers throughout.
I also harvest many types of weeds, such as Goosefoot and Dandelions, and Chickweed.
I have gardened now for many years. I love starting something from a tiny seed, and then watching with great expectation. Some people say me and the dirt get along pretty well together.
Gardening to me is very relaxing, once you have everything in its place, you let the seeds do their thing. I stick with the tried and true Heirlooms, pure seeds are the best as well with all my flowers.
We have a lot of bee action out here which is good. I’m still learning, always open to experiment and try new garden things.
The combination of vegetables and flowers paint a beautiful scene in Erin Lovett’s Eastern Oregon Garden.
My gardens and yard were a life saver this past year for the deer. We had over a month of deep snow on the ground, and we had a lot of deer come in and glean the garden, and the many flower beds around the house. I figure there is plenty to share among friends and neighbors and family, and wild life.
We harvest throughout the growing season, eating a lot of fresh salads, day pickles, fresh salsa, pickled sweet jalapeno’s, tomatoes sauces, squash and melons. We love a good squash or sweet potato pie come Fall, and I include the squash, pumpkins and gourds in my Fall decor.
At the end of the season, I throw together a Pick-a-lil. It’s a relish made from a combination of all the garden goods, Yum!
I make soup bases, homemade herbal wines and combine drying herbs such as chamomile, spearmint, lemon balm for teas. We have a wide variety of herbs including all different types of Oregano, Basil,Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, violet, sage, and mints. I also dry for Christmas presents as well as making dried herb mixtures for cooking. Most of every thing else, I freeze, dehydrate, store, or give away – and I always leave enough for the deer.
Happy Gardening folks, from the people of Happy Valley!
Share Your Garden With The World…
Thank you so much Erin, and what an incredible garden you have!
We want to showcase gardens of all shapes, sizes and types just like Erin’s – from all around the world. From small to big, and everything in between. Share your garden and help make this site a great site for gardeners to dream, learn and share!
If you would like to have your garden featured in one of our Weekly Garden Showcases, email us your garden story and pictures at info@thisismygarden.com, or use the share my garden tab on the website and submit it online. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get our updates as well!
Erin Lovett’s Happy Valley Garden Photos :
Look at that produce!
Now that is a productive garden!
Featured Gardens
This week’s Garden Showcase comes to us from Toronto, Canada, courtesy of Jennifer Arnott.
Jennifer along with some of the beautiful tomatoes she has grown in her city garden in Toronto.
From the moment Jennifer purchased her home – she went to work. And as you will see in her story below, we mean she went to work that very same weekend!
As with any type of urban gardening, space is at a premium, and Jennifer really uses her space wisely. She grows everything from heirloom tomatoes, to garlic, flowers and more.
Jennifer has truly created an oasis in the middle of the city.
When she is not tending to her own beautiful landscape, Jennifer loves to help gardeners by writing her own weekly garden tips and resource articles on her blog, The Fabulous Garden.
One of things we love most about This Is My Garden – we continue to find great gardeners like Jennifer that love to talk gardening!
Let’s take a look at this incredible city garden, courtesy of Jennifer.
A Fabulous City Garden In The Middle of Toronto!
I love to garden because there’s always something new to learn and I love creating with plants.
I’ve been gardening since I was old enough to hold a trowel, when my dad would give me a little plot of his huge vegetable garden where I could grow what I wanted (with a little bit of help and supervision.) From tending that little vegetable patch to following my maternal grandmother around as she cared for her flowerbeds, gardening was a regular ongoing part of life for me growing up.
All that changed when I went away to university and then started renting an apartment in the Toronto area.
In 2003, the need for some soil to call my own coincided with a bank account finally big enough to cover the down payment on a very small home with a decent size lot in Toronto. The sale closed on a Friday night.
By Sunday afternoon I had the first new flowerbed dug and planted in the front yard. By the end of the summer I had removed all of the grass on the property and planted the foundations of the garden that is still growing and maturing more than a decade later.
Today, most of the front and back yard is covered by a collection of perennials and shrubs. I’m the first one to admit that it’s more of a gardener’s garden than a landscape artist’s garden—although the front garden did win Runner-Up for Best Garden in the western half of Toronto in 2012.
Potscaping is a theme throughout the entire property, adding colour and the opportunity to wedge in more plants. The very back of the garden, where there is full sun for most of the day, is home to the vegetable area.
It is hard to match the beauty of Magnolia blooms
Most years there are more than 15 heirloom tomato plants, each soaring to more than 10’ in height, along with a year’s supply of garlic and a few other vegetables and herbs.
My garden is a continuous teacher and a source of delight in all four seasons. Wanting to share the joy of gardening with others, I’ve been trying to help new gardeners by equipping them with tips and resources through weekly articles on my garden blog, http://www.thefabulousgarden.com.
Gardening in the city can have its challenges. But I’m able to walk out my door and into a garden that is a complete world away from the cement and traffic, yet minutes away from transit, great coffee, shops and one of the best nurseries in the city.
It’s a delight to have been able to create this garden and work on it, as it works on me.
Share Your Garden With The World…
Thank you so much for sharing your incredible city garden with us Jennifer!
We want to showcase gardens from all around the world! So no matter what you grow, how you grow it or where you grow it – share it with the world on This Is My Garden.Com!
If you would like to have your garden featured in one of our Weekly Garden Showcases, email us your garden story and pictures at info@thisismygarden.com, or use the share my garden tab on the website and submit it online. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get our updates as well!
Talk about a beautiful front yard!
Sour cherry tree at the back entrance to the garden
Spring tulips in full bloom
Fall Anemone
What gorgeous blooms!
A great mix of flowers and vegetables
Love the intermixing of plants!
Welcoming planted containers in the front.
Jennifer along with some of the beautiful tomatoes she has grown in her city garden in Toronto.
Featured Gardens
Today’s garden tour comes to us from Cindy, who resides in central New York.
Cindy is a self-described gardening addict, and as you will see below, has created an absolute oasis at her home, including her very own Zen Garden.
Cindy created a personal Zen garden from a rocky area in her landscape.
Cindy’s creation of her personal Zen garden is a great example of working with the existing landscape and features, and not against it.
Faced with large rocks and boulders she uncovered in her yard, she decided to keep them in place and work them into her plan. And the results are spectacular!
As always, there is a full slate of photographs from Cindy’s garden and property at the end of the article. It is incredible to see how much she has accomplished in the space surrounding her home.
We continue to be amazed at how many people are joining and sending in photos and short stories of their garden. It just goes to show you that gardeners love to share! And that is what makes this website so special – gardeners sharing their own passions with other gardeners!
So why not be the next? Be sure to check at the end of the article to see how you can submit your garden to be featured.
Now lets take a look at Cindy’s gorgeous property and Zen Garden.
Creating A Personal Zen Garden In The Middle Of New York
Location : Central New York
Growing Zone : 5
Hello from central New York!
What a beautiful water feature. Now that will calm anyone!
My name is Cindy and I am a gardening addict.
I can’t seem to stop gardening. I moved into my current home 6 years ago and immediately began painting the landscape with color.
I have transformed our once garden-less property into three acres of vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and a zen meditation garden that features a huge boulder that I practice yoga on.
My sweet husband accepts that I have a gardening issue, but still shudders when I look at an empty spot and say “I have an idea…”
One spring day when I was clearing a large brush pile, I discovered an amazing group of boulders under the brush.
These boulders were perfect accents for my flower garden, but too heavy for me to move to my garden, so I made a garden around the boulders.
I built a terraced rock retaining wall and a dry creek bed from other smaller rocks that I could move.
I transplanted ajuga, day lillies, and echinacea from another garden into this new garden which enabled me to install this complete garden for free! But to me, this garden is priceless.
What a wonderful backyard view…
It has become my Zen Garden where I can meditate and practice yoga on the boulders. It is a peaceful place that I often share with my pets.
Our three acres also host other gardens that include fruit tees, herbs, flowers, and 2 organic vegetable gardens. My addiction will be in full swing soon as we inch closer and closer to spring.
Stay tuned for my next gardening adventure. Don’t tell my husband that I have a new gardening idea…
Share Your Garden With TIMG!
Thank you so much Cindy for sharing your Zen garden and beautiful photos of your property with us! And we can’t wait to get an update on what that new gardening idea might be! I do think he may now know though….
And now it’s your turn to share your garden! We want to showcase gardens of all shapes, sizes and types from all around the world. From small or unique patio and flower gardens, to fish pond gardens, orchards and more! Help make this site a great site for gardeners to dream, learn and share!
If you would like to have your garden featured in one of our Weekly Garden Showcases, email us your garden story and pictures at info@thisismygarden.com, or use the share my garden tab on the website and submit it online. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get our updates as well!
Love the curious cat
A dry creek bed full of color
You can tell the animals love the space too!
Featured Gardens
Today marks the first ever Showcase Garden Article for This Is My Garden! We have had quite a few people send in their gardens over the last week, and we are excited to finally start showing the gardens of the world!
The gorgeous bloom at the Hershbergers
WOW, do we have a good one to start off with!
Brittany and Jonathan Hershberger hail from Northeast, Ohio, and live in the beautiful village of Sugarcreek, Ohio.
Their town is smack in the middle of Amish country, and is also known as the little Switzerland of Ohio.
The Hershberger’s garden rivals the natural beauty of the surrounding area, with raised rows, raised beds, flowers, and a growing selection of perennial crops.
As you will see from Brittany’s description below, beyond its natural beauty, it produces a lot of great food for their family!
It’s always so impressive to see a garden that provides for the family. There is nothing better than being able to know what goes into your food on your family’s table.
Of course, the best way to do that is to simply grow it! And that is just what the Hershberger’s do.
Be sure to check at the conclusion of the article to see how you can submit your own garden to be one of our Wednesday This Is My Garden Features!
As we will do each week, we will include additional full-size photos of the Featured Garden at the end of the article.
So let’s take a look at the garden of Brittany and Jonathan Hershberger!
The Hershberger Garden
Location : Sugarcreek, Ohio
Growing Zone : USDA Zone 6
From Brittany Hershberger:
Before we ever built our raised garden boxes and made the garden raised rows with the mulch walkways, we had just a big dirt garden that I planted.
The weeds were terrible, and it would take Jon and I a whole day to weed everything. I simply couldn’t keep it under control myself. Things would grow, but not very well.
The raised row garden of the Hershberger garden
We decided we needed to do something, so we put straw down and covered in black plastic over winter. In the Spring, we took the plastic off and mounded new rows of top soil mixed with compost over the straw.
We finished by mulching all of the walk ways. It’s so much easier to maintain, and I can walk through the garden and raised beds in about a half hour everyday to keep weeds down. Best of all, our plants grow great!
This past year, we had quite a spread in our garden. We had cherry and roma tomatoes, and several other slicing and canning type tomatoes, red beets, radishes, sugar snap peas, onions, popcorn, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins, watermelon and musk melon.
The Hershberger’s homemade container garden
We grew 9 types of peppers – sweet bell, cubanelle, sweet banana, hot hungarian wax, cayenne, chili, jalapeno, pablano and the Chinese 5 color.
All of that was in our regular garden. In our raised beds we had brussel sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, pickles, garlic, carrots, green beans, black beans and strawberries.
We currently have about 7 or 8 blackberry bushes and have plans of putting in some blueberry bushes, some grapes and a few fruit trees as well.
We of course did a lot of fresh eating from the garden, but I also can and freeze many of the items also. I canned tomato sauce, beans, carrots, pickles, ketchup, salsa, candied jalapeno and numerous other items.
We did use some of the blackberries to try out making our own homemade wine as well.
More of the gorgeous flower displays at the Hershbergers
As far as flowers go, most of my flower beds are filled with perennials. Some of my favorites that I have are lavender, hardy geraniums, hosta, black-eyed susan, rose bushes, and cactus.
I plant a lot of marigolds around the raised garden beds. I also have herbs around in various places as well for me to use in the kitchen and also I cut some fresh to feed to our chickens as well.
I have attached some pictures of our gardens, we have a large garden that we did rows and mulched in between and we also have raised beds.
Of course Jon got most of his ideas from what he saw at your farm. I also put one of my flower gardens in there.
We are so excited for the up coming growing season. We got our gardens how we wanted this past season and now we are hoping to get grapes, blueberries and some fruit trees going this coming season.
Share Your Garden With TIMG!
Thank you so much Brittany for sharing your garden with us!
And now it’s your turn to share your garden! We want to showcase gardens of all shapes, sizes and types from all around the world. It will make this site a great site for gardeners to dream, learn and share!
If you would like to have your garden be on one of our Wednesday Garden Showcases, go to the share my garden tab on the website and fill it out. If it’s easier – you can even email us your garden story and pictures at info@thisismygarden.com.
Now those are some serious raised beds! Love the craftsmanship
The raised row beds in season
More of the beautiful flowerbeds
The canned goods from the Hershberger Garden
Featured Gardens
This garden story comes from Janice MacLean and Wensel Harris whose garden is located in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
It seems they can just about grow it all on just shy of 3/4 of an acre of land! And with a converted chicken coop shed and a recycled window greenhouse – it looks like their DIY skills are pretty impressive too!
I think it shows more than anything that you don’t have to have have endless amounts of land to grow most or all of your own food.
Here is their This Is My Garden Story:
Garden of : Janice MacLean and Wensel Harris
Location : Prince Edward Island, Canada.
We have a little(.69 of an acre) homestead in rural PEI, Canada. We started making raised beds a couple of years ago, built a recycled window greenhouse, converted the shed into a chicken coop and bought a bee hive ( bought 5 more….).
We grow about 80 percent of our food; fruit trees (apples, cherry, pear), berries (blueberries, raspberries, black current), all sorts of vegetables, (5 kinds of potato,carrot, turnip, yellow and green beans, egg plant, onions, garlic, snow peas, peas, navy beans,tomatoes,hot peppers, red peppers,paprika peppers, celery, spinach, lettuces, parsnip, cucumbers, zucchini, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin)
We also have a huge herb garden (dill, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon thyme, genovese basil, lemon basil, lime basil, Thai basil, oregano, garlic chive, onion chive, lavender, summer savory, chamomile, hyssop anise, sweet marjoram, Vietnamese cilantro, coriander). I have probably missed something.
We started a 1000 square foot bee perennial garden last year as well.
We are chemical free, using chicken poop tea and our own compost as well as egg shells, coffee grounds, organic liquid fish fertilizer(local made) and Epsom salts to fertilize and replenish the soil.
Featured Gardens
Returning Home To Garden
There is nothing quite like returning home, especially when it’s to 20 acres of beautiful dairy land! Take a look at Cathy Vincent’s garden below in the beautiful state of Wisconsin, and on land in her family since the late 1800’s.
Look at all that food!
Garden of : Cathy Vincent
Location : Humboldt, WI
Cathy Vincent’s 20 Acre Dairy Land Garden
My name is Cathy Vincent and I live in Humboldt WI.
I grew up on a dairy farm and moved away to the city when I was 15. Now I am 49 and my husband and I just moved into our new home across the street where I grew up. My parents saved each of us kids farm land in case we ever wanted to come home again.
I am happy to be home on land that has been in my family since the late 1800’s. I am on 20 acres of land. We moved in the end of may 2016 and I began my garden. I am an organic gardener and I love it!
When I arrived we only had 1 bumble bee, who did a wonderful job of pollinating my fruit trees (that were sitting in my driveway waiting to be planted).
One of my main focuses was to create a habitat for my pollinator friends. By the end of summer I had a hum of different types of bees.
My garden consists of 4 apple, 4 cherry, 2 peach trees, strawberries, raspberries, goji berries, boysenberries, gooseberries, and rhubarb.
In summer I love to plant all heirloom varieties, that way I can save my seeds. I have now doubled the size of my garden for next year. I included a few pictures of my garden from this past summer.
– Cathy Vincent