Home Gardening Inspiration & Education

It's July in Kentucky and hard to think of fall when the summer temperatures are so hot, and the spring planting frenzy feels like its just over.   However, it is time to start sowing seeds and and thinking about where your fall plants will be tucked into the garden.   Think: carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage, swiss chard, kales, and many other of your favorite fall fares. The smaller, faster growing greens like radishes, lettuces, spinach, etc will come later.

So where do we start?  First of all, let's just say that there is still time to sneak in a few last minute summer plantings.  Cucumbers, squashes, & green beans can all stand to be directly sown into the hot soil and will mature safely before threat of frost in late October.  

Now let's familiarize ourselves with three plant families: Chenopods, Umbelliferous, and Brassicas.  For edible plants, the Chenopod Family contains beets, swiss chard, and spinach.  July &...

Woohoo!  Is your favorite part of June gardening the garlic harvest?  Mine too!   We've waited patiently as it grew for 9 long months.  We mulched it, overwintered it, plucked off the scapes, FINALLY the bulbs formed, and its ready to come out of the garden!  It's not only exciting because it will be so delicious, but it will also make space to plant something new... maybe pumpkins!

You know garlic is ready to pick when you notice the plant starting to "die back".  Look for yellowing or browning of the bottom leaves.  This in an indication of harvest readiness!

I like to do a "test dig" before popping up all my bulbs.  Pierce the soil with a shovel or harvest fork about 6 inches from the plant.  Go straight down then angle the fork to pop up the bulb.  This will prevent puncturing the bulb.  If you can see and feel well formed cloves, they are ready to harvest.  If the bulb is simply round, the cloves need...

It all starts with a vision, and a consultation. 

Welcome to Kara and Stella’s front yard edible garden!

Kara wanted to garden for years, and especially now that her four year old is interested.  After touring Kara’s heavily wooded property, we decided that the front yard had the best sun, proximity to water, and to the kitchen window.  

Our designs consider not only the space, but the gardener's experience level too.  Her space could have accommodated several beds but as a beginner, we decided to start small. 

Kara ordered two red cedar raised beds sized 8x4x1.  We removed the Pachysandra ground cover, leveled the area, added pea gravel, and flag stone.  We trenched in the black edging and topped the beds with soil, plants, and trellises.  And wowza!  I will say it looks fantastic and I love love love that is in her front yard!  

These beds will be used by the whole family.  Stella, Kara's daughter,...

Local Gardening Class?

Thank goodness we don't live in times where women were labeled witches for their worship and wonder of the natural world.  It is our intuition toward togetherness, spiritual grounding, and gathering food that attracts us to each other.  We are bound by our instincts to do this work.    

Most of us are out of practice with our innate ability to grow food and herbs.  Our skills have gone uncultivated and unsharpened for too long. Our desire has been distracted.  We have lost touch with familial survival wisdom.  The art, craft, and science of horticulture has slipped through our hands, most literally.  

Growing food is intuitive - with a bit of nurturing. 

Let me ask you this?  Is it a little witchy to wanna grow gardens with a group of like-minded women?   Women who want to nurture plants and eat real food?  Those who want to connect with each other face to face,...

Ahhhhh!  Tired of feeling confused by the endless information on the interwebs?  The overwhelm is real.  I felt the same way until I linked arms with my horticultural mentor and things starting making sense.   He had local knowledge on growing all things edible in the Louisville, Ky area... Zone 6b.  

So sit back, look no further, and take me into your garden this season.  Hi!  I'm Marlena Wolf - mom, entrepreneur, and edible gardening coach.  My mission is to inspire, educate, and empower you to garden with success and retention in our area!   (Click here for online course info + upcoming gardening club).

Let's get down to it.  The birds are chirping, the days are warming up, and things are turning green.  So what now?  There are a few moving parts to focus on.

One -  Garden area prep.  Locate the space with the maximum amount of sunlight and water accessibility.  Measure it - keep it...

*After* your seeds germinate be sure they stay moist, and *either* get 8 hours of *direct* sun OR 18 hrs of artificial light so they don’t get LEGGY!! Getting leggy or spindly means they are growing too quickly while searching for light. When this occurs, the stem becomes too weak to support the foliage and it falls over. The goal is to grow sturdy & strong seedlings, not thin and lanky.

Ps- they also gain strength with air flow from a gentle fan!

What has your experience been?‍