Ready to start growing?
This page collects all my “How to Grow” posts in one place. I will be adding more soon, as well as posts on composting, fertilizing and more. If you’re just starting out, I recommend trying just a few of your favorite crops first. My guides are tailored to USDA zone 7b in southern New Jersey.
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Republishing for spring 2026. It’s not too late to start tomato seeds! Tomatoes! Nearly every year, I grow more tomatoes than anything else. Enough to make gallons of sauce and to give them away in free piles outside my house. Indeterminate tomatoes are those that vine and sprawl all over. Determinate ones have neat and…
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I don’t change it up much from year to year. I like to grow things that I like to eat, and I’m kind of a basic gal. So this list looks much like last year’s. Someday when I have more room, I can grow luffas and tomatillos, but not now. Nothing listed here is new…
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When I was young, green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were one of the few vegetables I would eat. I enjoyed when my mom would assign me the task of snapping off the ends. Today, while my kids wouldn’t eat them when they were little, now as teens they like them. And I’ve grown a respectable amount…
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Basil is easy to grow and so great to have on hand fresh! I bought “Emily” basil seeds way back when I first started gardening. And that’s mostly what I’ve grown ever since. Emily is a variety of classic Genovese basil. Start basil inside in early March. Sprinkle a few seeds per plastic cup filled…
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I love carrots. I don’t get tired of them. I like them raw, in salads, roasted in a savory way, roasted in a sweet way. Soon as I get some more growing space I will be sure to grow more of them. The timing is tricky though with this cool-weather-loving crop. You need to get…
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I have grown onions. Not every year, and not always with great success. It can be done, but it’s not as easy as, say, tomatoes (in my opinion). And since supermarket onions are cheap, it doesn’t always seem worthwhile. But according to my husband, it’s worth it. He always raves about our homegrown onions and…
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I purchased some garlic at a nearby farmers’ market recently, and the seller apologized for the price, and explained it was due to the fact that “garlic is so hard to grow in Jersey.” Is it, though? IDK. I have grown it a few times with no problem. Of course, growing 12 plants is not…
Hallelujah, Holy Shit, Where’s the Tylenol?
Last night was one of those nights where I ended up lying awake questioning most of my life choices. This was precipitated by Tom’s near-constant snoring, and also both the dog and the cat trying to get in the bedroom. I didn’t fall asleep til the wee hours, and then woke up feeling sick. Usually…
Song of the Cicadas
Maybe my next house will have a screened-in porch, where I can enjoy a breezy 65-degree September morning, drinking hot coffee and listening to the sounds of nature without my neighbors seeing me in my pajamas and bra-less. In the meantime, I’m on the patio in full view. Too gorgeous a morning not to. Listening…
The Party’s Over (But What a Party)
I was out past my bedtime last night and seem to be paying for it with a crazy headache today. But it was worth it: I saw Chris Stapleton with friends at a nearby outdoor venue. He was amazing! I’d go see him again. Love his voice. It felt like the perfect finale to what…
Garden State of Mind 