Garden State of Mind

Tag: zone 7b

  • The Last Harvest of the Year

    The Last Harvest of the Year

    Last week we had some frigid nights, with the mercury dropping to 17 degrees F. I was still recovering from being sick and figured the broccoli, carrots, etc. in the garden would be OK. But yesterday (Saturday), we were staring down a Winter Storm Warning that promised three to five inches of snow. So I…

  • 2025 Garden Totals

    2025 Garden Totals

    The 2025 garden totals are in! I’m pleased; this was a decent haul in a smaller garden compared to 2023. (I didn’t really garden in 2024.) My fenced-in garden is about 8 ft by 6 ft, so 48 square feet. In addition I had some large pots near the driveway for carrots, potatoes and herbs.…

  • Wintry Walks & More Thrifting

    Wintry Walks & More Thrifting

    I really needed this weekend. I was practically skipping home on Friday, so glad the work week was done. Work was extremely busy; at home I was pulling single-parent duty Sunday through Tuesday while Tom and T went to Green Bay for the Eagles game. I worked from home Monday and Tuesday. N and F…

  • Closing Time

    Closing Time

    This was a catch-up, clean-out, clean-up, fix-up, and shut-down kind of weekend. Tom did the fixing up: unclogging sink drains, setting up the new dehumidifier, and attempting to fix the back screen door. The kids and I cleaned up: the bathrooms, the kitchen, changing sheets, the cat box, and more. The garden moved a bit…

  • Home Is Where the Plants Are

    Home Is Where the Plants Are

    Soooo happy to be home from Arizona! I took a red-eye home on Saturday, leaving AZ at 11:45 pm and arriving in Philly at 7 am. The flight felt surreal, the quiet and the dark; I would nod off for a bit, then jerk awake. There was a period of turbulence that was a little…

  • Growing Tomatoes (Indeterminate) in Zone 7b

    Growing Tomatoes (Indeterminate) in Zone 7b

    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 tidy bushes. I’ve only ever grown indeterminate. My tried and true tomato…

  • Calm Before the Storm

    Calm Before the Storm

    Sitting here getting my grays covered up and my hair cut, ahead of my work trip to Arizona. I leave next Sunday. Trying to enjoy fall in New Jersey before heading to the desert. However, we’ve got a nor’easter blowing in today, so we can’t do much outside. The worst of it will be tonight…

  • Growing Onions in Zone 7b

    Growing Onions in Zone 7b

    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…

  • Growing Garlic in Zone 7b

    Growing Garlic in Zone 7b

    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…