My First Post!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! The hope is for this blog to provide information about different crops, tips for successful gardening, garden pests and diseases, preserving fresh harvests, and ways to prepare delicious food.

I’m learning how to blog, so bear with me. Unlike FaceBook, this page has a search function that will find the keywords that you enter and you can begin reading or re-reading posts quickly. Many of us have been frustrated with FaceBook in several other ways, too. For example, there are no ads here. As things roll on, I may have product links for things that I use and recommend. There will be no political information here. Lastly, this is a place to share experience and information in an effort to teach and learn, so there are many different ideas and concepts at play. There is rarely just one way of doing things, and we’ll explore and navigate as we grow. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned through years of gardening, it is that things are always changing.

From my perspective, the toughest parts of blogging will be continuing to write content that you want to read while making the page look good. Don’t be surprised if the “theme” of this page changes from time to time as we continue to improve or add to the page functions.

Where am I?

Some of you may be reading this from afar, so there will be references to my location. My home and gardens are located in Milan, IL (just outside the Quad Cities) in USDA Zone 5. We are near the Mississippi and Rock Rivers, have many creeks and other bodies of water nearby and experience four traditional seasons. Well, some years, we see a season begin and then retreat a few times. I think we are currently on the beginning of spring for the third time for 2023.

The information and experiences that I share here will be relatable to most areas, but the details or specifics may need to be adjusted if your growing zone is vastly different.

As a small grower operating a farmstand, my focus is on quality and quantity. If you are growing for yourself or small family, the quantity may not be as important, but with minor changes you can easily increase your production. I hope you’ll follow along!