The Collected Seed Blog /

My thoughts on a variety of garden topics. Favorites include: vegetables, native plants, heavy clay soil, composting, and gardening with ornery dogs.

My 2020 Grow List

It’s here! My 2020 grow list.

The Collected Seed

Jan 30, 20202 min read

Fitting a garden into my busy life

In last week's article, I Need More Space, I lamented how difficult gardening can be when you live in suburbia, the land of dwindling lot...

The Collected Seed

Jan 21, 20203 min read

How my wallet survives springtime

Raise your hand if you want to grow all the things! I'm guilty. I read gardening blogs, online threads, and get sucked into Facebook...

The Collected Seed

Jan 14, 20202 min read

I need more space!

Suburbia has some unique challenges and the most obvious is probably space. Nationwide, the footprints of homes are getting larger,...

The Collected Seed

Jan 10, 20203 min read

Cherokee Purple - better for fall

I've grown Cherokee Purple four times now and because of a common tomato fungus, I think gardeners will be happier with its performance...

The Collected Seed

Jan 5, 20202 min read

January garden chores

Welcome to 2020! Before I get started talking about what I'll be doing in January, I need to send out a big THANK YOU to my Facebook...

The Collected Seed

Jan 1, 20203 min read

Skip the peat moss and the coir - make leaf mold!

Truth be told, I haven't given leaf mold a fair shake. I didn't think I had enough leaves in my tiny yard to have much of an impact on my...

The Collected Seed

Dec 17, 20196 min read

Dwarf tomato verdit

As I shared this summer in my Dwarf tomato grow list post, I started with a packet of "free with purchase" seeds and ended up tumbling...

The Collected Seed

Dec 10, 20194 min read

Sustainable and compostable wrapping paper!

Sure, traditional wrapping paper is recyclable and gift sacks can be saved and re-used, but there are other very attractive and...

The Collected Seed

Dec 4, 20195 min read

What to get me (or your favorite gardener) for Christmas

With Black Friday looming, I've been asked a few times what I want for Christmas. I need to rebuild a few of my original raised beds, so...

The Collected Seed

Nov 26, 20193 min read

Spring Bulbs and Fall Seeds

Images from Holland Bulb Farm As you may know, I work full-time and in my peak seasons, 8-5 is more like 8-???. October is one of those...

The Collected Seed

Nov 18, 20195 min read

Brown compostables from around the house

Compost leaves they say. They're a great "brown" they say. I'm in central Oklahoma which isn't exactly know for dense forests. That's not...

The Collected Seed

Oct 8, 20193 min read

October garden chores

Ironically, about half of my garden chores this month will involve work indoors as I prepare for winter. Plant garlic - This is top of...

The Collected Seed

Sep 30, 20194 min read

Get your frost blankets ready

My weather is set to turn on a dime which means I need to be ready for anything. Last week, temperatures were still in the 90s but in...

The Collected Seed

Sep 25, 20193 min read

My tomatoes are going gangbusters thanks to planting in July.

I've heard for years that it was a good idea to pull and replace stressed tomato plants once the heat caused them to stop setting fruit....

The Collected Seed

Sep 20, 20193 min read

Current obsession: Penstemon digitalis (beardtongue/foxglove beardtongue)

My crush de jour resulted from a weekend away when I kept spotting a roadside wildflower that I couldn't identify. I presumed it was...

The Collected Seed

Sep 17, 20193 min read

Shishito and Bell Pepper Slaw

I have a tendency to experiment in the kitchen using whatever I have available and failing to write down what I've done. It's such a...

The Collected Seed

Sep 10, 20192 min read

Clay soil. My biggest garden challenge.

Every good garden starts with good soil. This means that if your soil sits on the extreme end of any of the soil spectrums, whether its...

The Collected Seed

Sep 10, 20195 min read

September garden tasks (Zone 7/Southern Plains)

Ahh, September. Admittedly, I'm sitting here humming the Earth, Wind and Fire tune as I begin typing this. I'm also in shock that...

The Collected Seed

Sep 3, 20194 min read

Frost tolerant? It’s 100 degrees!

Greetings from the edge of Mother Nature’s sanity! Here it‘s time to start the seeds of frost tolerant plants while we cook under the...

The Collected Seed

Aug 27, 20195 min read

The Collected Seed Blog /

My thoughts on a variety of garden topics. Favorites include: vegetables, native plants, heavy clay soil, composting, and gardening with ornery dogs.

My 2020 Grow List

Fitting a garden into my busy life

How my wallet survives springtime

I need more space!

Cherokee Purple - better for fall

January garden chores

Skip the peat moss and the coir - make leaf mold!

Dwarf tomato verdit

Sustainable and compostable wrapping paper!

What to get me (or your favorite gardener) for Christmas

Spring Bulbs and Fall Seeds

Brown compostables from around the house

October garden chores

Get your frost blankets ready

My tomatoes are going gangbusters thanks to planting in July.

Current obsession: Penstemon digitalis (beardtongue/foxglove beardtongue)

Shishito and Bell Pepper Slaw

Clay soil. My biggest garden challenge.

September garden tasks (Zone 7/Southern Plains)

Frost tolerant? It’s 100 degrees!

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