Eclectic Gardening in Tennessee Zone 7

  Mint and Fig Leaf Cutting and Drying for Tea I fashioned a bamboo and chicken wire screen to place over a large resin barrel to wash/rinse mint cuttings and fig leaves with water.   After washing/rinsing, I brought everything inside and placed on large tables covered on beach towels for drying instead of hanging the mints/fig leaves in bunches to dry.   The mints scented the entire garage. It smelled so good every time I went into the garage.   The drying process took ~2 weeks.   I turned the leaves often to ensure drying of all stems and leaves.   When everything was crispy and crunchy to the touch, I started the process of removing leaves from the stems of mints.   I crushed the dried leaves in a bowl then used a canning funnel to transfer each mint into quart jars and sealed the lids.   Labeled each jar.   I did the same with the dried fig leaves. I saved the stems from each mint separately.   These will be great to place on the...

  March 4, 2026 (Originally posted on NextDoor) Wanted to share photos of seed starting yesterday for tomatoes and peppers and prepping organic potatoes (red and gold) to use at seed potatoes. Tomato (marked as determinate or indeterminate) and pepper seeds placed in potting soil and seed starting trays. Watered after planting. Placed on lids of clear totes. After all planting finished, put clear tote over the top to serve as mini-greenhouses. I will bring these inside when/if temperatures drop too low overnight and place back outside the next morning. I will use a rock or small block of wood to raise the lid slightly if temperatures too warm during the day. For seed potatoes, I wrapped organic potatoes (red and gold) in wet paper towels and placed on my kitchen window sill. When foliage develops, I'll plant these in 10 gal grow bags. This will be the first year trying to grow potatoes. Grow bags are perfect because the dirt can be dumped onto a tarp, potatoes harvested...

  April 4, 2026 (original post on NextDoor) First year planting potatoes in grow bags. Red seed potatoes in bag on the right. Yukon Gold seed potatoes in bag on the left. Three inches of garden soil + cow manure mix in the bags first -- seed potatoes with crowns pointing upward placed on this layer. Covered seed potatoes with 6 inches of soil mix and topped off the soil with handful of bone meal stirred in. Watered both bags really well. New potatoes will grow in the space above the seed potatoes. Once crowns show through the top layer of soil, more soil will be added. To harvest, I'll empty entire contents of each bag onto a tarp to remove new potatoes. Soil on tarp will be placed back in the grow bag for next use. (L) Yukon Gold; (R) Red  June 1, 2026 (Update) As the foliage (crowns) grew, I would add more potting soil leaving just the tops of the crowns showing.  I repeated this process as necessary until the soil reached about 1-2 inches from the top of the ...

  April 12, 2026 (Originally posted on NextDoor) Trying my hand at fig tree propagation. I have a common fig tree given to me many years ago. After trimming this year, decided to plant cuttings. Cut each section below a sprouting node. Used a sharp knife and cut through the bark in several places at the base of the cuttings. Coated the cut ends in powdered growth hormone. Planted each in small pots placed in plastic shoe box lined with mulch. Wet soil and placed under clear tote to maximize heat to support new root growth. Fingers crossed!         June 1, 2026 (Update) Fig propagations have exceeded expectations! I, however, have not done a great job in taking more photos to show how things are going. Out of 11 total propagations, 6 have produced new leaves. All but one of those have been given away to people in the neighborhood or in the gardening club. I'll add another photo soon of the fig propagatio...