The Bowery
Tales and Lessons about growing all things green on the Coast of Maine
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Dahlias: Growing Dazzling Dahlias for the Garden
Dahlias are my BBF’s. Best buds forever! These beauties come in hot by mid to late summer and finish strong. They're blooming well into the fall until hit by the first frost. I cannot get enough [...]
Transplanting and Direct Sow
Transplanting means that your garden dreams are getting closer to coming to fruition! Planting vegetables, herbs and flowers in the ground is the exciting part. Transplanting Two weeks before transplanting I like to prep both my [...]
Mycorrhizae, the Magic Garden Fungi
Mycorrhizae fungi is a powerhouse. Let me tell you all the ways this teeny-tiny little fungus will change your garden for the better. Usually when you hear about a fungus in the garden, gardeners panic. Not [...]
Annual Flowers: My Top 10 Flowers for the Garden
Annual flowers really bring color to the garden. It's time to petal to the metal and talk flowers. Every garden must have at least a few of these—even if you’re team veggie. These quick growing beauties [...]
No Dig Gardening and Compost
No Dig Gardening has changed my life. This is not hyperbole, just truth. Six years ago I stumbled across a vegetable book by new-to-me Charles Dowding, TheVeg Journal: Expert no-dig advice, month by month (not sponsored [...]
A Beginner’s Guide to Pinching Plants
Pinching plants, the age-old technique of snipping out the center of your multi-stem, cut-and-come again herbs and flowers is epic. If you’re like me and want fuller plants, more stems, blooms and increased stem length, you [...]
Meet the Blogger
I’m Kelly, a small-scale, organic herb farmer, author and speaker growing in coastal Maine. I believe I was born in the wrong era, am deathly afraid of snakes (ironic, I know) and garden stalking is completely reasonable behavior in my opinion.
An enthusiastic gardener, I want to share with you detailed, cutting-edge growing techniques, tricks and tips so your gardens will be brilliant and your neighbors will be jealous!
The Backyard Gardener
Grow delicious—and gorgeous—vegetables, herb and flowers in your backyard with this comprehensive guide. The Backyard Gardener is every organic gardener’s must have, brimming with mouthwatering photographs, helpful planting suggestions and tried-and-true techniques.
I’m big on sharing. Information hoarders are my pet peeve, so I made sure this book had it all—answers for the newbie-gardener’s burning questions as well as innovative growing techniques for the connoisseur. Dive deep into crop rotation with me! Learn why I think plant stacking is essential, and how sheet mulching changed the way I garden. In this book you’ll get details on the whole enchilada, from the nitty gritty of seed starting, succession sowing and pest control to how-to harvest, store and preserve your vegetables, herbs and flowers. That beautiful, bountiful garden you’ve been fantasizing about is right at your fingertips, and everything you need to be successful right out of the gate is right here!
Available now at
Signed copies
If you’d like to buy a signed copy and support a local Maine business in the process, you can find signed copies of The Backyard Gardener at Sherman’s in Portland, Freeport, Falmouth, Bar Harbor, and more locations. Click below to get more information.